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Happy New Year! Looking forward to seeing you in 2023
Author Archives: Jen
Christmas time is here
Happy Christmas from me to you!
Makin’ a List
Makin’ a List
Since the end of the year is coming, many people are spending a moment taking stock (which is a great idea, BTW!). My own led to a list of random thoughts that I, of course, felt compelled to share with you!
1. If you need gift ideas (or hints?) I stand by this list for ideas. I should have added index cards to keep a running collection of tunes you have learned (I talk about that here).
2. Regardless of whether you play for your own edification, the cat and the curtains, your church, paid audiences, or you’re opening for the Rolling Stones, never lose sight of the reality that you not only have a gift, but you sharing that gift with others simply magnifies it. Playing music is never a waste of time or resources.
3. Take care of you. Beyond basic self-care, never play through pain or in pain. Use good techniques, use the tools your teachers have shared with you – placing, fingering, posture, etc. But no matter how long you practice each day, there are still the habits of the other hours of your day that can gang up on you – darn day job! If you are developing discomfort or if you have allowed that discomfort to grown into pain, of if something else is impinging on your playing (I’m looking at you desk job keyboard un- functional posture) seek help from a Certified Music Ergonomist – like me*!
4. Take time to enjoy. Even as the hustle and bustle, the premanufactured stress of the season, the actual stress of life, and the chores pile up – you play the harp! Play the tunes you like (or those that come easily to you). Really listen, feel, and resonate with your instrument and draw some peace to you, in you, and around you. If it’s midnight and you’re keyed up, sit for just a moment and put a little disturbance into the air. Let the ick of stress, etc., ride those sound waves right out of you!
5. Is it possible to say thank you enough? I doubt it. So, sincerely, thank you for sharing your year with me. I really enjoy your thoughts, observations, and comments, and I remain delighted and grateful for you and your willingness to share!
Told you, just a jumble of thoughts. What’s on your list? Let me know in the comments!
* Shameless plug. But seriously, if not me, let me point you in the right direction~
At the Year’s end
At the Year’s end
It’s the middle of December, and it’s about that time when we begin to take stock of the year that is nearly gone. Soon we’ll be setting plans for next year, but for now, we need to decide how we think this year has gone. If you set specific goals earlier this year, then you can check yourself against them now. You’ll be able to see clearly what you accomplished and what you still need to work on.
But what if you didn’t set goals at the beginning of the year? Well, you could set some “retrospective” goals (sort of like writing everything you’ve already done on your To Do list – you get credit for getting it done, but you didn’t actually have it on the original list!). But that’s not ideal.
If you hadn’t gotten around to setting and writing goals and you don’t want to add to your To Do list, you might need another way to reflect on the year. Because, whether you wrote goals or not, you likely still had accomplishments and achievements that are worth noting. It’s instructive to look back and assess what happened all year and to actively remember the events of the year. But those activities won’t make themselves obvious – you have to look for them!
How do you take yourself on a journey reviewing the year? You guessed it, ask yourself some questions. What should those questions be? Here are a few. Although it’s only a few, the answers will be instructive and tell you how you’re doing for the year.
What is the best thing that happened all year? What are the runners up?
What did you do that you probably could have skipped? What didn’t you do that you probably needed to include?
What had you hoped to accomplish that you did?
What had you hoped to accomplish that you didn’t?
What did you do to take care of you? Did it work?
What did you do that made you uncomfortable because it was (way) outside of your comfort zone?
What advice would you give yourself back in January, knowing what you know now in December?
What did you learn from all this?
The point of these questions is to meet the need to remember what you did, how you felt, what you should do next. They are goals, just written differently!
There are, of course, other questions. You will need your own that reflect your own ideas about what you accomplish in the year. Spend a little time sussing out which ones work for you.
What are some questions that you asked yourself to help take stock of the year? Did you like the answers? Let me know in the comments!
Taking the Lead
Taking the lead
Here we go! It’s December and that brings, well, you know. We have a lot going on (why yes, even more than usual!). All that can get in the way of your practicing which might make you fell less than sturdy when it’s time to share all your holiday tunes.
After all, everything you play (typically) is a tune everyone who’s listening already knows. And, since it’s material we only get to play if for about a month (well, this year it was more like more than two months starting before Halloween), it’s easy to get less learning and practice in. That might leave you feeling not quite prepared. Feeling comfortable could end up being a luxury.
Of course, that wobbliness can leave you feeling vulnerable – if you make a mistake – everyone will know – because they are so familiar with the tunes. That can feel like a lot of pressure on you. But what if we turn that on its head?
Because when everyone knows the music, you are sort of free. Stop looking at me (metaphorically) like I’m crazy! When everyone knows the music – it makes everything you play even more of a connection to those you’re playing for – how cool is that?!
You might feel like you must play perfectly, but…yawn. That everyone knows the music is exactly what makes this repertoire so much fun! So what if you add some “flourishes” or “jazz improvisations”? Here’s a great opportunity – you may find you have a knack for generating your own arrangements (on the fly). If you’re afraid (or just still telling yourself that you can’t do it) maybe start a gentle transition. Find the tunes you already play in a lead sheet form. Then you have the backup of knowing what should get played there – but you get to decide how it should sound. And if you’re not struggling to get a prewritten arrangement read through, you might also have time to insert some ornaments or variations (on purpose!).
I’m not suggesting you do this on the fly – but there’s still time to make the shift to a lead sheet so you can get used to reading that form and practice making it up as you go along (so it will be easier). Keep notes on what you’re doing, what you like and what you don’t, as well as keeping all the kind comments you get – that way, next year, you’ll have a leg up!
Where are you playing for the holidays? Do you have a favorite tune that you might move to a lead sheet on? What is it? Let me know in the comments!
Do you get a thumbs up?
The days are getting shorter as the nights grow longer and the year end is hurtling toward us – must be time to take stock to see if you get a thumbs up.
You might have noticed that the holidays began before Halloween this year – and that’s probably here to stay (ugh). So you are likely still working on material for your events whether they are family get togethers, playing for your friends, playing any one of a number of venues, or playing to impress the curtains and your cats. Meanwhile, there is just a lot going on and everyone is busy. I hope you are playing as many events for the holidays as you want to be – not one event more and certainly not one event less!
None of that makes it any easier to play, so it might be high time to check in on your basics to see how you’re doing. Let’s start with your basic technique – are your thumbs up? fingers and hands relaxed? are you sitting up? breathing? Are you still doing all those things while you’re playing? You know good technique is important because it makes it possible for you to play stronger, and to play better for longer.
Then let’s check on your current self-awareness. You know that good technique relies on a solid awareness. So, what better time than the present to give yourself the present of making sure you’re doing well? Have you checked yourself in a video lately? Or used a mirror to see what you’re up to when you’re thinking hard? When you do look at these, do you identify what you need to work on (and then work on that!)?
Now let’s look at your repertoire – have you solidified your tunes for the season (or are you praying that you never get to the point where you have to play the wobbly tunes)? Did you leave yourself enough time to prepare? Will you mark your calendar to start sooner in 2023? Have you noticed, though, that last year’s tunes are (ever so slightly) easier than they were last year? If so, have you noticed what about them is easier (and what, if anything, is actually more challenging than before)?
So, now that you’ve looked it all over, can you give a thumbs up? Of course, it’s only November so you have time to make changes if you need to so that you end the year on a high note.
Have you let anything slide on over the last few months? What have you found you need to focus on before you can give it a thumbs up? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US. We have so many things to be grateful for, and once again, I find that one at the top of the list is – you! Thank you for being such a wonderful part of my community. I really appreciate your time and attention and participation!
Thank you.
SWOT’s it all about?
Another crazy title – SWOT’s it all about?
I have an unending search for ways to get better at…everything! And because I have a diverse background and work experience as a researcher, scientist, artist, entrepreneur, and person, I thrive on crossing boundaries between disciplines and practices, particularly applying tools from one disciple to problems from another which is a hoot. At the least I learn something and at best there’s a huge breakthrough! One of those stalwart business tools is the SWOT analysis – and it’s a nice fit for our harp playing.
What’s a SWOT? It breaks into: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. Clearly this is applicable to business, but to playing the harp? Yup!
Think about it – taking a moment to complete a SWOT on your music could certainly help highlight where you should spend your time*. Here’s how:
Strengths – What are your strong points? Tunes you know (really well). Techniques, at which you excel. Sets you have put together. And more. These are likely your go-to tunes that you always perform, the ornaments you always use, your “signature” approach. These are solid and need to be maintained, but certainly don’t need the bulk of your attention.
Weaknesses – What aren’t you good at? These are tunes (or tune types) you’re not so comfortable with, techniques you don’t know or don’t do well and avoid. It’s not tunes you haven’t learned yet – just the ones that clearly aren’t ready for prime time (else they’d be in the Strengths pile). These are things you need to work on (whether you know it or not). These things require time and attention to get up to snuff and to be moved to the Strengths.
Opportunities – These are things you could nurture and take on to grow. It can be tunes to learn, chances to perform, participating in workshops, lessons, or master classes, or sharing tunes with other harpers. These are all chances to grown and develop and to move (eventually) to the Strengths column.
And last is:
Threats – which might be the biggest head scratcher, but it’s also the biggest opening. The word “threat” can be a little off putting so it might be better to think of it as things you might not think about or that you would love to skip (and maybe you do!). It could also include not having learning opportunities (e.g., beginners without a teacher or not being able to get to workshops because you live far from other harpers). So, they’re not “threats” as much as “thrusts” – places or things you can pursue to make progress including things to focus on or even gigs to seek.
A SWOT isn’t hard to do – it just takes a little time, some thought, a bit of self-reflection, and maybe some feedback if you have it (and a cuppa might help). Set aside a half-hour to spend on it. I’ve included a handy tool to help you do the analysis (click on the graphic (or here) to download). The first time you do it, it might feel like a lot of work, but I promise it gets easier each iteration – and it certainly can help sharpen your focus.
Give it a try and let me know what you find!
* And if you’re a professional, of course a SWOT can be helpful for business too!
Bzzzztzzzztzzzzzzzzz
Practice Improvement
Do you ever feel like your practice needs fixing? Like you should be doing something more but you’re not sure what? After all, you do all the things (as the meme says). And it’s our busy season coming, with friends, family, church, civic organizations, even strangers on the street, all asking for music for events or just to create a holiday vibe. It is a gift to share your gift. So the question is, is your practice ready or is your practice static?
Unfortunately, we can’t just wrap bows around our hands (or our brains!) and be ready to present our gift. So we practice. And practice. And practice some more. We listen to the gurus (I’m going to be presumptuous and add myself to that list!) and try to follow their advice. We do the technical work, and we write down everything, we make recordings, we do repetitions, we make exercises from fumbles, we repeat and repeat and repeat. Just like the “people who know things” tell us to.
But sometimes even all that might leave you feeling like you still don’t quite have it. Like all that practicing you should be doing isn’t getting you where you want to be. Ever feel like that? Oh, it’s just me? Ok, well…yeah, I didn’t think so.
There’s just one problem with what I’ve described, and with “doing as your told” in general. And that is that you can’t be static – not moving, not changing.
You have probably cobbled together (from all that guru advice) that you should do your technical work, then do your learning, then do your polishing, then play for fun and call it a day, invariantly, in that order. But that may be where your unease is coming from!
You can’t always practice the same way all the time. Mostly because you don’t always need the same thing from your practice each day. There are so many factors that go into what you need to practice each day –
- what you’re working on
- what you’re working toward
- what you’re doing the rest of the day
- how tired you are
- and more – all those things that impact everything in your day
So how should you practice? Well, start by knowing that, just like your learning, your practicing cannot be static. It has to change to fit what you need.
But how do you know what you need? Well, as a beginner you might have to depend on your teacher to tell you – after all, you’re a beginner so you probably don’t know where to start and a teacher will certainly help with that. But as you become more accomplished, you will be able to notice what works for you (and what doesn’t). Before we go on, noticing what works is not the same as convincing yourself that practicing all the easy stuff is good and working on something you don’t want to do/don’t feel comfortable doing/is challenging can be skipped…these are usually the things you most need to work on (don’t ask me how I know this).
Practicing is the time to find what works for you – and what doesn’t. It’s the opportunity to try different approaches to your music – play faster, play slower, try shoving your way through, break everything down, listen to a recording, read the music, listen to a recording while reading the music, work backward, work phrase by phrase, walk away and come back with a clearer head, sit until you get it, repeat 3 times, 10 times, 100 times, sing it, play it on another instrument (all things some guru has probably suggested to you before).
What do all of these approaches have in common? They require that you pay attention. No formulaic, mindless practicing! Be critical (but not self-critical!). Note what seems to help you move forward for each of a variety of situations. Be open to changing as needed – and as the situation requires. Follow your progress like it’s your favorite facetictweegram influencer! Remember to start with your goals in mind so your can modify your process to get there Focus on your progress and don’t be static!
What have you noticed impacts your practice success? How do you modify your practice? How do you keep track of what you’ve done that worked and what didn’t? Let me know in the comments!
Even better than Halloween!
It’s one of the best holidays – Halloween. What’s not to like? Little kids in adorable costumes! Your favorite candy – that terrible candy that you’d never admit to liking but is so good (candy corn? Smartees?)! Leaves to kick through! Cooler temps, breezes, sweaters, socks! All the things!!
Well, I’ve found something even better. I got to go to Shepherdstown WV and play the harp with little kids and bigger kids. I spent a lovely morning with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and then with Pre-K and Kindergartners! They had great questions – how long had I played? Had I ever played for anyone famous? Best of all, they really enjoyed getting to play the harp(sicle!).
No photos of course – they are little, and the internet can be a terrible place. But there, in those schools, they were amazing and fun. I was grateful for the opportunity to play for them! Hopefully a couple of budding musicians will emerge. Or, at a minimum, these children will continue to enjoy the magic of music for the rest of their lives!
I was also delighted to get to play a concert for some incredible people too! They were a wonderful audience – they also asked great questions and were so interactive! Special thanks to Judy for setting the entire experience up. I’m so hopeful that they’ll invite me back again (hint hint 😊).
After I played, I was delighted to have a number of audience members come and give playing the harp a try – they were so game and fun. Jen and I had a great time playing for her first time
I couldn’t ask for a better weekend! Have you ever gotten to work with kids? I’d love to hear about it! How old were they? What did you do with them? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments!