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Sylvia Woods Harp Center
January 2022 Newsletter
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If you close your eyes and picture my face, is the image that comes to mind from the cover of my Teach Yourself book? If so, you are not alone. Often, when harpists meet me in person for the first time, they'll say something like, "You cut your hair!" I prefer that to a possible alternative response of "Oh my, you look so OLD now!"
Yes, my hair is now white, and it is shorter than in 1978. And my face has more "laugh lines." But my heart is still filled with a love of the harp and harp music. And I think that helps keep me young.
And so, as we start a new year, my advice is this: No matter what craziness is in the world, your life will be richer if it includes music -- particularly HARP music. I wish you all a wonderful and musical 2022!
Hauʻoli makahiki hou (Happy New Year) from Kauai,
-- Sylvia
P.S. I had a lot of fun writing the article below about my name. I hope you enjoy reading it.
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Who is Sylvia? What is she,
That all our swains commend her?
Holy, fair, and wise is she;
The heaven such grace did lend her,
That she might admired be.
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Is she kind as she is fair?
For beauty lives with kindness.
Love doth to her eyes repair,
To help him of his blindness,
And, being helped, inhabits there.
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Then to Sylvia let us sing,
That Sylvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing
Upon the dull earth dwelling:
To her let us garlands bring.
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This poem from Shakespeare's Two Gentlemen from Verona is one of my favorites. My brother always answered the question of "Who is Sylvia? What is she?" with the answer: "She's a nut!" He was right, of course.
Sylvia (or Silvia) is a relatively unusual name. Growing up, I didn't know any other "Sylvias." My sister's name was also uncommon. Sheryl was two grades ahead of me in school, so I often had teachers who had taught her. Every once in a while, a teacher would call me Sheryl. I always knew they meant me, so I would usually reply. My brother Don is seven years older than I am. My 12th-grade English teacher had gone to high school with him. One day, this teacher called me Don! I'd answer to "Sheryl," but I refused to respond to "Don."
By the way, the name "Sylvia" comes from the Latin word "Silva," meaning forest or woods. So, ever since I got married in 1976, my first and last names have meant the same thing: Woods Woods!
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The "other" Sylvia Woods
"The other Sylvia Woods" is also known as "The Queen of Soul Food." Sylvia's Soul Food Restaurant has been a Harlem landmark since 1962. Sylvia wrote two cookbooks and introduced a line of soul food products sold nationally, including vegetables, sauces, cornbread mix, and more. This photo of Sylvia outside of her restaurant is from her 2012 obituary.
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I had the pleasure of meeting "the other Sylvia" in 2004 when my friend Patti and I flew to the east coast for the Somerset Folk Harp Festival in New Jersey. We spent a few days in New York City and took a bus up to Harlem to have lunch at Sylvia's Restaurant. I told the waitress what my name was, and Sylvia came over to meet me. We had a great time trading "Sylvia" stories. That meal was the first time I had eaten Chicken and Waffles, and it was SO GOOD!
I bought a bunch of festive "Sylvia's" aprons at the restaurant gift shop to give to all my employees. I still enjoy wearing mine on special occasions. Here's a sample of the fabric.
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When I had my harp store in Southern California, customers were often surprised when I answered the phone. They'd say, "Is this THE Sylvia Woods?!?!" I assured them that it was, indeed, me.
My favorite call of all time started like this:
"Thank you for calling the Sylvia Woods Harp Center. My name is Sylvia. How can I help you?"
"Is this THE Sylvia Woods?"
"Yes."
"I just LOVE your collard greens!"
"Oh, this is THE Sylvia Woods, but not THAT Sylvia Woods!"
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"The other Sylvia Woods" passed away in 2012, and her death was reported on the national news. Several people called my store to offer condolences to my employees. They were assured that I was still very much alive! |
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Yet "another" Woods
Once in the 1990s, when I flew to Hawaii for vacation, I saw the following headline on the local Garden Island Newspaper as I was leaving the airport: WOODS RETURNS TO KAUAI.
Wow! I was so impressed that I made the front page of the paper. However, the photo accompanying the article didn't look anything like me. Hmmm -- as I read the article, I discovered it was about Tiger Woods arriving for a golf tournament. Oh well. I still felt welcomed by the headline!
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New Music at Harpcenter.com |
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I've added more wonderful PDFs by Angi Bemiss this month.
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Since this newsletter is about my name, this month's sale includes music with a woman's name in the title. Save 15% off these items when you use the Names code!
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To get the 15% discount, enter the code word Names in the "Enter Promo Code" box on your shopping cart page and click "Enter Code" by January 31, 2022. See the "How to get the 15% discount" section at the bottom of this newsletter for more information.
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Book or PDF
arranged by Sylvia Woods
including Eleanor Rigby
and Michelle
15% off with Names code
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Book or PDF
arranged by Sylvia Woods
including Annie's Song
15% off with Names code
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Book or PDF
arranged by Sylvia Woods
including Jenifer Juniper
15% off with Names code
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Book or PDF
arranged by Sylvia Woods
including Tammy
15% off with Names code
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Book or PDF and CD or mp3
including Eleanor Plunkett, Bridget Cruise, and more!
15% off with Names code
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Book or PDF and CD or mp3
arranged by Sylvia Woods
including Annie Laurie and Leezie Lindsay
15% off with Names code
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arranged by Charles Guard
including Mona's Delight
15% off with Names code
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PDF
by Meg Robinson
15% off with Names code
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PDF
arranged by Sylvia Woods
including Molly Oxford
15% off with Names code
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PDF
arranged by Suzanne Guldimann
including Mary Hamilton and Barbara Allen
15% off with Names code
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PDF
by Brenda Bowen Cox
including Natalie Fraser
15% off with Names code
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PDF
arranged by Kim Robertson
including Katherine Martin
15% off with Names code
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How to get the 15% discount
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15% off select sale items when you use the code word Names
Our newsletter promo codes are redeemable online and are only valid for the products in the Sale Section above. They are not valid for phone or email orders. This month's code word is Names.
#1. Put the items you want to purchase in your cart.
#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word Names in the "Enter Promo Code" box and click "Apply."
The actual price of the featured sale products on this page will then automatically change to reflect the discount. For example,
Unit Price: $9.95 (which is the original price)
Total Price: $8.46 (the discounted price)
You'll also see a note below the Promo Code box saying the name of the promo code you entered and the percentage amount of the discount.
REMEMBER: You must enter this month's code word Names in the Promo Code box and click "Apply" on your shopping cart page by January 31, 2022, to get the discount!
This offer expires at the end of the day on 1/31/2022.
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Sylvia Woods Harp Center
Lihue, Hawaii
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