Susan will be teaching people how to start to play the blues on the harp. They will be learning the blues scale and fun easy pieces that incorporate the blues.

Susan and her Jazz Harp Clarinet Duo will be playing two concerts at the Tucker-Reed H Cofer Library, 5234 Lavista Road, Tucker, GA 30084, 770-270-8234 on December 9th and 16th at 2 pm. These holiday concerts are free and open to the public. Susan will be playing with Eric Fontaine.

I am the piano teacher for the Global Village School. My student Crespo and I, played a piano duet for the year end final concert “Girls Got Talent.” pictured here I am donating a tabla drum to Elise Witt, the Director of Music at GVS, for the school to have.

Name That Tune

Summer Adult Student Workshop
June 4, 2017, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, $25

Starting with a song that starts on C tonic in C major, I will give you a song like “Twinkle”. After writing it down on staff paper, we’ll progress to Beatles songs like Hey Jude, which starts on the 5th note of the scale. Then we will play the TV game, Name That Tune. In case you’re too young to remember … You are given the first four notes of the song and have to be the first one to identify it by name to win the prize for that round.

This workshop will be repeated in the Fall for the choir at the North Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur.

Skill Share a teaching program created by the Dekalb County Library supplies classes to different branches of the library. Susan Ottzen was selected to teach a History of the Harp and mini harp lessons to all participants presented her workshop at the Decatur Kofer-Cohen branch of the library with great success, the workshop was held on March 11 and 10 participants want to return for a 6 week Harp Lesson Class at this library in the fall of 2017

Upcoming events

Summer Adult Student Workshop
“Why do we like the Music We do?” from the book “Your Brain on Music” by Daniel J. Levitin
Pick your favorite song, analyze it for how catchy it is -find the music on line or transcribe it, what skills do you need to develop to do it, play it for us and discuss what you learned. Rhythmic dictation and melodic dictation, time signature,playing in an ensemble similar to bell choir-boomwhacker ensemble and percussion. (something else needs to be added)

Leonard Bernstein Centenniel-on Feb 11, and 17 2018
Susan will present a program showing from Bernstein’s “Young Peoples Concerts” The TV program that aired in 1961 at the Unitarian Universalist Church “What is Melody?” to honor his centennial and discuss if his work is relevant to kids, teens, and adults today in 2018.

I recently performed these five pieces on the harp, and they were recorded as a live concert CD – my new demo CD called Reverie that is now for sale.

To order by mail, send a check or money order for $12.00 (this includes shipping and handling) to:

Susan Ottzen
1249 Thomas Rd
Decatur, GA 30030

Excerpt from the CD:

Hello!
Some great news my 13 year old piano student Sarah Harper played for a judge at Fall Fest at Agnes Scott College sponsored by the Decatur Music Teachers Association. She was one of 3 students (out of a total 120 students) who received the prestigious Musical Artistry Award and a check for $25  based on her great technique, enthusiasm, musicality – beauty, and potential. Congratulations Sarah! She says she will put the money in savings.

CD Release Free Concert for Franklin Abbott’s album Ordinary People. Featuring Susan Ottzen-harp, Jez Graham-piano, bass and drums.

December 11, 8 pm
800 East Studio
800 East Ave, NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
(470) 240-1282
At the corner of Alaska and East Ave, off Highland Ave