How To Harp Podcast

Plenty of people come to the harp later in life already sure they've missed their chance.

The Heather and Angela episodes are usually a Harpy Tutor Chat, but in this one Heather is asking Angela a set of questions she hadn't seen beforehand. It's part celebration of Angela's two years with How To Harp, and part honest conversation about what teaching adults asks of you.

In this episode:

- Angela's first ever one-to-one lesson with us, and the 10pm high that kept her awake

- Why adult learners compare themselves to a fantasy self, and stop seeing their own progress

- The maple tree from our goal-setting session, and the member who planted one at home

- Knowing how hard to push someone, and why she calls it a tightrope

- The piece a learner falls in love with that's well beyond them, and why there's no easy answer

- The one gift she'd give every adult beginner

- How her confidence changed once she was actually doing the job

- Heather on what it's like having another harpist on the team

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Guest:

Angela Boraston - Harpist, Harp Tutor at How To Harp

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #AdultHarpLearners #HarpTeaching

Nadia's best-known tune sat in a drawer for eleven months before she published it, because she wasn't sure it was good enough. It's since been heard well over a million times, and the German harpist and singer joins Heather to talk about how she works, and what she listens for.

Much of it goes back to her training in Lieder, where the piano part is written to illustrate the words. She's spent a career carrying that idea across to the harp, treating it as a duo partner with a voice of its own rather than a set of arpeggios underneath the melody.

In this episode:

- Falling for the Celtic harp at sixteen, after hearing the duo Sìleas live

- Why she went back and took classical lessons after teaching herself

- Starting every song arrangement from scratch, hunting for patterns she hasn't used before

- Building "Sagittaire" around a short film, and writing music to picture

- Collecting light, wind and acoustic spaces as raw material

- Putting her first video online when most computers couldn't play it, and the invitation that arrived two years later

- Whether the tradition can be stretched too far, and why she doesn't think there's a line

- Her concert and harp and voice workshop inside the membership

- One piece of advice for adult learners, and how to know a teacher is right for you

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Guest:

Nadia Birkenstock - Harpist, Singer, Composer, and How To Harp Guest Tutor

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #NadiaBirkenstock #HarpAndVoice

Heather turned 40 last weekend, and this week she's flying solo with something a bit more personal than usual. It's an honest look at how she handled the run up to a birthday she really didn't want, and what she'd do very differently next time.

It's not really a birthday episode though. If you've ever put something off because you were dreading it, you'll recognise a lot of this. That same pattern turns up all over harp playing, and Heather talks through how to face it, why changing your mindset is much easier said than done, and why she's heading into this next year with a lot less dread.

In this episode:

- A whole year spent worrying, and the moment Heather realised nothing had actually changed

- How a poor attitude sucks the fun out of something before it even happens

- Why a bit of a wallow is fine, but a year-long one isn't

- The stressful lesson, the exam, or the technique problem you're quietly avoiding

- The three choices you've got when a concert's coming and you're dreading it

- Reframing the work you've put in, the people listening, and the sound of the harp

- Why sharing it with someone is the most useful thing you can do first

This is a vulnerable and funny one, and really it's about how much time and enjoyment we can lose to something we can't change, and how quickly that turns round once we choose to look at it differently.

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #MusicianMindset #PerformanceAnxiety

Heather sits down with Karen, a much-loved part of the How To Harp membership, to hear how she found the harp and what it has come to mean to her. Please listen with care, as Karen speaks openly about living with serious illness, including cancer.

What follows is warm, funny and full of heart, a reminder of how much music can carry us through, even in the hardest of times.

In this episode:

- How a flute and harp concert first sparked Karen's love of the instrument

- The surprise harp lesson that started it all

- The harp she named Joy, and the story behind it

- Choosing the Skye Boat Song, and why a reflective piece felt right

- How playing supports her through treatment, physically and mentally

- Finding humour and positivity in the hardest moments

- The practice trackers Karen created for fellow members

- Her advice on making practice a treat you reach for first

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Guest:

Karen Marks - Learner Harpist and How To Harp Member

Learn with us:

https://www.howtoharp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #HarpJourney #LearnerHarpist

Heather & Angela are back for another Harpy Tutor Chat, sharing an honest conversation about what it means to keep growing as a musician. They reflect on their own experiences, the challenges of developing new skills, and why staying curious is such an important part of any harp journey.

From learning completely new instruments to taking regular harp lessons, they explore different ways of developing as musicians. They also discuss accountability, professional development, festivals, workshops and why experiencing life as a learner helps them better understand and support their own students.

In this episode:

• Why Heather learns a new instrument every few years

• Why Angela still has regular harp lessons

• The value of accountability in your own musical development

• Learning through festivals, workshops and new experiences

• How becoming a beginner changes your perspective as a teacher

• Why curiosity is essential for long-term musical growth

• Supporting students by continuing to grow yourself

This is a thoughtful and encouraging conversation that reminds us there is always something new to discover, whatever stage we’re at in our harp journey.

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Guest:

Angela Boraston - Harp Tutor at How To Harp

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #LifelongLearning #MusicEducation

Heather chats with Gwyneth about EFT, tapping and how emotional blocks from the past can affect the way we feel, behave and make music.

They explore how tapping works, why performance anxiety can feel so powerful, and how simple emotional freedom techniques may help musicians feel calmer, freer and more confident.

In this episode:

• What EFT and tapping are

• How Gwyneth helps people get free from the past

• Why performance anxiety can be so difficult for musicians

• The story of a pianist who worked through deep performance fear

• How music can bring up emotions and memories

• The five minute tapping routine Gwyneth will be sharing in the membership

• Why Catherine recommended Gwyneth to How To Harp

• How tapping can support stress, sleep and emotional wellbeing

This is a fascinating and thoughtful conversation about performance anxiety, emotional freedom and how musicians can find more calm and confidence in themselves and their music.

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Guest:

Gwyneth Moss - EFT and Tapping Specialist

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #PerformanceAnxiety #EmotionalFreedom

Heather answers another batch of listener questions in this special Q&A episode. Thank you to everyone who sent questions in - you all made this episode possible!

She also shares thoughts on professional harp pathways in Scotland, conservatoire study, harp qualifications, regulation, practice methods, hand shapes, humidity, sun cream, and when to ask your harp maker for advice.

In this episode:

• What to know when changing harp strings for the first time

• Whether changing a string means your levers need regulated

• Heather’s thoughts on becoming a harp teacher

• Different routes into professional harp playing in Scotland

• How to build speed without losing accuracy

• Why hand shapes matter when speeding up music

• How heat, humidity, sun cream and insect repellent can affect your harp

This practical solo episode is full of harp care advice, practice tips, and honest insights from Heather’s own experience as a performer, teacher and educator.

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #HarpPractice #HarpTeacher

Heather explores why technique is about far more than scales and exercises, and how strong technical foundations can give you greater freedom, confidence and expression at the harp.

She shares four reasons technique gives you freedom in your playing, from removing panic and building confidence to expanding your musical choices and helping you focus on expression rather than mechanics.

In this episode:

• Why good technique removes panic and helps you feel more secure at the harp

• How stronger technique gives you more musical choices and flexibility

• Why technical work builds confidence and independence in your playing

• How technique allows you to focus on musical expression instead of mechanics

• Why technique and musicality are not opposites, but partners

This is a practical and encouraging solo episode about building confidence, creating musical freedom and understanding how technique helps bring your music to life.

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #HarpTechnique #HarpPractice

Heather chats with learner harpist Karin, who shares her remarkable harp journey, from discovering the harp during the pandemic to rebuilding her playing after suffering a life-changing stroke just 18 months into learning.

They discuss recovery, neuroplasticity, the power of tiny daily steps, learning online, and how music, community and determination helped Karin reclaim an important part of her life.

In this episode:

• How Karin discovered the harp and fell in love with its sound

• Why she chose to learn online and eventually joined How To Harp

• The devastating impact of a stroke on her harp playing

• How neuroplasticity, repetition and determination helped her recover

• The mirror therapy techniques she used to retrain movement

• The role her family, teachers and the harp community played in her recovery

• Combining online learning with one-to-one lessons

• The importance of community, friendship and shared musical growth

• Her ongoing journey towards confident lever changes

• Why small daily steps can achieve extraordinary results

This is a deeply moving and inspiring conversation about resilience, gratitude, lifelong learning and the transformative power of music.

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Guest:

Karin den Rooijen - Learner Harpist and How To Harp Community Leader (and so much more!!)

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #AdultHarpLearning #InspirationalHarpLearner

Heather & Angela chat about why nerves, vulnerability & learning never fully disappear, even when you become a teacher or have years of experience behind you.

They also discuss why students can feel nervous playing in lessons, how teachers can support learners through that, and how reflecting clearly on progress can help adult learners build confidence and trust the learning process.

In this episode:

• Why harp learners often feel nervous playing for their teacher

• Why teachers still get nervous too

• How nerves can be a sign that something really matters to you

• Why honest communication between student and teacher is so important

• How tutors can help students recognise their own progress

• Why visual reflection tools can make progress easier to see

• How recording yourself can act as a helpful safety net

• Why adult learners are so inspiring

This is an honest and encouraging Harpy Tutor Chat about nerves, vulnerability, progress and why we never really stop learning.

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Guest:

Angela Boraston - Harp Tutor at How To Harp

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow and helps us connect with more harpists around the world!

#HowToHarpPodcast #HowToHarp #HeatherDownieHarpist #HarpTeacher #AdultHarpLearner