#141: 3 Great Ways to Start a New Piece - and 1 Terrible One

I might as well get this out of the way. This is going to be one of those podcasts that sounds like it’s telling you you’re doing it all wrong and you’ve been doing it wrong for years. I say it’s going to sound like that, but I want to be clear that’s not the point of our topic today. The real point is finding a path to growth, a path forward, and often finding a path forward means doing something different. So I want you to approach this topic with that progress mindset, because the ideas I’m about to share with you about how I think you could or should approach a new piece might sound a little uncomfortable, and that’s exactly the point.

You may know that the only one-on-one teaching I do is with my Gold Circle students. These students are special, not because of their playing level - they run the gamut there - but because of their commitment to their harp playing. They take their harp playing seriously, and that’s why I feel privileged to be able to work with them and help speed them along their paths. 

I’m mentioning this because one of my Gold Circle students, Beverley, shared with me something her French teacher told her when she was studying French in high school. In essence, it was this: the teacher gave the beginning class a rule that she qualified as only a rule for now. As the students became more experienced, she said she would rescind that rule and give them a better one, but that second rule wasn’t something that would be useful for them at this earlier stage of their learning. 

Thanks to Beverley for that example, because that’s how I want you to understand what I’m going to give you today. It’s not a grammar rule, obviously, but it’s a way - three ways, actually - to start learning a piece. I can almost guarantee that these ways will either sound exciting and inspiring or terrifyingly impossible. But what’s important is that I think you will see that they make sense as a way to leverage the growth you have already made. 

So while you may be comfortable with the system you’ve been using, I’d like you to consider the idea that, although it was a system that worked well at the stage where you were, there might be a better system for the stage where you are now.

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode: 

• The 2024 Harp Happiness Challenge winner will be announced on Friday! Join me live in the Hub!
• Related resource Practicing Differently: 4 Steps to Faster Learning blog post
• Harpmastery.com

Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected]