Practicing Harp Happiness

Today you are going to get a promotion. Or rather, today I am going to give you a promotion. Or even better, today you are going to give yourself a promotion.

A promotion is exciting. It may come with a new title, or a certificate or a diploma. It likely entails new responsibilities and new challenges as well as new and as yet unimagined opportunities. It signifies a higher level of competence and the confidence that others, at least, have in your achievements to date and in your potential. And that gold star, that new job title, that salary raise is proof of your accomplishment.

But where is the proof of your harp accomplishment? How do you know that you’re making progress, or keeping pace with whatever goals or timelines you have set for yourself? Where’s the guidebook that says, “You are here,” and shows you how to get to “there?” 

Yes, we do have some ways to gauge our progress. Music exam systems, like the ABRSM or RCM exams, provide an organized way to be “promoted.” You wo...

Imagine you found yourself stranded alone on a deserted island. It’s a beautiful place or it would be if you knew a little more about it. Are there dangerous animals or poisonous plants? How will you survive? You need food, clothing and shelter, but you have no idea how to provide them for yourself. Out of necessity, you begin carefully and slowly, learning just as slowly by sometimes painful trial and error. 

Sometimes harp practice can feel like that deserted island. You tune the harp and sit down ready to work. But you don’t have a clear direction. You don’t know if you’re doing the right things the right way. And there’s no one by your side to give you advice.  You have plenty of notes from your last lesson, but essentially your teacher told you what to work on or accomplish, not so much actually how to do it. Are you wasting your practice time?

On the other hand, you’ve probably experienced the feeling after a lesson where your teacher helped you get to the next stage with a ...

Let’s face facts: performing is scary. 

Even though you’ve practiced that piece a million times and a million different ways and you feel you know it backwards, forwards and inside out, there are so many variables in a performance situation that it’s no wonder we’re scared. 

Yes, there are ways to “bulletproof” your music and yourself. But that’s not what today’s show is about. Today we are putting the focus on the fear itself. That feeling of fear is real, even though we can tell ourselves there isn’t anything to be actually afraid of. We are going to call out the fear we feel, bring it into the light, give it a name and learn how to get past it.

We’re not talking about perfection here. We’re talking about management: of your fear, your expectations, your adrenalin, your focus. And while I can’t guarantee that you won’t have any fear, I can promise you that the strategies we will talk about today will allow you to play for others with confidence, with assurance that your perform...

The energy of the New Year can be a trap as our good intentions become overwhelming. We burden ourselves with too many resolutions, too many projects and too many brilliant ideas. That’s the fast track to disappointment.

Today Anne explains why the best strategy for harp success in the new year is a one step at a time approach. Choosing your next best step and creating a plan to ensure you take that step are key to your harp happiness this year.

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

• Harp Mastery® Getaway Retreat
• 3 Ingredients of a Perfect Plan blog post
• Harpmastery.com

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

Is holiday harping making you stressed? As the angel said, “Fear not!”

We all find it difficult to find practice time during the holidays, even though this is the time we need to keep our fingers ready to play. In this episode of the podcast you will discover a stress-free practice plan that will keep you in shape, no matter how many cookies you still need to bake. All it takes is a few minutes and a little planning.

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

• Harp Mastery® Certified Coaching 
• Stay Relaxed to Play Your Best blog post
• Harpmastery.com

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

If you find it difficult to practice Christmas Carols, you are not alone.

Reviewing holiday music is an unusual kind of challenge. Everyone knows the songs so well we dread making even a single mistake. But we know them so well we practice on autopilot. On today’s show I share how to do the practice you need and still keep the holiday spirit with three simple strategies that make even the most tired carol (or any music) fun to practice and play.

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

• Cracking the Nutcracker Code webinar
• Cadenza Play In LIVE Friday, November 26 at Noon Eastern time
• My Harp Mastery
• How to Play Music You Hate Blog post
• Harpmastery.com

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

Memorizing your music isn’t essential, but developing your memorization skills IS.

Memorization isn’t just for people who want to play without music. It’s also a proven practice technique that creates critical connections between what you play and what you hear which translate into faster learning and longer retention. Even if you can’t remember what you had for breakfast you can learn to memorize - if you use the only method which really works! 

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

• Cracking the Nutcracker Code webinar
• My Harp Mastery
• No More Memorization Mistakes Blog post
• Harpmastery.com

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

Maybe the piece is too hard for you. You could soldier on or you could put it away for later. Which choice do you make?

Neither choice is satisfying. Instead of battling on or conceding defeat, you could choose to fix the problem. Asking the right questions will show you what you need to do to eliminate the obstacles so you can play the piece confidently and with pride. In this episode I will share six key questions and the all-important answers.

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

• Waltz of the Flowers Cadenza Challenge
• Are Your Fingers Failing You? 10 Quick Fixes blog post
• Harpmastery.com

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

Too much music and not enough time? Here’s the solution you’ve been waiting for.

While this holiday season may not have as many performances as other years, preparing all your music is still a mammoth task. You know the secret is in organizing it properly, but somehow every year you’ve indeed up scrambling to get it all done.

On this podcast episodeI reveal my method for reviewing old pieces and learning new ones in a simple, stress-free way.

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

• Waltz of the Flowers Cadenza Challenge
• Five Steps to Build Your Repertoire blog post
• 30 Days to Done course
• Harpmastery.com

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

If you ask a professional harpist how she plans her practice, she probably won’t be able to tell you. 

But ask her what she does every day and she’ll tell you her favorite routine, what she does first and what is the most important part of her practice. Pros learn how to practice efficiently and how to get consistent results from their practice. If you’ve ever wondered if you’re missing something in your practice, this episode is for you.

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

• Two-Step Chord Theory for Harpists webinar
• Spark Journal
• 10 Ways to Cut Your Practice Time in Half blog post
• Harpmastery.com