Dear Bay Area Harpist 

I would like to acquaint you with the Certificate Advancement Program, a program offered by the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) that is now available in our area!

 The Certificate Advancement Program is a graded examination program in eleven levels for string students, which measures technical progress and musical development.  Upon successful completion of the annual exam, a student is awarded a Certificate of Achievement by ASTA, the nation's largest organization for string teachers. 

 Over the next two months, you and your teacher can prepare one or more pieces, scales, an etude, and hone sight-reading skills for his performance before an examiner from whom he will receive reinforcing and constructive comments. The examiners are musicians who are knowledgeable, highly experienced teachers. 

The preparation and the feedback from the examiner are invaluable to each player. Opportunities such as these examinations provide a goal to strive for and an occasion for every student to shine in a non-competitive environment. They also lead to more success at youth orchestra auditions, festivals and recitals.

Date: The exam will be held on August 25th, 2012

Location: The exam will be held at Emanuel Lutheran Church - 1710 Moorpark Ave, San Jose CA 95128*(To be confirmed) 

Time: The Event goes on all day, each student will be given 10-20 min time slot depending on the level.  You are welcome to fill in your time frame preference. 

Application Deadline: The deadline for turning in applications with the appropriate fee is July 15th. 

Please mail them to Angelic Harp Studio: 990 The Alameda,apt1 San Jose CA 95126. 

Level F $25                             

Level 1 $30 

Level 2 $35

Level 3 $40 

Level 4 $45

Level 5 $50

Level 6+ $60

Music Theory for Today’s Tech Savvy Generation!         


It is no secret that kids today love playing on their laptops, rocking out to their ipods, and skyping with their freinds. Learning music theory on a computer is like speaking in their native tongue.

With inexpensive music education software, children can learn, enjoy, understand, and even compose music. The most appealing programs use animation and games to draw children into the world of music theory.


A great example is Music Ace. Music Ace is directed at children ages 5-8 years old and covers basic theory, but there is also Music Ace Deluxe, which is more advanced and is geared toward children ages 8 years old and up. ‘’Maestro Max’’, your child’s animated music professor gives guidance through each lesson as the smiling music notes sing and bounce around the screen.  
Maesto Max - Amazon

Another fun program is Sibelius Groovy Music Software from the UK. Altough I have little experience with it, from what I have read, it is verry effective for educating children. Here is the link: Sibelius Groovy Music Software

You can also download free music theory apps on your droid or iphone. It is simple as typing in ‘’music flash cards’’ or ‘’music theory games’’ into your search engine. This is the easiest way to go if you don’t feel like buying computer software.