A Little Help From My Friends

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It was a little over a year ago that I started blogging at Harp Mastery. My idea in starting the blog was to share some of the things that I have learned about the harp and harp playing, music and being an active musician. Through this blog, I have been privileged to virtually meet harpists from all over the world who are on all different kinds of harp journeys. It has been a wonderful adventure for me, and I am excited about this way we can connect no matter how far apart we may be.

My own harp journey

I was very fortunate. Not that everything was easy or went smoothly for me. That was certainly not the case. But I had amazing opportunities, generous parents and wonderful teachers. Along the way, I discovered the one major roadblock to my own success, and it was me. Since my teen years, I have understood that the biggest challenge facing me was inside of me. So my learning process has been devoted to solving problems and working through obstacles that I place in my own way.

And my teaching is dedicated to helping my students see a problem and solve it. Not with any sort of psychology, just with practical techniques that allow them to get out of their own way and make progress.

My wish for every harpist

People take up the study of the harp for different reasons. Perhaps they love the way the instrument looks, the way it sounds, or the way it feels to play it. It is a medium of self expression for each individual who plays. And however a harpist chooses to express him or herself, whether it’s classical music or blues, in a living room or a concert hall, I believe it should be the best it can be. I don’t mean a quest for perfection, but stretching toward a personal dream of playing the way you want to. And it should be a journey of discovery and joy. Otherwise, why play at all?

Through the Harp Mastery blog, I aim to encourage, assist and inspire harpists toward their own personal best, the place where playing the harp brings you the pleasure and reward you were looking for when you started.

A little help, please?

I would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment or two to help me. I would like to know what issues you face in your playing, performing or practicing. Are there things that you feel are holding you back? Do you have trouble knowing what or how to practice? Something you think you should be able to do but can’t seem to figure out?

I have an incredibly easy survey for you to take. It is only two questions, although you can write as much as you like. I will be compiling your answers to guide me in future blog posts. I want this blog to be useful to you, and your feedback will help me do that.

And to thank you for your help, I will email you “Do You Plan to Practice? (or are you just planning to practice, maybe later?)” when you complete the survey. This one page guide will help you make each practice session so efficient and productive that you won’t want to procrastinate. Let your musician friends (harpists or otherwise) in on this too!

Click here to take survey. And many thanks!