Embedded Files
Practical Harpist Project (Part 1)
Myron Leonard, is a 16 year old rising junior at Charles R. Drew Charter School in. Atlanta, Georgia. Myron began playing the harp when he was 11 years old. His school offered a harp class that was available through the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble. This class is taught by Dr. Molly O’Roark and Jennifer Betzer. He joined the Talent Development program in 2020 while he was in the 7th grade. He takes lessons from ASO’s principal harpist, Elisabeth Remy Johnson. Myron went to the prestigious Interlochen Arts Summer Camp in 2022. During the 3 week camp, he was a part of the Interlochen Symphony Orchestra and was selected as principal harpist for the Intermediate age group. Myron won the Atlanta Harp Composition Competition on the lever harp in 2021. His winning composition is called Follow the Wind and a digital PDF is available for purchase on the Atlanta Harp Center website. Myron received superior rating from the Solo and Ensemble performances in fall of 2022 and 2023. Myron also is interested in conducting and composing. He is also a member of the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra. He is the principal harpist for this orchestra. Myron attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in the summer of 2023. He played for the TDP 30th Anniversary concert at Spivey hall in fall of 2023. Myron also auditioned into the GMEA All State 9/10 Full Orchestra, and 9/10 Concert Band in 2024.
IMG_1314.MOV
Sparrow Haiku Video!
A Stray Cat Sleeping Video!
Brandee Younger Tiny Desk Concert
Wedding Project
A wedding is a celebration of two people getting married. Depending on your beliefs, you do certain traditions or special things during a wedding to make a wedding special.
Nutcracker
I do not remember too much about the play itself. But the music is very nice.
-The prince and Clara go to the land of Sweets. Tchaikovsky wrote the musice for this ballet.
There is first chocolate from Spain. Coffee from Arabia, the coffee dance. Tea from China. Candy canes from Russia. Marzipan shepardess. Mother ginger and the polish channel. Waltz of the Flowers. They leave on their reindeer.
The piece starts off kind of creepy with the melody with the celeste. I really enjoyed listening to the piece and cannot wait to play it.
1-4-24 Orchestral Recording Listening(Harp Concerto)
I like how the orchestra accompanies the harps. The piece flows very nicely. It sounds very happy and joyful. The melody is very clear and nice.
Goal: Even 16ths
Malecki Listening
I like the piece. The trading out between the 2 harps is really cool. I have never heard of a concerto written for 2 harps. The piece is very quick, there area lot of little things to look out for that are easy to miss. The piece should be fun to learn.
Wedding Project Reflection
The overall Wedding Project was a very new experience, as this was something I have never done before. The first thing we did was come up with different wedding menus in groups. Each person played something different on each menu. The practice run before the actual run through was very sketchy. They were very wacky and people were yelling at each other as they were going down the aisle. On the actual run though it went fairly well. I feel as though our group did pretty well. The most difficult thing for me was keeping track of the bride as she was making her way down the aisle. I then had to adjust how I was going to end the piece, depending on the actions of the bride. I do think that this was a good way to practice or weddings.
Pictures Down Below
Arranging Project
The song Lovely is by Billie Eilish and features R & B artist, Khalid. The song was 64th on America's Billboard Hot 100. The song was released in 2018. This song is very relaxed, and there are moments in the song where there is a big rise and fall. I chose this song because I like how the chords are simple, but they correspond with the voice line quite nicely. The arranging process of this song was not too difficult. The song translates nicely to the harp and it fits well for the instrument. I am able to add different harp techniques such as harmonics and the xylophone effect on the harp.
IMG_1968.MOV
Headshot
Practical Harpist Project(Part 2)
Practical Harpist Project(Part 2)
Myron Leonard is a junior at Charles R. Drew Charter School in Atlanta, Georgia. He began playing the harp at age 11 under the guidance of his esteemed teachers Molly O’Roark and Jennifer Betzer. Myron joined the Talent Development Program in 2020 while in seventh grade and currently studies with Elisabeth Remy Johnson, the principal harpist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. In 2021, Myron won the Atlanta Harp Composition Competition with his piece "Follow the Wind," which is available for purchase as a digital PDF on the Atlanta Harp Center’s website. He attended the prestigious Interlochen Arts Summer Camp in 2022, where he was part of the Interlochen Symphony Orchestra and served as principal harpist for the intermediate age group. Myron also plays the piano and tuba. His musical interests extend to conducting and composing. He is a member of the Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra, where he was the principal harpist for the 2023-2024 season. Myron has been a dedicated member of the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble for over six years and substituted for the Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony Orchestra during the 2023-2024 season. He attended the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in 2023 and 2024, where he worked with Gaye Leblanc, principal harpist of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Myron also performed at the TDP 30th Anniversary concert at Spivey Hall in the fall of 2023. Myron auditioned for the GMEA All-State Full Orchestra and Concert Band in 2024, 2025 and participated in GMEA Solo and Ensemble from fall 2022 through spring 2025, receiving multiple superior ratings. He also performed and interviewed on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2025. He has also received a scholarship from winning 2nd place in the Omega Psi Phi Talent Hunt Competition in 2025.
Buisness Card
Buisness Card
Logo
Logo
IMG_2521.MOVBach Bourree from Partita 1
Composed by: Johann Sebastian Bach
Arranged By: Carlos Salzedo
The Kelly Clarkson Show Appearance
In Feburary of 2025 I had the opportunity to be interviewed on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Being on this show was the most pressure I've felt before performing. It was a very high stakes performance, and everything was moving extremly fast when I got on the set. I enjoyed my time playing the Handel Harp Concerto in B Flat. I had the opportunity to meet Kelly Clarkson and I made her cry with my performance. I got to spend a day in Times Square, and went sightseeing in New York City.
Moonlight Sonata Beethoven
Pre Listen- I have heard this piece before, but based off of just the title I would assume it is about how someone feels in the moonlight. Also, I know that it was orginally written for piano.
Piano Listen- This piece is really heavy and solemn. It is very dark and reminds me of someone who is experiencing a deep sorrow. I do like the piece. The piece is shifting from C# Harmonic Minor to E Major a lot, which I do find very intersting.
Harp Listen- One thing that might be difficult for this piece is keeping the pedal changes clean. As an ensemble one thing that is going to be difficult is making sure we have a good balance of parts.
Page updated
Report abuse