Finger troubles?

Our fabulous fingers! We harpists depend on them for every note. We trust them to be dependable and obedient.

But those phenomenal phalanges can sometimes turn into digit divas.

Here are some common (and very sneaky!) finger foibles you should watch out for.  Which ones are your fingers’ favorites?

1. Hiding Behind the Wall.

Your right hand has likely discovered a...

When you think of YouTube do you instinctively brace yourself for another cute kitten video or an unfortunate epic fail?

YouTube is not just for viral videos. It's a powerful tool. In fact, YouTube is the world's largest search engine. Tat's right - it's bigger than Bing or Yahoo or even Google which owns it. There are 5 billion video views each day on YouTube and every day people all over the...

It’s time to test your knowledge of musicians and musical quotes. How many of these quotations do you recognize? And do you know who said them?

Do your best; it’s not an easy quiz! And when you’re ready, you can get the answers by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.

Good luck!

1. The Harp is to Music what Music is to Life.

2. …this is my only aim: to serve...

What would musical success look like for you this year?

I’m guessing that like the rest of us you have made some New Year’s resolutions, and that being a musician, some of those resolutions are about your musical growth. Whether it’s about doing more practice or learning a special piece or taking more frequent lessons, there is always a way we want to improve and grow...

What is it about harps and the Christmas holidays?

It’s certainly a busy time for harpists. (Okay – that’s a huge understatement. This can be an insane time of year for a harpist.) Harpists of all ages and abilities are in high demand. Christmas and harps just seem to go together.

Carolers sing of “angels bending near the earth to touch their harps of gold.” And...

Do you just practice your music, or is your practice musical as well? Does your practice feel like just a jumble of notes?

I couldn’t begin to estimate the number of times I have told a student, “Good. Now play it musically.”

In my mind, my words are reminding the student that musical expression needs to be a constant consideration, a regular part of learning music.

But...

The holiday music season is in high gear!

Black Friday is not only the beginning of the holiday shopping season; it’s the start of the holiday music season. There are church programs, student recitals, parties, concerts, music gatherings of all kinds. The holidays are a special time and what makes that festive gathering extra special? Live music.

And what makes live music? It’s not...

Skype is truly a marvel for our 21^st century global community. It brings strangers closer together and keeps families connected. And it has become part of the way that today’s musicians study and learn.

But does that mean it is always the right tool for music study? When and how does it help and when does it just get in the way?

Like anyone else, I have my own ideas on the subject; your...

Get new ears? You might need them.

Have you ever been surprised by a comment from someone else about your playing?

Maybe it was an audience member who paid you a lovely compliment, making you wonder just what performance they were listening to.

Maybe it was your teacher who pointed out something you completely missed in your practice.

Did you ever wonder about why they were able to hear that...

Ready to stress out?

It’s that time of year when our thoughts turn to…MUST GET READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS!! It feels like we are holding our breath, waiting on the starting block for the race to Christmas to begin.

Home furnishings and decoration sales soar as people get their homes ready for the holidays. And musicians slip into high gear too, preparing for parties, church...