About Heather
Harpist, vocalist and educator.
For over twenty years Heather has performed, recorded and toured across the UK, Europe, the USA, New Zealand and Australia. She merges modern, cutting edge harping with her traditional roots for a sound that is unmistakably her own, equally at home on acoustic and electric harp.
As well as a busy performing career, Heather is passionate about teaching. She has developed her craft through a Masters in Education in Learning and Teaching, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. From complete beginners right up to professionals, she loves sharing the harp. She teaches the next generation as Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and reaches harp learners across the globe through her online harp school, How To Harp.
Qualifications & positions
Heather takes real pride in offering teaching of the highest standard. Here is the training and experience behind it.
- BA First Class Honours, Scottish Music, Principal Study Harp
- PGDip with Distinction, Performance Studies in Scottish Harp
- MEd Learning and Teaching in the Arts
- FHEA Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- RCS Principal Lever Harp Tutor, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
It's been a long road
Sometimes steep, sometimes winding, always exciting. Here is how Heather got here.
A trip to the ballet, front-row seats with her Mum. Heather came away fascinated by the harp, not the ballet. Cue ten years of begging for one.
She finally started learning the harp, thanks to a grant awarded by the Dunblane Trust.
Accepted into the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, after three years mainly self taught on the harp.
Graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama with a First Class Honours BA in Traditional Music and Scottish harp.
Achieved Distinction in her PGDip in Harp Performance Studies.
Touring solo across Europe, the USA and Canada, performing and teaching, and building her own harp school, studying approaches like Suzuki, Kodály and Orff Schulwerk.
Accepted a position teaching harp at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Top Floor Taivers was formed, and some wonderful touring years followed.
Finalist in the BBC Young Traditional Musician of the Year.
Her debut solo album, Nae Sweets For Shy Bairns, was released.
Invited to present on teaching at the World Harp Congress, and took up the role of Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
How To Harp launched: excellent teaching at an affordable price, with skills, technique, a huge range of tunes, live concerts, workshops and a warm community. The same year, Heather returned to solo touring after a break, with a tour of the USA.
Gained her Master of Education in Learning and Teaching in the Arts, after three years of study, and was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Heather also bought her very first pedal harp of her own, a stunning Camac Canopée.
The first How To Harp retreat, in Scotland. Heather also toured Australia and New Zealand.
How To Harp keeps growing, with its first ever exhibition at the Edinburgh Harp Festival. A real joy was meeting members in person at last, harpists she had formed strong bonds with through online sessions.
"Whether I'm on stage or teaching, it all comes from the same place: creativity, and the joy of making the harp your own."
— Heather
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