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  • Your song

    Sometimes I have no idea what I should write here. I could launch on how the blank page is terrifying but instead, I decided to poke around the web for a better idea, and in about three clicks, I had it!

    I came across a page on journalling. It had a load of prompts to help goad you into writing in your journal. That’s pretty helpful. But farther down on the page, there was an interesting list that I decided could be molded into something that would be helpful here. It had a list of prompts for each day. That is, there were day specific prompts that could be used to move your journaling along.

    What does that have to do with us? Well, we can use the same approach to tailor our practicing. If we view each day of the week as having a focus, we could tailor our practicing to achieve more (and maybe with less work?). As I thought about it, I was reminded of the childhood song in which each day of the week had a chore – washing clothes, ironing, sweeping. While we were singing around the Mulberry Bush we listed what we were supposed to do each day of the week. Better still, it’s changeable so we can fit in our own chores – our practice chores! If we listed our “chores”, we could be focused while still getting in all our practice, and meantime probably learn something while seeing progress over time.

    What might we put in our song? Technical (scales and etudes)? Reading? Musicality (phrasing, dynamics, expression)? By the time we get to the mid-week, when we’re losing sight of what we’re doing, slogging through relentless repeats, our song could help us stay on track. We shouldn’t forget to include fun (tunes we know and love), accomplishment (tunes that are just coming along), or joy (tunes that remind us why we love to play). And by week’s end we would have gotten to everything and been left with pride or satisfaction (acknowledging our work)!

    Once we know these, we can sing our song to ourselves (nothing wrong with using the melody from Mulberry Bush – or writing your own!). If you can’t recall, here’s a starting point:

    Here we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush. Here we go round the mulberry bush, Practicing on a music day.

    This is the way we play our scales, play our scales, play our scales. This is the way we play our scales, Practicing on a Monday.

    This is the way we phrase our tune, phrase our tune, phrase our tune, This is the way we phrase our tune, Practicing on a Tuesday.

    Etc for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

    This is the way we play for joy, play for joy, play for joy. This is the way we play for joy, Practicing on Sunday.

    You can put your tasks in any order throughout the week. You can even use a different time frame if it’s right for you (2 weeks? 3 days? What’s right for you?). It’s up to you how many stanzas your song will have. The point is to keep focus – it might be just what your week needs.

    What would your lyrics be? Can’t wait to hear! Send me some of your ideas!

  • Ice Cream for Breakfast

    It is August so I started thinking – would you eat ice cream for breakfast?

    Of course, the “right” answer is no. But that would be a wrong answer.

    Because the question isn’t about having ice cream for breakfast every day. Instead, it’s about being flexible to try something new. Something you will likely enjoy. Something that may not be the best choice, but could be a good treat on rare occasion.

    Having a treat is a way to go about getting outside your box. Doing something to shake up your routine. Trying something unorthodox to make everything a little tastier (better!). What sorts of things can you do to “have ice cream for breakfast” for your playing? Here’s a few ideas:

    Use a different approach – literally. Turn your harp around, move to a new room, play from the column. Just change it up and see what happens.

    Ask someone else what they hear – or try to hear it differently. This can be through recording or just listening. Check all your judgement at the metaphorical door and really listen creatively!

    Teach it – I am always amazed at how different a tune is when you’re teaching it than when you’re playing it!

    Question how things have always been done – never stop asking Why? What? Why not?

    Get uncomfortable – ok, really all of this is about getting uncomfortable! A little discomfort can be revealing, freeing, and uncomfortable! And it’s good for you. Just like having ice cream for breakfast could be!

    Would you have ice cream for breakfast? What flavor? Let me know – I’m open to trying new tastes and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

  • When winning feels like losing

    We all do it. It’s especially clear on fast tunes, but every tune you learn goes through it.

    “It” is the ugly phase. You know the ugly phase. It’s that time when, no matter what you do, it seems like you are stuck – or even going backwards – as you try to learn a tune and make it satisfying!

    Your fingering falls apart. Your rhythm deserts you. Your memory fails. All the phrases sound the wrong and none are in the right order. The repeats are like torture. And when you add the harmony, nothing hangs together. It’s disheartening. It’s frustrating. And it feels like it will never end, leaving you with a tune in tatters. It’s so discouraging. It feels like the tune is winning and that you are losing.

    But are you? No, you are not.

    It is actually especially important for you to get through this phase, no matter how intimidating it feels. There is a lot of learning going on. Your brain is sorting through all the inputs (the notes, the fingering, the rhythm, the series of sounds, and more) and outputs (same list mostly) on its way to figuring out what goes where, when, and how. We consistently underestimate how much we’re trying to learn, how it is related and interleaved, and how challenging it can be to make music.

    To weather this phase and get to the other side with a mature, satisfying tune that you can be happy with and proud to perform you, of necessity, need to keep track of what you have done and what you need to do next. How should you keep track of your progress and assure yourself that you’re getting somewhere and are “winning” the battle to learn? Document your progress! This ensures that you will see how you are winning even when you feel like you’re losing or going backwards! And it will help you see that even when you feel like you’re going backward (losing), you’re making progress (winning!).

    It’s important that you do this in a manner that will help you follow your progress. This could be keeping a written journal to capture descriptions of your work and describing progress verbally. Or you could make audio (or video) recordings of your practice to hear (and see) what has changed across time. Or you can use any medium that records your thinking and your progress – draw your concept or do a puppet show! Whatever you need to see your progress over time! The form is not important. What is important is to acknowledge your progress over time and find what you should work on next to continue your development. While it is essential that this be a tool for your use, if you are actively taking lessons, you can work this with your teacher.

    I know some of you have been consistent in capturing your work – let me know what form you use and any insights you might share with others. If you have kept track but haven’t been consistent – could you let me know what you think is preventing you from being consistent? And if you’ve never done anything like this before, what do you think would work for you? Looking forward to hearing about how you keep track of your wins!

  • Room for more

    Catch up on the discussion – we started with a challenge here and then I shared the tunes I had read here. That lead to discussion which we have below. Feel free to start the challenge now and I’ll look forward to hearing how you get along! And, of course, it would be great if you subscribe here.

    Last week I shared the list of tunes I had read through to prepare for the coming holiday season and mentioned that I didn’t love all of them but did plan to include a couple moving forward. The list I shared came from some of the books I happened to have on my shelf. I won’t lie, I didn’t use all my Christmas books, just the ones I could reach from where I was sitting (never underestimate my ability to work hard to stay lazy!).

    Eagle-eyed Kate noticed that I didn’t tell you which tunes I liked and want to keep, and which were meh and I’ll ignore – and she asked which were which! So, I thought I would share that this week.

    So, the list of tunes I’ll probably work on this year includes:

    • Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came (to be fair, I have played this but never really committed it)
    • The Holly and the Ivy (I have always loved this one but never play it)
    • New Christmas (which I had also found earlier in a bagpiping book and have been intrigued by, and Jo writes lovely arrangements, so I think it’ll be a keeper)
    • O Come Little Children (which I heard while in Germany at a Christmas market so it’s like a breathing souvenir!)

    I also heard from Sharon Thormahlen who has a number of holiday books available too! I hadn’t seen them, but she graciously sent me copies to read through*. She sent me a book of Carols (Tis the Season) and a book of songs (Season’s Greetings) as well as a single sheet White Christmas. The carols book includes those that get a lot of play (Deck the Hall, Silent Night, What Child is This, Away in a Manger, First Noel) as well as some less often played (Celtic Carol, The Holly and The Ivy). The songs book included tunes I never think of (Christmas in Killarney, Little Drummer Boy) as well as the ones you can’t leave on the table (Let it Snow! Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Silver Bells, and a medley of O Christmas Tree/We Wish You a Merry Christmas). I found her arrangements to be approachable and readable, and best of all she has placed the lever changes really thoughtfully so you can actually play without panic! I think I’ll be adding the Christmas Song and maybe Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas as well as White Christmas!

    You might note that I had suggested adding a couple of tunes this year and I have already compiled quite a list! I think it’s safe to say that some will be ready to play this year and some will be better next year – and I’m ok with that! There’s always room for more!

    *Sharon also sent me a book of Jewish music and if I had occasion to play a Hanukkah gig, I’d dip into it. If you would like to dip into the holiday books, she has them available on her website. In that internet-y way (and to make sure I don’t break any laws), I need to tell you that I did receive gratis downloads of the books I mentioned. I will not get any (additional) compensation if you do (or do not) buy them. I do hope you will buy books from musicians you’re interested in (e.g. Sharon) (or me for that matter) because it’s the right thing to do.

  • Challenge met?

    So, did you take me up on my dual challenge to do a little (consistent) sight reading and prepare a little early for Christmas? I hope so, if only so you’ll be comfortable when that first (unexpected) request to play for some charity event the day after Thanksgiving comes in! If you’re ready, what would have been a shock can be turned into a tingle instead of electrocution!

    I’m kinda pleased with myself. I set the bar low at just one Christmas tune a day, but like practicing in general, once I got on the bench, who can really have just one? As promised, I made a list of the Christmas tunes I read through this week.

    I didn’t include those tunes that I could have read but have been in my repertoire for years, so I really don’t need to read them (that seemed like cheating anyway). I did include tunes I have played a few times but can never remember without looking at the page (either because (to me) they’re arcane) or because although they’re popular, I don’t like them!).

    I wasn’t fancy – I used books I have already. I focused on tunes I hadn’t ever read, mostly because I didn’t recognize them. I used what I consider “basic” books that you can easily find available. And I focused on the melody and harmony ideas not “straight” reading because 1. I’m lazy and 2. I know I won’t play those arrangements; I’ll find my own. Here’s my list of books (alphabetical by arranger):

    • Deb Friou and Julia Lane’s Yuletide Treasure
    • Jo Morrison’s Christmas Gifts
    • Sunita Staneslow’s Christmas Eve
    • Karl Weinand’s Christmas Music for the Lever Harp
    • Sylvia Woods’ 50 Christmas Carols for All Harps

    So here goes, here’s what I read through this week (alphabetical by title):

    • A Child is Born in Bethlehem
    • A la Nanita Nana
    • The Abbot’s Bromley Horn Dance
    • Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came
    • Angelus ad Virginem
    • Birth in Bethlehem
    • Boar’s Head Carol
    • Cherry Tree Carol
    • Cold and Raw
    • Down in Yon Forest
    • From Heaven Above to Earth I Come
    • Green Grow’th the Holly
    • He Smiles Within His Cradle
    • The Holly and the Ivy
    • The Holly Bears a Berry
    • The Humors of Winter
    • Joseph Dearest, Joseph Mine
    • Masters in this Hall
    • New Christmas
    • O Come Little Children
    • Over the Hill and Over the Dale
    • Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers
    • Shepherds Hurried to Bethlehem
    • Wexford Carol
    • While Shepherds Watched their Flocks
    • Willie, Take Your Drum

    Did I like them all? Not even a lot of them. But there are a couple I’m excited to learn this year. Not sure I’ll play them anywhere, but can’t hurt to have a leg up.

    What’s not in here? More modern Christmas songs – I’ll have to source some of those because I like them and want to play them! Or I could learn them by rote (which should be relatively easy since I can sing the ones I like) (don’t worry, I won’t make you listen to my singing). If you find the sheet music for I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, please do not send it to me.

    How did you do? I’d love to hear about it, even if you don’t share your list! Let me know in the comments!

  • Challenge

    It’s the height of the summer and it’s hot. Do you know what that means?

    It means it’s time to start thinking about what we’d like to play for the holidays! By then, it will be a stressful time, so we want to be ready. Of course, we have to balance out our need to prepare with ensuring we don’t let our enthusiasm for the repertoire get stale.

    What can we do? How should we prepare so far ahead? How will we stay focused and motivated?

    Let’s set ourselves a: READING CHALLENGE!

    We know that we should be reading more because being proficient in reading takes practice. We also know that reading can be more challenging on the harp than on other instruments because the music isn’t propped up directly in front of us so we have to turn our heads to read the music and to see the instrument – on top of all the other effort of reading.


    Many of us feel as though we don’t read well enough or fast enough or accurately enough. It’s easy to forget how hard we had to work to learn to read at all in the beginning. For most of us it was so long ago that we don’t remember how hard it was to get to fluid reading!

    There is a way to make reading easier – PRACTICE!!

    But practice is also easier if we have a goal. The holidays make a great goal – focused, limited, and they include a deadline – what’s not to like?

    To make our holiday reading a more focused goal, let’s do (drum roll please) a 

    Summer Christmas Reading Challenge!

    The goal is to practice our reading so it becomes second nature (or at least is closer to second nature than it is now!) and to be ahead of the game when it’s time to hit the holiday opportunities to play.

    But let’s not be too over the top. Let’s set this Challenge for just this week and keep focused on holiday music. The plan is to read through as much music as possible in that time. You can select music that you are interested in. You can read melody lines or both hands – whichever will get you further along in reading the music you want to read more easily. The point is simply to practice your reading so it will get easier while also preparing for the cold time.

    My goal is to read at least one new tune every day! I’ll post my list at the end, you send me your lists and we’ll see how we do.

    Hope you’ll join me! Start keeping a list in your practice journal and you can send them to me by next Monday (just a week) and I’ll post what we’ve got. This should be both motivating and motivational. Motivating because we’d like to have made a good start and motivational to see what everyone is planning on for the holidays.

    Start reading – you have until 21 July! (PS – if you’re running late, send it anyway, we’ll get caught up!). Just use the button below to send me your comments and your list!

  • Highlight!

    OSAS is over for another year. Each year we say it is the best. That’s not hyperbolic – it’s just the way of it. Each year the students bring their enthusiasm and joy for learning and growing and making music. And the blend of enthusiasm from previous years’ attendees and the nervous anticipation from first time students is a heady mix that is hard to beat! It’s the experience of being able to come year after year learning something new each time that shows that each year has been better than the past – because we have all grown!

    As usual, I didn’t take any (useful) photos to share – there’s so much to do in real time in real life that I don’t take the time to snap pics. I did, however, really like this one from Stephanie Claussen which I unceremoniously pinched from her facebook page.

    The students aren’t the only ones who change the atmosphere – the teachers totally bring it! These are people who are already incredible performers and fantastic teachers. But later in that they are genuine people with breadth and depth and passion, and the mix moves from heady to intoxicating!

    I think, though, that all this comes together to build and gel a community. Humans are best in community – a shared love with a support system. And when we’re together at OSAS we can layer context as we learn more about music, history, heritage, and our places in the world.

    We learn tunes, technique, expression, and more of the idiom. We learn harp tunes, fiddle tunes, and pipe tunes. We sing songs. We play with other harpers which is a rare treat for so many. But we also get to play with fiddles and small pipes. We walk to meals, chatting and then talk through the meals and continue catching up on the way back.

    As a teacher, I watch lights come on, see new ideas take hold, confidence grow, skills develop, and joy build. Don’t be fooled, I also see the occasional burst of frustration, and… fatigue, but they are quickly eclipsed by contentment and even delight!

    I’m going to spend this week rolling in the afterglow while it’s fresh. Next week we’ll start planning for next year – collecting what works, examining what should change, collaborating with the other teachers and leadership to craft the best OSAS ever! Hope you’ll join us – and if you want more, just ask me. If you’re just back too, share your thoughts in the comments!

  • Scale Up

    In the tech and pseudo-tech worlds things work at scale and to scale, and scaling up is very important. For us, working at scales is not just important – it’s essential!

    When you think about it – scales make up all music. They represent the available notes, define all the intervals, and by picking and choosing they also sketch out every possible shape.

    Given the power scales hold, why do some people roll their eyes at their mere mention? And why do still others avoid them like the proverbial plague? Is it because they are tedious? Or is it like flossing – something we have all been told will both improve and prolong our lives and yet, less than 30% of us do it!

    Doing scales should be a part of your daily harp hygiene. But we might need a subtle mindset shift to make the whole thing more palatable. Here are a few ideas you might try if you find you’re not doing scales daily – one for each day of the week!

    1. Beginner’s Mindset – If you are a beginner, or if you remember your very early playing, scales are not easy. There is so much to do – placing your fingers, checking that they are one the right strings, playing carefully, closing all the way, learning what a scale sounds like (correct and incorrect), making adjustments, pretending you can go faster (than you really can), and more. It’s all hard. But eventually, with practice, it gets easier. And soon, you either rip through them or forget to do them all together. I challenge you to – at least once a week – put your beginner’s hat on and do your scales slowly (ponderously?) as you did when you learned to do them. They aren’t as eyerollingly droll as you might think when you pay attention.

    2. Meditation at scales – If you’re not a beginner, your scales are probably on autopilot. So, I challenge you to do them once a week as an opportunity to breathe and check in with yourself. Transcend the details to observe the totality of your scale. You’ll learn a lot which you can plow back into your playing!

    3. Scales can be challenging – There are so many ways to break out of boring, rote scales. One of my favorites is “Russian Scales” which I totally stole from piano. These are simple scales that move from parallel motion to contrary motion throughout the exercise. Easy-peasy (ha!). From Russian Scales we go to “Chasing Squirrels” which is much more free form but still shifting between parallel and contrary. You can make your own patterns – maybe have fun by shifting keys (to change up the visual cues).

    4. Threes – I learned this from someone (maybe Maeve Gilchrist?) one hand plays a 2-octave scale in 3s, while the other plays a straight 1- octave scale. You’re done when both hands end up where you started.

    5. Consistently Contrary – Do your scales always in opposition (contrary motion). No funky rhythms or change ups, just be contrary.

    6. Push your weight around – Use a dotted rhythm to give your scales a little swing. Use different rhythms, try polyrhythms, challenge yourself!

    7. Book scales – Get out your fav – Grossi, Friou, Hannon (I know – piano, but still useful) and do it! I also really like the books from Maeve Gilchrist, Gillian Fleetwood, and Sue Richards. There are loads of these technique exercise books – use them!

    So, there you have a week’s work of scales – with no boredom, constant challenge. And none takes more than their fair share of practice time. No excuses. What are your favorite scales? Let me know in the comments! Want video examples? Send me a note and I’ll get it to you!

  • Feynman was right

    There is one more place available to come with us to Ireland and Scotland in October! You know you want to go so check out the details and get your spot secured!

    You already know that I really enjoy teaching. I have wonderful and amazing students, and I am certain that I learn more from them than they learn from me!

    Richard Feynman (the genius scientist – and yes, I am an unabashed fan girl) was well known for pointing out that the best way to learn something (and to be certain you had learned it) is to teach it. The part he didn’t really highlight was that your own depth of learning would grow by teaching the same material to different people. Each of them will start where they are (where else could they?!) and take in what they are able in the order that they need to make sense of the world as you (the teacher) have presented it.

    This means that I, as the teacher, must break out of my own place to provide what they can accommodate in a sequence that makes sense – to them. That’s a challenge – and I love it! Simply by being themselves, they push me to bend and stretch and reach for the stars. And when a student “gets it” – whether it is a tune, a harmony, a phrase, or even an interval – I rejoice! Because learning is demanding work and I’m grateful to be a part of it.

    I sometimes worry that they will think I’m mocking them – and that’s when I wish we had LED displays on our heart – so they could see the joy for what it is – pure delight!

    All that sounds like it’s all about me. And true, some of it is. After all, it can be brow breaking work to be flexible and creative hour after hour, day after day on the bench. But more importantly, 99% of is all about the student. Each thing they learn makes a brick to build the bridge from where we are to where we’re going – the next step of their journey. I’m just the tour guide.

    Is there anything more fulfilling than being that guide? I don’t think so! You can have that too – I’d like to suggest that you offer a “come and try” (or “harp petting zoo”). You can make it part of your Music Day or Random Acts of Harping event. Because, for all my blether here, you – yes, you! – could share the same joy by teaching someone about the joy of making music and of playing the harp in particular!

    Here’s your lesson plan:

    • Put your harp in Cmaj (no sharps, no flats).
    • Invite them to sit.
    • Hold onto your harp and guide it to them. Remind them not to lean forward (no, really, everyone does it).
    • Tell them to use their pointer finger on either hand to play any white string.
    • Demonstrate that they can’t really break the harp by pulling really hard on a string. Do NOT let go of the column (so you can stay in control of the harp).
    • No matter how much you want to jump in, (and as long as everyone is safe) let them explore for a moment – even the timid. Pay attention to their cues to pace yourself.
    • After a decent interval, teach them to Gliss (everyone one loves to do that most harpy of things).
    • If they seem keen, you can teach them Twinkle Little Star or Frere Jacques (using just the 2 finger).

    It’s about them learning and enjoying. Don’t pin the reluctant to the bench and encourage the engaged. And on occasion check in with your heart – it’ll probably be full of joy!

    Have you done a come and try? Tell me about it! Never done one? Are you going to try now? Let me know with a comment! BTW – I’m excited to be doing a come and try at the Ohio Scottish Games on Saturday, 28 June at 3pm. Come to the Harp Competition which starts at 9am and stay for the fun!

    National Music Day is Saturday – perfect opportunity to get out there! Pair it with Random Acts of Harping and you’ve got a slam dunk!

  • Random Acts of Harping

    If you’ve played the harp for any length of time you might have heard of Random Acts of Harping. Joanna Mell started it years ago. It used to be a specific day that people would randomly go out and play – in a park, at a nursing home, wherever. The idea was to make a generous contribution of your music to the world and post it to social media. Nowadays we would call it a pop-up concert!

    This year she called for it to be any time in the month of June, which is a great idea, because of course there’s no one day that’s good for everyone all over the world to have the opportunity to go out and play. And I’m sure it hasn’t escaped you that it is, in fact, already June.

    While I’m good for popping up unannounced and randomly to play for passersby, complete strangers, and even-stranger strangers, I’ve never been good about the social media part (doubt me? check out my social media pages – very thin).* Frankly, when I’m playing, I’m not thinking about posting or even getting photos or video. Yes, I’m just not great at having an influencer presence, it’s true. But that’s ok, because I’d rather be playing anyway.

    The best things about Random Acts of Harping are that they encourage us to get out of our way, get out of our own heads, and get out into the real world. They also give us something to look forward to and an opportunity to share, even those of us who don’t have many of those come up that often.

    If you’ve not done this before (or even if you have), while you’re playing be sure to look at the faces of the people that hear you. You might be surprised and delighted to see the surprise and delight on their faces and the happiness in their eyes. And, even if you typically only play for the cat and the curtains, it is truly wonderful to share music to receive that response. That alone will help you to see that it’s not about you – and how appreciative people are of the gift you make for them.

    I’d like to encourage you to take part in Random Acts of Harping this year. You have the entire month remaining. It really is freestyle – the only rules are that you’re not meant to announce that will happen, just make it happen. Joanna’s facetwigram post exhorts you to “take your harp out into the world and delight the general public with its magical music!”

    If you would like to be included in the Folk Harp Journal article she’ll write, snap a pic and send it with a paragraph about your random harp adventure by July 30 through her website www.joannamell.com. Remember: this is RANDOM acts of harping! And if you want to do it but don’t want to go through that rigmarole, I’d love to hear about your adventure (with or without photos!). Just send me a comment!

    * It occurred to me upon editing that you might take me seriously, so https://www.facebook.com/CreativeJeniusHarp or https://www.instagram.com/jentheharper/