Have a bath

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Jen

Ok, let’s start by just taking a breath. Because it’s been a breath-taking week. No matter how you look at events and their attribution, it’s been quite a week.

So, we could sit around and kvetch about it. Between the pandemic and the world and politics and social media and social distancing and east coast hurricanes and west coast fires, and everyone being sure that they know the answer, and everyone else is an idiot, there’s a lot to “unpack” as they say.

One thing seems sure – many people are feeling many things, including anxiety and ennui. What if someone could give a gift to multiple people simultaneously, that would help ease that, if only for just a brief while? Wouldn’t that be a wonderful gift?

Of course it would be! Well, guess what?!

YOU can give that gift. You can provide that brief respite. It’s all there, right at your fingertips!

Consider going out and playing for the people near you (and for yourself). You can create a version of a Sound Bath.

What is a Sound Bath? It’s an experience that uses sound as an aid to relaxation and meditation. The music is played to wash over the listener – hence the “bath”.

While simpler sounds are often used, the harp is certainly a perfect instrument and this is a perfect situation. All you need to do is play.

Play simple melodies. Play those tunes you learned at the start. Play what you’re learning now. Play from your heart and with the intention of relieving any conflict in your own head as well as creating an environment in which your listeners can relax.

It won’t be a performance. Perhaps it will feel slightly more embarrassing – after all, you will be inviting others to join you in a bath! Ask them to join you, to relax, to close their eyes, to breathe, to listen, while you play your harp. Then bathe them with sounds.

It doesn’t need to be fancy – just play from your doorstep, porch, driveway. Or go to the park. Or the Walmart parking lot. No matter where you sit, be sure you play from your heart. It will do you good. It will do them good. Use your harp and your music as a balm.

It won’t matter what you play. What will matter is that you play. It’ll do you good.

Will you go out there? Will you draw a sound bath for yourself and others? There’s no time limit and certainly no deadline, but there’s no time like the present. Let me know if you decide to play, where you chose to play, who you played for – let me know in the comments!

Be Brave

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Jen

Being creative is a risky business.

Every time you sit to your harp, you are taking a risk.

Why do you think there are so few musicians (relatively) in the world? Or even more broadly, so few artists in the world? Because being a creative requires a lot of bravery. And we know that bravery is uncommon.

You probably never really think about being brave, but if you meet people as a musician and performer, it is something you hear from others –

“I don’t know how you can be so brave to get on stage – I could never do that!”

“Wow – how did you learn to play the harp? I don’t think I could – I don’t have any talent.”

Sometimes you don’t know you’re being courageous, but every time you make music, you’re flexing your creativity and your bravery! Maybe you don’t always feel brave. That’s ok – as long as you keep on making.

How are we brave?

1. We show up! It seems like such a minor thing, but there’s no dragon to slay if you don’t go to the den. When you sit at your harp (the den), you’re going to create (the dragon).

2. We keep going. One path of courage is to keep going, even when your heart is in your mouth and you can barely breathe from the anxiety of doing. Especially if you’re worried that what you make may not be good enough or if what you’re making won’t even come to be (you, know – if you fail).

3. We put on a game face – like the commercial says, “never let ‘em see you sweat!”

4. We keep on going on. Even when nothing works, we try again and again and again and again and again and again…

Why are we brave? Well, first off, being creative means you’re never really on solid ground and that’s kinda scary. Nothing is set in stone. There is no right. But we creatives are often the kind of people who get off on that shifting foundation (maybe just a little). A little uncertainty can be a wild ride! One of my favorite t-shirts says,

“If you’re not living on the edge, you’re taking up too much room!”

Ok, really, it is hard to be brave – especially day after day. So, how do we do it?

1. Fake it. Yup, pretend. Put on your game face and do the thing. Write a composition. Develop that improv. Interpret that piece like you feel it.

2. Name the monster – like anything that goes bump in the night, simply saying the names of your fears – out loud – diminishes their intimidation factor. The names are usually short – embarrassment, fear of failure, fear of success. When you say it out loud, its ridiculousness becomes apparent as it shrinks back to its appropriate size and you can laugh.

3. Keep good company. I was fortunate to have a demonstration. It was seeing my all-time harp hero have a really bad day on stage – mistakes all over the place…and a serene facial expression. Lesson learned? Fear faced down + audience ignorant and happy = successful brave performance.

4. Breathe. Yup, breathing makes everything a little easier. Especially anything that requires thinking. Breathing also helps ameliorate anxiety. Being clear headed can only help when you’re scared. So, take a breath, feel your fear recede (if only just a little bit), and forge ahead.

5. Say yes. Just do it. Dragging your feet won’t make it any easier.

6. Don’t take yourself too seriously. We’re making nusic, it’s not Rocket Surgery. No one’s going to die if you compose a poorly constructed phrase! Cities don’t go dark because you’re improv isn’t ready for prime time yet. Lighten up and enjoy making your music.

7. Perspiration. The Great One (Wayne Gretzky, not Salzedo) said it best –

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

And you’ll probably miss a high percentage of the shots you do take – do it anyway – take the shot. Do the work, face the fear, enjoy the reward.

8. Be good to you – no matter how much you push yourself, be aware of when you’re about to go too far. My rule of thumb – if it’s too mean to say it to your best friend, then don’t say it to yourself. And don’t be your own horrible stage mother. Don’t expect from yourself something you know you’re not ready to do. Be brave, not unkind or stupid.

9. Practice. Of course – my solution to everything! You’ll find it’s easier to brave if you practice doing it. And the more you practice, the easier it is.

10. Put on your cape. Even if just in your head – be your own harp hero. Be proud of all the notes you have saved from a future of never having been heard and enjoyed! You’re not just brave, you’re a superhero!

Did you know that you’re brave? If not, do you know now? Do you do any of these things? How are you brave? Do you have other ways of being brave (you know I’m always looking for more new ways to do things!)? Let me know in the comments!

Check Please!

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Jen

I don’t know about you, but the days are flying past and I need to check in to see how I’m coming against the things I thought I wanted to do this year.

I realized, with a start, that we’re halfway through the second quarter of the year. That’s not bad, in and of itself, but it does mean that I completely missed my first quarter check-in.

Check please!

If I don’t check in, how do I know how I’m doing? How do I know if I need to step up my game or if I can coast?

Yes, this is a rhetorical question.

No, I never can coast.

I’m an inveterate To-Do list maker. I have lists of things to accomplish daily, weekly, monthly. And I have a list of things I’d like to get done this year. * And you already know I’m 100% a product person so I do these check ins to make sure I’m making products!

I try to be organized and to have a measured approach. I don’t always succeed. But I do always try. So, it’s about time for me to check. So far:

I haven’t done very well on following my planned blog topics. I dutifully made a calendar of topics before the end of last year. I have actually been successful on all the holidays so far. But I don’t think any other posts so far have been to plan. There’s always some better idea that crops up. Or one of you asks me a question either via email or through the comments on the blog (yes, I do read them!). Or what seemed so clear and important then has either been overcome by events or just isn’t as captivating as it sounded when I was in planning mode.
I have done better than I expected with some other things though – I have learned more music to date that I had planned. Ok, that’s double edged because I have learned a lot of things I hadn’t originally planned on learning, but I haven’t fallen as far behind on the things I had planned on as I expected! So, on balance, that’s good.
I have not done as well on some extra-music-y stuff I wanted to do. I am very far behind on some creative projects that I wanted to take on. Of course, I didn’t have much of a plan for inserting that into my schedule beyond, “I’d really like to include doing these creative-y things”, so who’s surprised I’m not getting anywhere? (not me)

So what have I learned now that I’m in the middle of the second quarter? Here’s a list:

I am fairly pleased with my productivity to date. I often feel like I’m not doing anything (or worse, wasting time doing pointless stuff). And I’m a little behind on a couple of things, way behind on one thing but a little ahead on some other stuff. That means I’m fairly balanced in terms of getting things done. This is especially exciting since so many things are in flux for one reason or another – ok, really on one reason is plaguing my planning. (why, yes, I can make a pun in the middle of all this seriousness!)
What I didn’t build a plan for isn’t happening. Of the things I’m not doing, I’ll review whether I care. Because, if I haven’t left room for it, something will need to change. I will have to spend a little time exploring those ideas and see if they’re things I think I wanted to do (probably because all my friends are doing them or because they look like they’d be fun) but aren’t really priorities to me. Or if they’re things I’m a little afraid of, so I’m procrastinating (probably because I don’t know where to begin). Or if they’re just no longer important enough to spend time on. Once I know that, then I’ll know what to do – replan, postpone, or delete. What I won’t do is beat myself up for not getting to it.
I’m going to spend a few moments rejoicing in the things I have done well on.
Then I’ll review the rest of the year and see what needs to be tweaked. And what I need to add.
And then I’ll get back to work!

How about you? How’s your stuff going? What do you need to change? What are you going to drop? Do you check in with yourself to see how it’s going? Let me know – I’m always curious!

* Before you ask, no, I do not have a list of the lists!

Zoom! Bang!

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Jen

As a harper, I have been reading with interest the “sudden” spate of articles on the ills of working from home for over a year. As a Human Factors Psychologist and Systems Engineer, I am only surprised it took this long for the articles to hit.

Everyone who couldn’t get away from me has received lectures (from my professional perspective). I have related the importance of chair height and table height, arrangement of keyboard, monitor, mouse, lighting, and other elements of the workspace. I have hectored friends, neighbors, and people I don’t even know about drinking enough water and not drinking too much coffee; the importance of avoiding incessant snacking; building a schedule; getting some outdoor time; and keeping work-work and home-work separate (not trying to do household chores between meetings) – all things I know from my professional specialty and as a person who has worked from home for over 15 years.

But now, I’m going to direct all that energy at you … and suggest a way forward!

I know you’re used to me prattling on about injury at the harp, but one thing you might not have thought about is what our current altered reality has done to us. There are so many things we either did differently before or things we haven’t been able to do at all over the last year. That that time away can build the potential for losing focus and technique…all of which may result in injuries – at the harp or away from it.

Just this week I have learned of harpers who have sustained injuries away from the harp that are impacting their playing – ugh. One is a student who fell off a skateboard. Even if that wrist isn’t broken, it will need to heel. And that will be weeks away from the harp. Another was telling me about a big work project – at home, on a laptop doing work that would normally have been done at the office on a desktop – with its ergonomically designed desk and much bigger keyboard. So now we’re working on caring for the overuse injuries from typing in this new position – injuries to the same structures that are central to playing the harp.

As we have all languished at home, it has also been easy to allow our basic skills slide. If you don’t have in person lessons, your thumbs might fall, your shoulders might cave, your chin might jut, and your spine might crumple. In addition, so many of the cues teachers can pick up on from in-person lessons are missing or are flattened online. So, it is likely that there are elements of technique that are dissolving from your daily practice and are not highlighted in your lesson.

And that’s not good – ragged technique and poor posture are not just a challenge to overcome – they can be a gateway to injury.

So, what can you do? Have a zoom call……with yourself!

If you’re not familiar with zoom (zoom.us) it is a free application that allows you to have a video interaction with others. *

At the beginning of each day I do a zoom meeting with myself to verify my cameras are pointing in the right direction, that the lighting is good, and that everything is set up before my first student. As I’m teaching, I watch my student. That means that if I need to look at my harp, I would have to look away. But, I can see my harp on the screen which means I can still see both my student and my harp. After all, I want to be sure they are able to follow and understand what I’m doing or to verify that I need to do it again. One day while teaching, I noticed (and was really pleased with) my hand position (I know, silly things make me happy).

And that got me thinking about how on the screen I could see things I can’t see from “behind the harp”. Moreover, I could make small changes and see the effect right away.

You can do the same thing. How? You just have to host a meeting with yourself. Yup – host a meeting, but don’t invite anyone else! You have the full screen, you can see yourself clearly, and while you watch, you can make small adjustments. As you make these adjustments (move to the middle of the string? raise your arm just a tiny bit? create greater space between your thumb and fingers? actually preplace or use the fingering you worked out? the list could go on…) BANG! – you can immediately see the effect of each change.

And seeing can certainly be believing.

I often suggest that you video your practice so you can see what you’re doing…and what you’re not doing. It gives you a different perspective (and may make teacher comments mean more to you). I also always remind you of the big red delete button…because the point of the video is to learn, correct and go on, not to hold it for posterity. However, I also know that many of you still don’t do this. So this similar (but completely ephemeral) idea seemed like a good one. Watch yourself play but don’t record it. See what you’re doing (from the vantage point of your teacher) and make small adjustments until what you see matches what you’ve heard in all those lessons – high thumb, relax, close, place…breathe!

DO ALL THE THINGS! SEE ALL THE THINGS!

I also find that the meeting view is better – clearer and brighter – than on the video.

So, are you willing to zoom with yourself to help be bang on? If you do, let me know how it goes and what you learn. And if you’re not willing to try, I’d like to hear that too. I’m always looking for better ways to teach and I learn so much from your comments!

* And no, of course I’m not getting any compensation – but this is also not an endorsement. I have used zoom, skype, facetime, and messenger – as long as you have the function without actually having someone else on the line, it’ll work.

What Will You Do on Your Summer Staycation?

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Jen

With all this pandemic-ing going on and on and on, it’s easy to let planning for summer to fall out of your head. But that would be a mistake! While not everything will be happening this summer, there is a not-to-be-missed harp event that I would commend to you –

The Ohio Scottish Arts School will be online again this summer!

Now, you might think that it might not be as fulfilling as the in-person experience. You’d be wrong. Ask last year’s attendees – we did many of the same things we do when we’re in person. There were notable exceptions, but these were slightly ameliorated by being things we would have had to replace anyway.

Why would we need to replace things anyway? Because next year (fingers crossed) we will be in our new location at Baldwin Wallace University. We are very much looking forward to this change…and not just because it is air conditioned against those June-in-Ohio heatwaves! We will have to find new things to replace singing under the tree, wandering Gibson’s and the Ben Franklin, and going to the Bead Shop. And we will – we will have a new place to explore and enjoy!

But first – this summer.

This summer we have are so fortunate to have an amazing collection of teachers. Rachel Hair and Rachel Clemente will be with us again. And I’m so excited that we will also be joined by Sharon Knowles too! Oh, and me!

We are all excited about seeing everyone from near and far. We were so excited to have students from as far away as Europe but we can try to break that distance record! We’ll be like the Brady Bunch again with happy faces in small windows. And the tunes we’ll be teaching – Ace! (as we have learned to say from Rachel Hair). We will have teaching sessions and lecture sessions and fun sessions. There will also be opportunities to learn from the other arts (Pipes, Drums, Fiddles, and Dance). The evening activities will include the Instructor Concert as well as some new goodies the Thistle Family are cooking up. And – we will get to start each day as we traditionally have – with the piper!

If you’ve not been to OSAS, you have missed a treat! But you can fix that! OSAS is intended to provide students with comprehensive instruction in their chosen traditional art – Harp in our case. All the instructors in each art are nationally and internationally recognized. You will learn theory, skills and technique, and new material.

You do not need to be a significantly accomplished harper, but OSAS is not pitched to rank beginners – you should have some knowledge of harping. However, if you are comfortable learning and playing, come join us!

OSAS will be Monday, June 28 – Friday, July 2. Registration is now open – go to https://ohioscottishartsschool.com for all the details.

Please note that the class sizes are limited, and registration closes June 11^th. Don’t delay – get your spot! We were pretty full last summer. Have harp specific questions? Planning to be there this summer? Let me know you’re coming in the comments below.

Plan for a Productive week

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Jen

You have a crazy busy schedule. Ok, I may not know you, but since most everyone does have that kind of schedule, I’m going to take a guess that you, like so many others, do too. People with busy schedules usually have a strategy to keep all the plates spinning and balls at the top of the arc (a strategy from juggling). Not having a strategy can be a problem, because – you know – life. Do you have a strategy to assure you get to play throughout the week? Here are ten things to do on Sunday to be ready for the coming week so that n-o-t-h-i-n-g gets in the way of your harp time! PS – There’s nothing magic about Sundays. Do this on the day of the week that you think of as the day before the start of the week. PPS – if your mother is anything like my mother, nothing on this list will surprise you! My mother is a master organizer, and this is the sort of thing I learned at her knee. But if you weren’t raised by a logistical genius like I was, now you’ll know what you need to do, so go do it…

Peruse your notes. Whether it’s your lesson notes or your practice journal, figure out what you need to be thinking about while you’re practicing. The only thing worse than not being ready for your lesson because you didn’t practice is not being ready because you practiced the wrong thing! And trust me, your teachers don’t write those notes for their own health – use the notes!
Review your practice from the previous week. What worked? What didn’t? What derailed you? What do you need to carryover working on? Did you practice the things you meant to? If not, why not, and what did you do instead? There’s good info in reflecting on these questions!
Write down your priorities. Even if you’re not gigging, you probably have some place you’d like to go on your harp. But you already know that you can’t do everything all at once. And we know that preparing music (from selecting to analyzing to learning to polishing to performing) doesn’t happen in one day or even one week. Figuring out what you should work on this week to make progress. Writing it down will help move you along even more.
Look at your planner. Which day this week are you definitely not going to get to play or practice? Oh, come on, be honest. There’s always a day where everything else takes priority and you know you’re not going to get to your harp. Know when that is and modify your plan to fit your life. I sometimes have days where really, I’m driving all day. For those days, I plan for “head practice” – load the tunes to be learned and listen listen listen (and sing along to know you’re getting it). Or use time when you’re walking or running (a great time to think about rhythm while you enjoy your own metronome-ness. You might not make it to your harp, but you will still get a little bit done.
Plan your practice days. If you know what you should do (see 1 above), and what you want to do (see 2 above), and when you have available to do it (see 3 above), then it makes sense to figure out what each day might look like. This is a concept I stole from body-building – even if you workout every day, you don’t go hard on everything every day (or you will crash). Which day will be your hard-core technique day? Which is going to focus on learning and repeating? Which day is your “play date” with yourself? Don’t wait for the day you feel like doing the thing you need to work on most (or you’ll never do the thing), make a plan.
Do the Laundry. No really, get your chores sorted before the week begins. Maybe you don’t do laundry on Sunday night but having a plan to get all your “responsibilities” taken care of throughout the week means you won’t have to give up your precious harp time to do something uninteresting like cleaning the bathroom. This stands for everything that might take up time you would rather spend playing and includes all those chores that you know will eat up the time you have if you wait to do them (I’m looking at you meal planning!).
Prep your space. No matter if your studio is a 25 ft x 25 ft room dedicated to your music or a sliver of floor between the couch and the wall, maintain it! If you need to, neaten it up, make sure everything you will need is close to hand (for instance, I’m currently going through stickie notes like there’s no tomorrow, and all my pens had gone walkabout, so I had to restock –). Tuner need batteries? Tuning key under a pillow in the other room? Get it all sorted so you’re not spending the few moments you have looking for stuff.
Load your music stand. As in 7 above, make sure the sheet music, notes, or other references you need are on there. And that the other stuff is not. By the end of the week, I have so much paper, so many music books, and paperclips, clothes pins, pencils, etc. on my stand that if I didn’t do this, on Monday my first task would always be to pick up all the junk I dropped.
Get yourself ready for Monday. It won’t do any good to spend all this time prepping for playing if you aren’t ready for the rest of your Monday. Be sure you spend a little time getting yourself sorted to have a good week. Get your bag sorted, plan your clothes, put gas in the car. Of course, most of this list will suffice for that as well – just make sure you also have yourself organized and ready to go for the week. Then you’re less likely to have everyday disasters eat into your harp time.
Be nice to you. This is a great time to remember that you need to do something nice for you. Give yourself a manicure and massage your hands and forearms. Find some decadent emollient cream (and use it, don’t wait for a special occasion!). Breathe while you do this, relax, and you have a mini-spa session!

This list is not exhaustive of course. But if you take a little time out of your Sunday to prepare for the week, you will find that you have more time to play and practice. And because you spend that time on Sunday, the rest of the week’s harp time can be less stressful because you’re ready and not fighting fires during that time. What do you do on Sunday to prepare for you harp week? If you don’t have a regular routine, did you give this a try? Let me know in the comments!

Change the things you can and Accept the things you cannot

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Jen

I really enjoy hearing from you. Throughout the year you have reached out and shared your thoughts, your successes, your challenges, and I am so incredibly grateful that you do.

And you’ve had some doozies this year!

Broken bones and broken harps. Sadness and loneliness as we spent the year Together Apart. Concern that this will never end. Tunes that refused to go into your head. Wayward left hands that just would not cooperate. Concern about not being able to share music with others. Fatigue with playing. Frustration at not making the progress you expected (or demanded of yourself). Nervousness as gigs dried up and audiences didn’t materialize. Fear that an injury might mean you’ll never play again. Anxiety that your absent motivation is going to close a chapter in your life.

Yikes.

Change what you can, Accept what you can’t

And yet, through it all, our harps have stood at the ready (well, with the exception of the broken harp…). Your harp can be a source of succor in an otherwise blech year – if you allow it to be. And if you allow it to serve that role where and when you need it. It’s a time to change the things you can and accept the things you cannot.

You cannot change your healing and recovery rate. You cannot modify how long we are shut down, separated, enduring viruses. These are things that you must accept.

But if you’re not very motivated to spend time at your harp, you might just need a change. Who knows why you’re not playing or practicing? Well, it’s likely that you do!

Sometimes you need to knuckle down and just do it. This often feels like a nagging need that you feel rubbing you the wrong way. Perhaps you can just push along with your harp to get past this. Identify why you’re feeling that you don’t want to play and tease it out. If you’re stressed and overwhelmed, or just a little discouraged, you can reset your frame. Make a coffee date with your harp. Rather than thinking about practicing, just promise yourself that you’ll only sit for 3 minutes and you’ll spend that time noodling. If you need to make this completely stress free, just play pentatonic notes (set your harp to Cmaj and play only the white strings). This is pretty easy because anything you play will sound like music. Whatever you do, don’t force it – if getting to 3 minutes is hard, get up and walk away. If it is relatively easy (by which I mean – if you are surprised 3 minutes went by so fast) then keep playing. This is really just an opportunity to reconnect with your harp (and yourself). Don’t practice, don’t work, just relax into your harp, and enjoy. And maybe you’ll look forward to another coffee date with your harp. Or maybe lunch? Just go with it and see what happens.

Or maybe your motivation is low because you haven’t really set any new goals and you are floundering. This might be the easiest to fix! Schedule yourself for lessons or coaching with someone who will help you define or refine your goals and help you set a path there. Need a teacher or coach?

More difficult are the times when you have to acknowledge that you need a break. That you are deliberately avoiding your harp. That you are in difficulties with your relationship. There are loads of reasons you might need a break. You could have set rigid expectations that you have not met. You might be at a place in your life when you do not have the time to dedicate to this craft. You may have become bored with the instrument, the music, the process, the activity. You may have come to realize that you like saying you play the harp, but the reality of playing isn’t as appealing. It can be hard to walk away – after all you’ve invested a lot of time and money. The harp world is a delightful and comfortable place and you probably have made loads of friends as well. So, departing could be hard, but there is no shame in finding that you just don’t want to be there anymore.

I really hope you’re not finding that you are having difficulty getting to your harp! But, if you are, no matter which of these you might fit, the important thing is that you identify what the challenge is. Then you can begin to move forward. And it’s not too soon – the coming New Year is a good opportunity to reflect, define what you must accept and change what you can.

Are you a little stuck? How is that manifesting in your harp life? Let me know in the comments. Need help? Let me know – coaching can help you get where you’re going (or at least back on the path).

Keep Moving

Posted on December 7, 2020 by Jen

In what has been an interesting year (yes, that’s the most charitable word I can think of to describe 2020), winter has begun with a roar (literally – high winds and damaging gusts in my area, 6 inches of snow for some of you). It’s enough to challenge one’s sanity!

But we are stronger than that and we will push through all this. Thankfully, we have our harps to help us get through just about anything! But we do need to keep moving to help us continue to grow – and I think that many of you have been doing that throughout the year. We keep moving on our repertoire. We keep moving to find new ways to gather and be a community. We keep moving to help each other out as we have seen opportunities to share first vanish and then move to new virtual ways of connecting.

But are we moving enough? I know you keep moving while playing – but are you actually moving? There are a few ways of moving that are fairly essential to your continued playing and your overall wellbeing.

Go for a walk – outside. I did mention I meant to literally move! There are a number of reasons to go for a walk. Getting some sunlight is good (and necessary) for your health. Getting some fresh air might just save your life (Dr. Fauci tells us now). And a little bit of light aerobic exercise helps keep you healthy. If you prefer, don’t see talking a walk as a fitness challenge but rather an opportunity to spend a little quiet time to clear your mind and reconnect with yourself. And don’t let the winter deter you – this doesn’t have to be a trek, just a short stroll will have the desired effect.

Take a little exercise. Ok, now I’m talking about a little more strenuous than the walk! No matter your age, a little bit of exercise helps keep you supple. You don’t have to be a gym rat or the next Arnold Schwarzenegger either – just find an appropriate workout plan online. There are loads that can be perfect for you – search by your age, or current level of fitness, or interest (for instance – don’t have any equipment, find a workout that doesn’t require any like basic calisthenics…those are still around and are still good for you). The point is that having a little more movement in your day will help you keep moving. You will be less stiff and sore, and this can be a perpetual part of your day – the longer you exercise a little each day, the better you will feel every day. And feeling better sure makes playing easier!

Don’t plant on the bench. I find this particularly difficult! When you’re playing and having a great time (as we do!), or even practicing and working intently on getting some new piece worked up, it’s easy to be so focused that you inadvertently spend too much time sitting on the bench. You might recall that typically the appropriate seat for playing is not really designed for long term sitting. Most are flat and not particularly cushioned. So be sure to schedule stretch breaks and plan to get up from the bench to move a little throughout your practice. You don’t have to take a long break to keep moving! Take a short walk, climb the stairs, stretch, do something to move. Then you can go back to your practicing a bit refreshed. If you find you don’t notice the passage of time, use a kitchen timer to act as an alarm clock.

Feel the rhythm of the beat. Ever since my first harp workshop where I learned about eurythmics, I have been a fan! If you’re not familiar with this (or if this word only makes you think of a most excellent Scottish band from the 1980s) eurythmics is the practice of using body movement to reflect music. It can be expressive (as in dance) but here I mean using your body to represent the music you’re playing. If you’ve ever clapped a rhythm, you’ve done eurythmics! If you’re one of my students, you have likely lived through clapping and walking and a bunch of other body movements to really feel the rhythm and the beat. I love this approach not only because it gets you moving but it also allows you to learn your music in other modes that you normally sit on (in this case actually!).

Reach out and touch someone. Ok, this might be figurative in the time of COVID, but there’s no reason not to reach out to others. When we can, we can literally reach out to play with our friends, but even now, be sure to reach out to others to play, share, teach, and learn.

How do you keep moving? I’m sure you have other ideas to share – let me know if the comments!

Go confidently – and be nice

Posted on November 30, 2020 by Jen

So, there’s still a dread disease across the land, there is still very little work for musicians, and we’re all getting tired of sitting in front of our computers creating/consuming/enduring content.

Sigh. What’s a harper to do?

I saw something online this morning (of course, because where else am I gonna go?) that really stuck with me.

You see, I spent pretty much ALL day yesterday working on something at the intersection of my harp and my computer. It was a struggle to figure out where to start. But I shouldered all my perfectionistic professionalism and got on with it. And after hours slogging through (and I mean h-o-u-r-s), I learned that I had gotten absolutely nothing usable! Then I spent even more hours trying to save what I had, only to recognize that it would be faster (and probably more satisfying and less frustrating) to start over again than to continue to try to salvage it. It was disheartening (and worrisome – I have a deadline!). I felt like I wasn’t going to be able to do this.

But the words I saw this morning were spot on. They spoke of continuing on, and staying confident, even when you’re not sure where you’re going.

I hope you feel confidence when you’re playing – especially when you’re struggling with a particular piece or technique. It’s very difficult to keep confidence front of mind when you have had a bad rehearsal or when you make a video of your playing (like I frequently suggest) and see something you didn’t think you would (I’m pointing at you unclosed fingers, dropping elbows, craned necks, and bent wrists!). It would be so easy to become disheartened and to set it aside. But like so many setbacks, there are lessons to be learned – about the music, about your playing, and about yourself!

Don’t let your self-confidence take a hit when you have setbacks or challenges. It is easy to go down the path of loss of confidence – especially with our music. And while you’re being confident, that you’re nice to you as well. But it’s important to remember a few important details:

Typically our lack of self-confidence has nothing to do with reality. Your perception of your performance is usually far different from your real ability. If you have received kudos in for your playing, those people are not lying! So stop lying to yourself.
Remember to praise yourself – and mean it.
You will have challenges. As you work through them, be nice to you! The mental health pros say “practice kindness and compassion” – do that with yourself!
Finally, realize that you can say no to yourself. You wouldn’t accept unreasonable requests from others, don’t make unreasonable requests of yourself! Of course strive to learn and grow, but don’t ask yourself to do things you don’t want to do are just aren’t ready for!

So, today I’m redoing all the work I did yesterday. Am I feeling less confident? Nope, not anymore (of course I wallowed for a little bit – I AM human!). Today I’m going to use everything I learned yesterday and get it done! Do I know where all this will lead? Nope, I have no clue. while I do all that, I will remember that I am doing the best I can and I will succeed, although it might take me a little longer than I thought.

If you hit a rough patch, I hope you’ll continue on, stay confident, and persevere. You may not know where you’re going…until you get there. Anyone else in this spot? What are you doing? Let me know in the comments!

There’s always a curve

Posted on November 2, 2020 by Jen

There’s been a lot going on this year – for everyone. It can be challenging to remain positive in the face of so much stuff. But still you must…because there’s always a curve. Possibly just around the corner!

We’re running up on the holiday season. There are weddings and carol sings and church services. There are a million things to practice for – including those that we can’t see on the calendar, but we do know will happen again soon (after COVID).

Amy is sporting a fancy brace that allows more movement – but we might be limited to left hand only play for a little while. Good thing we know what to do!

But what happens when something happens to you? When life throws you a curve? Just this week I have learned of two people in my harp world who are recovering from injury – one has suffered a broken arm!

But that doesn’t mean no playing! However, it does mean taking time for injury recovery. There are plenty of ways to continue with music and plenty of reasons to persist*

First the reasons:

You can be your own therapeutic musician
You can only watch so many Christmas movies as you recover (or whatever your mindless guilty pleasure is!).
You know you need to practice (and you know that there are ways for your to do so, even without playing your harp)
You can gain a new skill – you could be the only one at your next harp circle that can actually pull off what will look like a party trick – playing an entire tune in one hand!
You know that it will just make you feel better to spend a little time with your harp!

And now, the ways:

You’ve only injured one hand/arm/shoulder – but the other one is fine. You can’t go wrong by keeping that side playing. Work on skills that are more prominent in that hand – drill frequent finger patterns, work on rhythm, focus on articulation – there’s loads to do!
Don’t fret over what you can’t do – focus on what you can. You’re fortunate that this is an injury from which you will recover so you will be able to get back. Your best bet is to not lose ground through inaction and atrophy.
Dust off your theory – if you’re only using one hand, you will need to leverage all your understanding of chord structure to build a harmony in that hand. You can use simple harmony, practice more complex chords or maybe explore jazzier harmonies.
Dust off your basics – you might have gotten away from fundamentals – basic technique, strengthening, and stretching. Add this back into your routine so you don’t end up with another injury to overcome.
Dust off your other basics – you might have gotten away from structural work on intervals in one hand. So, work that in – do the exercises to work your thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, etc. You will be making all your harmonies from these intervals, so you might as well focus on making them as good (and solid) as you can – no fumbling around! It’s never too late to open Sylvia Woods’ Teach yourself book, Maria Grossi’s book, Sue Richards’ exercises, or whatever your favorite basics book is**.
Dust off your musicality – here’s a real opportunity to focus on the tune and rendering more musically. Without all the other stuff to focus on (two hands mostly!) you can really hone in on your musicality.
Work on (and write down!) your arranging skills.

You can see that focusing on one hand might be a bit of bother while you recover but it can open your eyes to some other important aspects of playing. You might even consider giving it a go before you’re injured! And it can’t hurt to have a plan in the event of injury – and you’ll have something to look forward to!

One final thought on recovering while injured – be very careful to monitor your posture and technique while you’re recovery – no need to develop an overuse injury on top of everything else!

Have you been injured and needed to modify how you play or practice? What did you do and how did it work for you? If you haven’t been injured, do you have a plan just in case life throws you a curve? Let me know in the comments below.

* please don’t do anything dumb – I’m not that kind of doctor, this is not medical advice. If you are recovering from an injury or surgery, follow the instructions of your physician, physical therapist, occupational therapist, and other health care providers. But don’t forget to ask those same providers to help you recover by explaining that you are a harp player and you are keen to get back to your harp – for your mental, emotional, and physical health. They can’t give you useful advice if you don’t tell them you need to play your harp! Be prepared to explain what you need to be able to do while you’re playing.

** Not a paid endorsement and there are lots of books – I like these and I think you might too.

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