Tag Archives: Surviving Corona

Check Please!

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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!

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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.

 

 

 

Welcome to the Process and Product of 2021! 

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It’s that time of the year when we reflect on the past year and think about what might come in the next twelve months.

Of course, the last year wasn’t really all that nice and we might be inclined to avoid thinking about it at all.  But that would be a mistake.

You probably learned a great deal in the last year.  Some of it good, some of it bad, almost all of it about you.  So think about what has happened so you can make a better start to the coming year.

You might think that I’m going to tell you to make your resolutions or goals for 2021.  But I’m not.  In fact, I think that would not be a good idea.  Let’s wait on those goals for a sec and instead, let’s talk about something you’ve been telling me.

Process or ProductOne of the things you told me – a lot – was that in the past year, you weren’t motivated.  That you weren’t practicing.  And that this not practicing lead you to feel badly…because you knew you should be maximizing your time by practicing more.

And if you’re on social media, this might have made you feel even worse as people made videos and wrote music and built complicated multi-window concerts that included participants all over the world and shaped facebook empires and instagram realms, leaving you to feel like you needed to be just as creatively productive …even if you were still working full time (or were mildly depressed by the situation and your infatuation with doomscrolling!).

And possibly even worse, you told me that this made you doubt if you should keep playing.  Doubt if you’d ever get back to your harp.  Bemoaning your lack of progress…and motivation. Wondering if you ever really were a harp player.

Some of you said something to the effect of – if there’s no one to play for there’s no reason to play and if there’s no reason to play there’s no reason to practice and if I don’t practice then I can’t play…so maybe I should just give it up!

Poppycock!

What you might see as a lack of motivation is likely just a need to determine your style.  Once you know what that style is, then you can focus on what works for you. 

Some of us are Process people.  We are in it for the journey.  We love to explore the nooks and crannies of the path.  We just love the route – and if we never get anywhere, that’s ok too – we’ll amble along taking in more information, learning as we go, enjoying the ride.  We like a unending, undefined pursuit.

Some of us are Product people.  We don’t really have a lot of thought for the journey – we are focused on the destination.  We love to arrive! We honestly don’t give a fig for how we get there; we just want to get there.  And then (possibly even before we get there) we’ll look for our next destination and work on getting there ad nauseum. 

The process focus is popularly held as a more enlightened approach.  And smugly superior process people like to point out that product people are missing the point, aren’t mindful enough, etc.  Product people don’t even look up of course, because they are busy getting where they’re going and don’t have time to listen to process people prattle on about the path.

If you’ve been feeling unmotivated because there’s nowhere to play, you’re probably a Product person.

But as you might have already guessed, there is no one right way.  There are even some hybrid people who both enjoy the journey and rejoice in arriving at the destination.  As we continue to move through the year with ongoing uncertainty, the process people might appear to have an advantage.  But the real advantage will be to those who know what their approach is and going from there. 

It is important is to know what you are and to work with that knowledge to achieve two aims:

  1. To encourage yourself to continue
  2. To stretch yourself to be more like you aren’t (and observe how that helps you grow as a musician)

You likely already know which of these you are. If, over the last eight months you were a font of great ideas and noodled around with them and maybe put at least a few of them into play – you are likely a process person.  If, on the other hand, your ongoing self-talk included something along the lines of “there’s no one to play for, there’s nothing to do, why would I bother to play” you’re probably a product person. 

A Product focus begins with the end in mind – you practice because you have a gig coming up.  Or a harp circle.  Or a lesson.  It might not be in you to practice just for the joy of it.  And you might feel silly when you just sit to play – rather than practice – when no one is listening.  You typically do practice (only because when it’s time to perform, there’s not many tunes you can just pull out of your ear without practice).  For you practice is a means to an end, not a journey.

A Process focus is much more open ended.  You dally.  You practice things just to know them rather than to prepare to perform.  You may look forward to the feel of the harp against you and the sound of the strings as you play. You might noodle for hours just to noodle.  And if you never perform that stuff, so what – look at what you learned.

It is important to note –

– most people have a some of both Process and Product,

– one is not better than the other, they’re just different ways to look at the world

So, as you begin to feel your way into the new year, but before you get down to defining what you think the year might look like in terms of your harp life goals or resolutions – I have some homework for you!

  • Assess yourself and determine if you are more Process or more Product.  Be honest!
  • Once you’ve determined which you are, mark where you are on the continuumProcess Product Continuum
  • Write down three things that might come from being more what you aren’t (e.g. if you’re mostly process, what are three things that you might benefit from being more product focused)
  • Write down some ways you anticipate this will make you uncomfortable
  • Note how this exercise (and actually implementing the three things you identify) might improve your practicing and playing.

Are you more Process or more Product?  Let me know what you’re like and what you think your three things might be in the comments below!

 

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.

 

OSAS 2020 is coming!!

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If you’ve read my blog for more than about 15 minutes, you know that one of my most favoritest harp events each year is the Ohio Scottish Arts School.  I have participated as a student and as a teacher – and I can tell you the view from either window is just marvelous!  The instructors, the students, the Thistle Sisters and Thistle Brothers – all outstanding!

And you also know that this spring has led to a lot of cancellations.  A lot of cancellations.

BUT NOT OSAS!!!  OSAS is going ON LINE.

It’s taking some planning – and creative thinking (I’d say “out of the box thinking” but clearly, as you can see in the picture below, we’re each in a box!)

OSAS Planning meeting via zoom

OSAS planning – things you learn in a COVID world.

If you’ve always wanted to come to OSAS but haven’t been able to – this is your chance!  Live too far away?  Live so many timezones away, we’re upside down?  All no problem this year!  OSAS CAN STILL BE A PART OF YOUR HARP LIFE!

You will have the opportunity to study with the inestimable Sue Richards, the incredible Rachel Hair, the wonderful Rachel Clemente, and the incalculable me.

Jen teaching at OSAS in 2019

The fun of working together to learn a tune and play it! PS, do not sit like this when you’re playing your harp (like I am – sidesaddle) or you’ll be calling me for an Ergonomics Lesson to fix all your injuries and pains!

From Monday, June 29 to Friday, July 3, 2020, we will have 3 – 4 sessions per day. In the morning, we’ll learn tunes.  After lunch, we’ll gather to review the morning, learn more, and participate in group lectures and/or one-on-one sessions. More specific details will be coming (as we firm up and finalize everything). 

Tuition for this special week is $250 (includes $200 non-refundable deposit).  Please note that class sizes are limited. Registration deadline extended to June 8, 2020.  Here is the link to the online registration form.

I am very passionate about this event (as you can tell by the plethora of exclamation marks throughout this post) – because I know how much you have the potential to learn, from incredible tutors that you won’t find all together in one place in any other workshop.   In addition, over time, OSAS has lead to many lifelong friendships, collaborations, and happy memories.

You should join us this summer at OSAS ONLINE.  No, we won’t be all in one room, but we will be all in one space – we’ll be TogetherApart!  If you have any questions you can go to the OSAS website or you can leave them for me in the comments below.  Hope to see you there!

Getting out of the Land of Should

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I love teaching.  I learn so much from each of my students.  They all have their own strengths and challenges, but I find that there are sometimes overlaps.  This week, no less than three students have been trapped in the Land of Should – a dark and horrible place which is easy to find and sometimes hard to leave.

You might have been there. You might be there right now.  You can tell you’re there by the signs:

“I should practice more”

“I should be more motivated (even though there’s a global pandemic and nothing is as it typically is)”

“I should be able to ignore the things going on in my life and keep playing”

“I should be able to play this by now”

“I should be better than I am”

I get it.  The Land of Should can be very seductive.  And sometimes it seems like it’s the only place the bus stops.

But being trapped in the Land of Should is actually painful and not very comfortable.  After all, WHY should you (practice more, be more motivated, be more accomplished, and by extension, have a pristine home, have read all the “right” books, being wearing the right look, etc. – whatever)??

But shoulds are often unhelpful – these thoughts don’t get you any further ahead. Telling yourself you should do (or be) something doesn’t change anything or suggest useful changes.  It only sets you up to feel like you’ll never get where you’re going.  The Land of Should is like that.

One way to look at is that these thoughts are actually you bullying yourself!  You’re telling yourself you’re a disappointment.  Would you say something like that to your best friend?  I didn’t think so.

And right now, we all need a little more TLC – especially from ourselves!  Even the most stalwart and resilient among us are feeling a little peaky.  So, it’s no surprise if the pull of the Land of Should is becoming stronger.

How do you escape its terrible orbit?  Here are five ways to get out of the Land of Should:

  1. Journal.  You know I’m always exhorting you to keep a journal of your practice.  Here’s a good use for it.  First, you can document your practice time – what (objectively) did you work on, where did you leave it, where will you pick it up next time?  Secondly, you can also capture how you are feeling about the time you had (especially if you’re feeling like you have not done enough).  As always, keep your journal in any means that works for you – in a notebook, on your computer, as an oral history in your phone voice memos, as an abstract drawing – it doesn’t matter how you keep it as long as that medium works for you!
  2. Be realistic.  There’s a lot going on in the world, no matter who you are or where you live.  With the ongoing uncertainty and changing information as physicians and scientists learn more about it, it’s easy to feel like we’ll never have our feet on solid ground again.  You can use your time at the harp to help soothe your frayed nerves and the anxiety of not knowing.  Maybe this isn’t the time to double your repertoire or add those highly chromatic pieces you admire but don’t feel ready to take on.  But you do have repertoire already with which you can be fairly comfortable – play that.  Noodle!  Improvise.  Play nothing at all.  But don’t cut yourself off from your harp.  At a minimum, allow the reverberations of playing the notes impact your body.  Take some time and take some ease.  No matter your level of play, you can do this!  Are you a rank beginner, still trying to remember which finger is 2?  No worries, play a single string and let it ring while you feel the gentle vibration and hear the beautiful timbre!  Then play another. Think that’s only for beginners?  Nope – there’s a lot of soothing in a playing a single string and letting it reverb for you for as long as it likes…then play another one, etc.
  3. Reframe.  It is easy (especially in difficult times) to focus on the negative, to beat yourself up and as a result to feel bad.  Reframe your thoughts! It isn’t that you didn’t practice enough.  Rather, you made the best use of limited available time.  It isn’t that you aren’t progressing.  Rather, you currently have higher priorities requiring your time and attention.  It isn’t that you’re not motivated.  Rather you are dealing with a lot and will be back and focused soon.  But DO NOT tell yourself you’re not “good enough” because you haven’t done something.
  4. Study your history.  You haven’t always felt this way.  Think back to a time when you didn’t feel like this and understand that you have ups and downs and that’s ok.  Your truth includes being strong and resilient and sometimes it includes being a little bit fragile and that the fragility passes – and all of it is part of you!  And that’s kind of cool – because there’s interesting in there (to be found sometime when you’re transitioning from fragile to strong!).
  5. Be nice…and positive.  Be nice in general, but especially be nice to you!  And don’t torment yourself.  Instead, focus on the good (if only because it’s so easy to focus on the bad – and who wants to do easy stuff?).

If you find yourself lost in the Land of Should, perhaps one of these might help.  If something works for you, please let me know.  And if you have another way to escape – please share in the comments below.