About
Peppermint Harps
About the Creators
Justine & Jill
Justine never remembers a time when music was not on autoplay in her mind. She started piano lessons at age 4 after discovering the miracle of middle C on her grandparents old upright piano, and remembering and accurately playing it at home after a 2 hour car ride. She pursued piano, voice, and organ lessons through high school, but always had a longing dream to play the harp. She was finally able to pursue her dream and start lessons with Adine Bradley as a college freshman at the University of Utah in 1983.
After marrying her sweetheart Stephen, graduating with a MS in bioengineering, and becoming a mother, she continued harp lessons in Logan, UT in 1992 with Harriet Lanner, a former student of Carlos Salzedo. Ms. Lanner introduced Justine to harp pedagogy and mentored her in her first teaching experiences. Justine continued to teach and perform in her community after moving to Rexburg, ID in 1997.
Since 2012 she has maintained an active, large studio of Let’s Play Music and Presto piano students. This has given her a depth of experience and knowledge in teaching in a group setting. The excitement, energy, and learning in small groups is unparalleled by any other type of lesson experience. In 2020 she conceived of the idea of teaching harp in a group setting.
Justine and Jill Weaver are passionate about teaching the Peppermint Harp curriculum to the students of SE Idaho, and about sharing this curriculum with other harp teachers.
You can hear Justine as a solo musician on FB and IG at #medmodmusic and #pureimprov.
Jill received her first lever harp when she was 11 years old and instantly fell in love. Although she had been learning the piano and violin for several years previously she was ecstatic to learn such a rare and beautiful instrument.
Jill was instructed by several different and talented harpists who each helped her stretch and grow in different ways. Each teacher helped her develop new skills and techniques that have helped her become a very well-rounded harpist. This has helped her develop her own unique musical style to teaching and performing.
As a teen, Jill started teaching both private harp and piano lessons. With over 15 years of teaching experience in her own private studio, Jill teamed up with Justine Turcotte to create a better learning experience for younger harpists, through Peppermint Harps.
Jill has also had the wonderful opportunity to perform with several different groups. These include, Houston and Calgary based youth harp ensembles, the BYU-Idaho harp ensemble and various multi-instrument ensembles. She is currently a member of the Idaho-based harp ensemble, Nurture Harps and Dragonfly Harp Duo with Justine!
Nurture Harps
Nurture Harp’s Work in the Community
Each year we sponsor a multilevel harp concert for the city of Rexburg’s summer concert series.We invite harpists of all ages and abilities to join us on stage. It is an amazing opportunity for everyone involved, including our wonderful audiences.
We are all active harp teachers, and passionate educators. To promote harp education we are creating a groundbreaking curriculum for students to learn the harp in an exciting group setting, thus learning the joy of ensemble playing from the very beginning. Peppermint Harp curriculum will premier in Fall 2023, with the first classes available in Rexburg, Idaho.
For performance opportunities, to see our schedule, or for harp study, please contact us through our website nurtureharps.com, or through our FB page #nurtureharps.
About
the Harp Curriculum
Proper technique and hand position comes first for every harpist! Other musicianship basics include note reading, rhythm, and musical understanding. These are the foundations of our curriculum, and are taught with fun games and captivating songs.
Peppermint Harps goes further by adding layer upon layer of richness in music theory, music history, harp maintenance and tuning, a positive mindset, performance anxiety and stage poise. We also promote the highest appreciation for the opportunity to study the harp!
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Rexburg, Idaho
Rigby, Idaho