Tag Archives: Summertime

Holiday!

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One of the most important holidays of the year is coming up on Saturday. Are you ready? Got your decorations up? Now that you’re wondering how you could have missed being ready – you might be asking yourself what holiday happens at the end of August?!

Play Music on the Porch Day is August 30, 2025! Could there be a better time to celebrate? I think not!

If you’re not familiar with this amazing holiday, you might want to prepare – because it’s a wonderful day. All you need to do is….

Go outside and share your music with whoever happens by.

Ok, to celebrate fully there is a little more to it than that.

From the website (yes, there is an official website (https://playmusicontheporchday.com) :

What if for one day everything stopped? And we all just listened to the music.

To participate just go outside and play music! You can invite friends or play alone. Make the day as big or as small as you want! Then share a video on any social media with #playmusicontheporchday.

Follow the hashtag #playmusicontheporchday to see musicians from around the world participating!

As it says, you can celebrate in ways big or small. As a sole creator or as a member of a group. And post it on social media (probably because for organizers, if you don’t post it, it didn’t happen).

But if you want to hold to the spirit of the holiday without all the fuss, muss, and bother of the organized event, you can just go outside, sit on your step (or wherever) and play. No telling yourself you’re not ready. No comparing yourself to your harp crush. No thinking too hard. Just play. Let others bask in the beauty you create. Enjoy being the maker. Create a moment – and share it with others.

You don’t have to be fancy; you can just play what you’ve been working on. Or you can set a time, set a stage, invite your audience, and make a production of it. Not feeling so brave? Invite a friend to join you! It’s up to you. The focus is on making music and sharing it with others.

Need more inspiration? Think of it as a history exhibit – after all, it wasn’t that long ago that this was just the way of it. In a time before hashtags and constant media, we (people) were the media. And the fortunate had music as a regular part of that. So, you’re not performing, you’re reenacting!

It’s not about perfection, it’s about connection – with your music, with your community, with your history. And with such a low barrier to entry – you just need to move outside – we can all do it!

I know some of you are planning to go out and play! Please share with us – send me a photo or jot a couple of words so we can share with this community too! And Happy Play Music on the Porch Day!

Room for more

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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?

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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

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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!

Woohoo Summer!

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Woohoo Summer! 

This week Summer officially begins. Where I am, Summer will start on a day that is predicted to be nearly 100oF. Yay.

But when Summer starts like that, at least there is no confusion – it’s definitely Summer, no lingering doubts.

And certainly no time to stay home! Because Summer is also time to get out and play! I’ll be doing a couple of things and I hope I will see you there. Here’s where I’ll be for the next little bit.

At the end of June, it’s time for the Ohio Scottish Arts School – YAY! I love so much about OSAS – the people, the format, the tunes, the silly games, the hanging out with friends, the playing music, the comradery, the tradition. I’ve been going to OSAS as a student or a teacher from the very early days of my harp life and it’s like coming home. I’m so delighted to be teaching with Wendy Stewart, Kelly Stewart, Tiffany Schaefer, and Haley Hewitt! And a number of you will be coming which makes my heart happy – to see old friends and to meet friends in the flesh for the first time at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, OH. Can’t wait!

Then in July, there’s the Somerset Folk Harp Festival which is always a maelstrom of activity (in a good way). This year there is an amazing lineup of instructors, and I am so grateful to be among them. Somerset is offering me the opportunity to do that thing I do by mashing up my technical world with my music world and I’ll be teaching two workshops.  On the Saturday I’ll be presenting Preventing and Avoiding Injuries: Ergonomics for Therapeutic (and other) Settings which is open for any level and will be helpful to all harpers not just therapeutic musicians. It will be hands on and interesting no matter where you play.  On Friday it’s Repertoire for Every Patient! with tips, techniques, and approaches to make a small but workable repertoire be useful no matter who you play for in the healthcare setting. It will be focused on therapeutic music, but the principles are the same no matter where you play. I hope I’ll see you there – please say hi! And if you’re on the fence about coming, I hope you will decide that yes, you need to come – registration is still open!

In August, it’s off to Scotland to see Glasgow, Edinburgh, a brief jaunt to Skye and a turn about the Highlands for a bit. I (really!) will try to remember to take photos, but you already know I’m so bad at that because I’m usually too busy gawping at all the beauty! I have a small but feisty group and I’m really looking forward to seeing the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. I’ve wanted to see this event for years! I know so many of you wanted to come along but weren’t able to for one reason or another – so watch this space and start planning for next year!

And then it will be September! Whew! I hope I do a decent job sharing all the fun and learning and visiting friends (and photos – really, I will try!). I’m excited to see several of you and I’m happy to share some of the experiences with all of you. I’ll share photos here and on my face–tagram.  As always, let me know if I should be looking for you in a particular place, ask questions, and share your thoughts in the comments!

Woohoo Summer!

Play Music on the Porch Day

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Play Music on the Porch Day

The problem with August is that, by the time we get to the end of the month, it’s been a long time since we had a holiday. Or a reason to celebrate anything (at least where I live).  But fortunately, someone made one up and called it Play Music on the Porch Day.  From the official website:

What if for one day everything stopped?  And we all just listened to the music.

Play Music on the Porch Day was Sunday, August 26 this year.  The criteria were stringent, and the rules to participate were harsh.  What was that?  

Just go outside

and play music!

The official site indicated that you could invite friends or play by yourself, and the event could be as big or as small as you want!  And that musicians in over 70 Countries worldwide would be participating!  What’s not to love about that?

While there are lots of things to do to celebrate the day, I had the opportunity to make music with my good friend Donna Bennett who generously donated the setting and invited me to share the day with her.  Our audience were people enjoying a beautiful day near the river in Leonardtown, MD. 

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We had a fantastic time.  We played tunes we’ve performed a lot. We played tunes we have performed, but not too often.  And we played things we are barely hanging on to but still managed to not mangle too badly.  We played together and we played solo.  Mostly we just enjoyed the company and the laughter and the music making and the fun!  I did remember to take some photos (shock!) but didn’t manage to get a video…I’ll save that as a goal for next time!

Like every Annual thing, Play Music on the Porch Day will come around again this same time next year.  It’s always the last Saturday of August, so you can join in next year. And I’m sure that if you decided to Play Music on your Porch today, or another day, all your audience would be delighted, no matter the date.

Did you Play Music on the Porch?  Want to share your thoughts or photos?  I’d love to hear from you and see your pictures!

A Wonderful Week of Teaching in the Mountains

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Massanetta

I have been enjoying my second year teaching in the mountains at Massanetta Springs, VA at the Church Music and Bible Conference.  This year’s theme, “Instruments of Peace” was certainly appealing and the students were incredible. I was so pleased to have two return (always gratifying when someone knows what they are getting into and chooses to spend time learning with you!) and having a new (to me) person join us.

They were great – again willing to try new things and being so gracious with their time and experience. I cannot adequately express how much I enjoyed the time with them!

Here are a few photos from my week – what a beautiful place! As usual, I didn’t take as many as I should, but I’m happy to share that I did better than usual! ????

Preparing to play the prelude for the Tuesday worship service. Why yes, they did perform well at the end of Day 2! I was so proud for them.

I l-o-v-e labyrinths! This little jewel is in the woods and doesn’t seem to get a lot of traffic but it was perfect for me and my harpsicle!

1. I was so glad to be be invited to return to Massanetta Springs to teach this summer. 2. I remain terrible at selfies!

Another stalwart heart enduring an impromptu “come and try” – I’ll grab anyone who looks twice and encourage them to give it a go!

Oh, come on – its summer! A little ice cream is good for you. And besides, you can’t play the harp all day!

Both of these lovely people came again this summer – I was delighted to see them!

This is from an “offical” come and try. I loved the enthusiasm of the kids and the joyfulness of the adults – especially here where they shared the harp for a Pentatonic Improvisation (Thank you Marianna and Kris for forcing me to learn this all those years ago!)

I hope youre having as much fun this summer as I am!  What have you been up to? Let me know in the comments (and if you have a photo to share, let me know and I’ll make it work!

 

PS – due to (irritating and boring) logistics issues (mostly driven by my travel schedule) I’m still on my phone so please forgive any formatting and spelling blurps you might find).

Sprummertime

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Sprummer

I know it’s just barely spring but it’s not too early to think about what you want to do this summer!  That means, it is Spummertime – not spring or summer but the time to think and plan now for what will come later!  And there are loads of harp events in the summer but you only have so much time (and so much money!) so here are my favorites:

Ohio Scottish Arts School (OSAS) – It’s hard to put into words how much fun OSAS is or to tell you how much you will learn at OSAS.  It starts immediately after the Ohio Scottish Games in Barea OH (just outside Cleveland.  This year’s instructors are stellar – Corrina Hewat, Haley Hewitt, Allison Miller, and me!  And fiddlers will have Elke Baker (invite your favorite fiddler to come!).  Classes will focus on basic harp technique for beginners and intermediates, repertoire at all levels, including tunes for competition sets, and Scottish style, including ornaments, lilt, and dance types.  Nylon/gut/wire harps are welcome.  We’ll study Scottish dance music, airs, and songs, focusing on ornamentation, Scottish style, accompaniment, and learning by ear. We’ll have lectures, practice time, and playing in sessions. Classes will be available for beginners who have played for a few months, intermediates, and advanced players.  It’s the 45th Anniversary so we have even more to celebrate!  Class sizes are limited and harp is getting close to being full so go to https://ohioscottishartsschool.com for more information and to register before the class fills!  24 – 30 June, Barea, OH

Somerset Folk Harp Festival – Somerset is the festival for everyone!  There are workshops for you no matter if you’re beginning or advanced.  There are workshops in different genres, covering topics you might even know that you wanted to know! And it is in person and online – a hybrid we can all love.  There are options which can help you tailor the event to you.  In person is in Parsippany NJ and you’ll be able to wander the (very large) Exhibit hall where you can see harps, listen to harps, play harps, talk harps, meet harp makers, compare harps…and (maybe best of all) buy harps! And Harpstuff (including exquisite jewelry, music, learn about other training experiences available, and more.   And did I mention that in addition to a huge cadre of great instructors – every day there are concerts!  What’s not to love?  Go to https://www.somersetharpfest.com for more information and to register so you don’t miss out.  20 – 23 July, Parsippany NJ

Harp Quest – We are excited to begin another Harp Quest in 2023!  Our quests are each different as we seek to learn what our harp is there to teach us, so plan to join us for a new Journey forward with our harps – becoming what we’re meant to be.  The Quest will remain easily accessible to harpers from anywhere and at any level.  Our focus will be a short and intense experience that we will each take with us into the coming months and years – perhaps not fully appreciating what we have learned until much later.  But secure in knowing that we will get there – each of us.  And we’ll get there together!  This year kids will quest together, and adults will follow their own quest.  In the pastoral and relaxing valleys of South Central, the setting is just the thing to learn and grow and go a little farther on the road we travel. Harp Quest focuses on very personalized time sharing and learning.  We will have fun, support one another, and work together to expand technical skills and exercise our brains.  As always, we will work on building healthy self-esteem and encourage ourselves to try new things.  Our format is tailored to assure that the journey is not rocky – not that you won’t work hard or occasionally need to breathe!  We’ll work individually in a limited sized group and together experiencing three days of creativity, sharing, and fun.  Kids Quest 25 – 27 August, Adults Quest 8 – 10 September.  For more information contact me. 

What do you want to do for your summer?  Are you going to register for any of these?  Are there other events we should be considering?  Let me know in the comments!

It’s time to plan – Summer Camp!

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I know, I know, it’s only mid-March and we’ve just turned the clocks back so it’s still dark through breakfast!  But…

SUMMER IS COMING! Time for Summer Camp!

I know it seems like summer is really far away.  But really, summer starts in just 99 days (when I wrote this, so even fewer by the time you read it!).  So, if we want to be ready, we should start planning now.

Summer CampThere are a lot of summer programs available.  You can tailor your planning to your type of playing.  I have some real favorites and I’d like to encourage you to join me at all or some of them!!  These are all adult friendly, beginner friendly, and well, just friendly!  Here’s a chronological list:

The 41st Edinburgh International Harp Festival, 8 – 11 April 2022.  Ok, not strictly summer, but… This year has a hybrid program so you can participate in classes and workshops, attend concerts all from the comfort of your home computer or you can be there in person!  This is very exciting because so many of us have wanted to go and have now had our appetites whetted with two years online but with travel still a bit snarled, this is a great option for those of us who don’t live in the UK.  There are a number of exciting presenters and the concerts are fab – even if you are watching on your computer.  The events are available online during the Festival and on demand afterward.  The price is very reasonable – and a la carte!  All the info is available at harpfestival.co.uk

Ohio Scottish Arts School, Saturday, June 25 – Friday, July 1, 2022.  Aaahhhhh – to me, OSAS is the quintessential Harp Summer Camp!  This year OSAS is breaking in a new venue – with Air Conditioning!!  Woohoo!  An entire week of great in-person instruction, wonderful tunes, amazing people, and Scottish music coming out your pores!  I liked Scottish music before I came the first time, but I LOVED it by the end of my first week.  I think the best sales pitch for OSAS is the number of students who have come year after year after year – both adults and kids (and adults who started as kids!).  This year’s instructors are Corrina Hewat, Sharon Knowles, Seumas Gagne, and me.  Registration has started and will close when the class fills so don’t wait.  For those of you who have come in the past (or specifically haven’t come) – I’ll highlight – AirCon!  All the details at ohioscottishartsschool.com

Somerset Harp Festival 21 – 24 July (in person and 1 July – 31 October online). Somerset is possibly the most flexible event I’ve seen – even in this new world of working!  There are in person events, online events and subsequent events that will occur throughout the open online period!  There are options to fit every schedule whether you can travel or not.  And there are still the additional events like Harpers’ Escape and special add-on workshops.  Be sure to read the registration page and sign up for the best fit for you.  I’m excited to be teaching two workshops this summer in person and I hope you’ll come see me!  All you need to know is here: somersetharpfest.com

There are loads of other summer programs as well.  I can’t list them all here.  Many are pedal-y-er and oriented to younger harp players (by which I mean kids).  Most are listed in the Harp Column with info available here: harpcolumn.com/summer-harp-camp-directory

If you have never come to a harp summer camp, you have missed out!  I can’t tell you how much you will learn, but you’ll definitely learn a load of great music, applied theory, excellent arrangements, and what a great community the harp world is.  If you are hesitant, give yourself a little push and give it a try.  I think you’ll be surprised – and delighted!

Are you going to a harp camp this summer?  Which one(s)?  What made you choose it? What did I leave out?  Let me know in the comments!

Half the way there!

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It’s mid-July and you know what that means?  Yup, we are just a little more than half the way through this year.

And, yes, it has been an epic year so far…I won’t enumerate – you’re living it with me, so you already know.  And I mean epic in the classical sense – a (typically long and possibly unending) story of the deeds and adventures of heroic people! 

And yes, we’re only half the way through it.  Ugh.

But being halfway through is a good time to stop, pick our collective heads up, take a deep breath, and look around.  How are we doing?   

But think back…in January, we didn’t know any of this was coming and we knew the year was full of promise.   And we talked about the 2020 vision we’d have this year.  You might remember that we talked about this here.I suggested you take a smarter path that started with examining your life (your whole life!) and finding the balance for your harp within that.

And of course, I exhorted you to practice.  And then I gave you a long list of things to practice.  I also pointed out that you would do exactly as much work as you fit in and encouraged you to form goals that would be do-able.

So, half the year has gone by.  Do you remember your goals (because I am confident you wrote them down as I suggested)?  How are you coming?

Did you, at any time throughout the current upheaval we are all experiencing, modify those goals?  Did you look at your world and how the world outside you is impacting your world, and modify what you expected to accomplish as a harper this year? 

Gosh, I sure hope so!  Because this has been a doozy of a year!  We certainly didn’t see it coming.  And all of us have been impacted in one way or another (or by a number of ways, in quick succession, in a seemingly coordinated attack!).  And we have all had varying levels of success with coping, adapting, and overcoming everything. 

I’d like to encourage you to revisit the things you set out to do for yourself.  Then do the following:

  1. Bring out a big marker (or eraser) and (at least mentally) cross off those things that just are not going to serve you in the six months or so we have remaining in 2020.
  2. Sift through your goals and keep the ones that still make sense…and are do-able.
  3. Capture, but hold for later, those that are still important to you but are not currently realistic – especially since we don’t know when things will revert to what we were expecting.   And
  4. Boldly, ceremoniously and with a great deal of fanfare, toss the ones that just are not serving you!  (yes, you can do that!).

There’s one more thing you need to do and that is to note all the things you have done so far this year.  Especially the ones you never even imaged!  Things that come to mind:

  • Learning to play to your computer
  • Learning to not play for other people (!)
  • Learning where to look so you look like you’re looking at the other person (and dealing with not being able to see them so that you look like you can).
  • Figuring out new software to have lessons or harp circles or play dates
  • Learning that you really do have to wait for the other person to finish – and wait your turn.
  • Learning to deal with the fatigue which seems to be unique to spending all day on your computer, even if previously you thought you spent all day on your computer!
  • Coping in the face of unending uncertainty (and helping others do the same)

So, on balance, you’re probably having a good and productive year.  Let’s make sure your goals match and that you’re taking credit for what you have accomplished so far.  I’m sure there are even more things you have learned – both related and unrelated to playing the harp – share them in the comments.