I don’t like starting a blog post with such a negative title, but I might as well admit it; sometimes we have to play music we just don’t like. You can probably instantly bring to mind that one piece of music you really can’t stand. Maybe it’s a holiday carol you’ve heard in too many shopping malls or maybe it’s just a piece that is definitely not your...

It’s Sunday night, and I’m watching football, fingers crossed for the success of my Philadelphia Eagles.And then it hits me.May be music and football have more in common than I thought…

1. “Football” doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone, just ask a Brit who thinks it should be played with a round ball and a goalkeeper. Music isn’t just one thing...

Scales aren't just about technique.

Scales happen in "real" music too, and when we need to play them, we want them to be expressive, fluid and musical.

In this video, I demonstrate seven steps you can use to make your scales more beautiful in anything you play. And I have prepared a handy reference checklist for you as well. Just click on the link, enter your email address and it will be on...

Practice, practice, practice; the story of the musician’s life. And we hope that by devoting many hours to practice, we will be able to perform when it counts. But we should be able to do more than just hope.

Preparing for performance, whether it’s a lesson or a recital, is a matter of practicing in three very different ways, and these three vignettes about a kick, an arrow and a...

Blog Harp in the Mountains 2018! About Anne Resources Contact MY HARP MASTERY Where is Music Leading You? POSTED ON OCTOBER 19, 2015 BY ANNE Vecchio portone con batacchi leoniniDo you think you know where music is leading you? Is it to a career, a fulfilling avocation, or a rewarding way to connect with other people? Or are you approaching one of those places where you’re not sure what...

Professional musicians exude a confidence that is the envy of many aspiring music students. They seem unflustered and calm,not burdened with nerves or uncertainty. How did they get to that level of security? And how can you get even a little bit of that for yourself?

The secret to that confidence is easy to identify; it’s experience. Whatever it is, whatever sort of performance, whatever...

It’s no secret that the person in our mirror is the one that can make the biggest impact on our lives. If you feel like you’re doingGirl walking through a magic door in sky everything right, but it’s still not working, this story is for you…

Many years ago, I started karate lessons. It wasn’t something I had ever thought I would be doing, but when my son started...

I was sitting in the audience at a concert. A performer was onstage receiving well-deserved applause, and I heard two people in front of me commenting on the performance. “She played well, but it was too fast,” said one to the other. Just a moment later, someone behind me said to their neighbor, “I really think she should have played it a little faster. It was under...

The scene: A visitor comes to your home and sees your beautiful harp in its special place in your living room. “Play something for me,” she says. You gracefully take your place at the harp and play a piece of music that enchants and delights.

Or does your scenario run this way: When your visitor says, “Play something for me, ” you respond, “Well, I don’t...

Can you hear me now?

Do you struggle to make your music speak? Are your hands so full of the notes that there doesn’t seem to be time to think about the music? Perhaps you know your music should communicate something, but you’re not exactly sure what it should say or even how to go about making it speak. Or maybe you’re trying, but it doesn’t feel like you’re doing...