The goal of this project is to create a lesson book to guide teachers and beginner students through the first six months of teaching and learning and to create a strong base of knowledge the student can draw upon throughout their time playing the harp. This lesson book is organized in three distinct sections: Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3. The sections were named to levels to more accurately describe the difficulty of the exercises and content. The lessons are designed to occur once a week so that each section may take two months to complete for a total of six months. The timing of the lessons are ultimately up to the teacher and student, however, as some may need more time while others can progress faster. The lessons are planned to last about 30 minutes, as longer would be difficult for the young student to sit still and pay attention, although the length of the lesson is also up to the teacher and the student. Attached to the lessons are links to the pieces so that the teacher and student may hear how the piece sounds before playing it.

A huge block in the road for prospective music students may reach them when they are looking forward to the next step in their music education: the application and selection process for higher institutions of music education differs significantly from the application process that most students go through to attend college. Without the proper guidance from teachers, counselors, and other mentors in their high school education, students may find themselves completely lost in a discipline that can tend to make assumptions about student goals and cost lots of money in the process. Throughout this thesis, undergraduate music students will offer insight about the paths that they took to receiving their degrees alongside advice from college professionals that devote their professional lives to helping ensure that these students are successful. In addition, the culture and accepted curricula of collegiate music will be analyzed with a close lens to try and answer questions of what universities and other institutions of higher learning tend to value in the music discipline. In concluding remarks, this information will be synthesized to offer specific advice to help future college music students find their way.