Practicing Harp Happiness

The day this podcast episode is released, we will be living Day 55 of this year 2025. According to the calendar, we've already had 55 days this year to get things done, to grow, to accomplish. We've had 55 days to play the harp.

If you set goals at the beginning of the year, this is a good time to check in on them. Are you where you thought you'd be? Are you ahead of the game, checking things off your list and moving on to your next steps? If you are, here's a huge high five from me. That's the way to create harp happiness.

Today we are going to revisit your goals. We'll look at how far you've come, confirm your direction and realign your course if necessary. We will focus on the progress you've been making and where your next steps may be.

But if you haven't seen the progress you had hoped for or expected, no worries. Progress is tricky to measure and sometimes hard to spot, even when it's happening. When you're walking the path, you can't always tell how far you've come or how far you still have to go, and that can be unsettling or even frustrating.

We're talking today about how to create progress and, more importantly, how to measure it. I'll share the three things I think are absolutely necessary for you to make progress, and I'll give you some ideas for progress markers you can use to make sure you're moving in the right direction.

I want you to keep this in mind too: sometimes all you need is a fresh look at where you want to go and what you need to do to get there. It is often that simple. And I think that's what our time together today will help you do, find those simple next right steps to move you and your harp playing forward.

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

• Work with a Harp Mastery® Certified Coach in our new Lessons program.
• Learn my new "Variations on Bendemeer's Stream" in our March Seminar course.
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-197

They say that familiarity breeds contempt. Unfortunately, familiarity also breeds secure and confident music. We want to play our music well, and so we need to know it inside and out. That takes time.

Learning music also takes time. And the longer we take to learn our music, the harder it can be to stay interested in it. No matter how much we love a piece of music, it is possible to get bored with it.

Also, there are times when we are required to learn a piece that we don't really like, perhaps for a performance or an exam. Practicing a piece we don't like can feel like torture.

I believe there is no upside to playing or practicing a piece you are bored with. If you're trying to learn it, your practice won't be focused; your heart won't be in it. If you're performing it, your lack of interest in the piece will communicate itself to the listener. It might be a flawless performance but it won't have you - your personality, your energy - in it, and those are the things that bring a performance to life. This is true not only for concert performances; this is true for every performance, whether it's a video for Facebook or playing in church or playing for friends. If you are bored with the piece you're playing, you are, in effect, cheating your listeners.

So I want to start by saying right now that you can choose to stop playing any piece that bores you. You have the power to choose; you could even say you have the obligation to choose. You owe it to yourself not to spend your time on something that doesn't interest you, and you owe it to a potential listener not to present something that you don't care about.

But maybe you don't want to just put the piece aside, or maybe you can't. That's a situation worth investigating. When is it worth persisting with a piece that you don't like or has become boring to you? When should you just put it away? And if you decide to persist, what can you do to make the piece interesting to you or to at least to help you endure practicing it? I have some valuable ideas to share with you today. Even if you haven't run across a piece that bores you - and maybe we should say "haven't yet" - you can use these ideas to keep that musical love light burning.

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

• February Seminar Series
• Become a My Harp Mastery member
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-196

When I was a kid, even before I had started harp lessons, I used to go to summer camp in the mountains. I grew up in the Philadelphia area, and the closest mountains to us were the Pocono Mountains. These aren't mountains by Rocky Mountain standards, not nearly as high, peaked or impressive, but they are beautifully wooded and green, with rivers and lakes.

In order to get to summer camp, we had to drive through the Lehigh Tunnel which fascinated me. Driving through an actual mountain was a little scary. Of course, the scariness was part of why it was my favorite part of the trip.

Tunnels are truly an engineering miracle, in my opinion, especially considering that tunnels can be drilled from both sides to meet - if the calculations are correct - in the middle.

The earliest known example of a tunnel that was dug from both sides is the Tunnel of Eupalinos, in the Greek isles, constructed in the 6th century BCE. WIth pickaxes, chisels, hammers and shovels, two teams dug through Mount Kastro from both sides and managed to meet in the middle. The tunnel has some zigs and zags, but the fact that they actually met and broke through is a testament to their engineering prowess.

Why is this relevant for us today? Because we're going to approach the technical requirements of our music from the other side of the mountain. I know you've heard me talk about the importance of doing your technique work daily. And naturally, our pieces require our technique to be used in very specific ways. These are the two sides of our mountain: ongoing technical development and piece-specific technical demands. We want them to meet in the middle, where the music is.

Today we are going to focus on arpeggios and three different ways arpeggios are used in our music. These aren't the only ways arpeggios are used, of course, but these are common enough that they are worth our time and attention. We'll look at these technique challenges and how to meet them from both sides, with exercises that will help you build the necessary skill and with the understanding of the underlying principles that will help you develop your technique for that particular musical instance. It's all about skills in context today.

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

• February Seminar

• Become a My Harp Mastery member

• Books mentioned in today's show:

• Grossi, Method for the Harp: p. 129, no. 24; p.120, no. 14; p. 108, no. 2.

• Friou, Exercises for Agility and Speed: p. 44; p. 23; pp. 33-37.

• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-195

When my husband and I moved into our new house four years ago, we were moving from a very small house that was part of our business in the mountains to a nice, roomy house in a neighborhood. When we moved to the mountains, we had too much furniture to fit in the little house; for instance, we had dining room furniture but the house had no dining room. We had to put the furniture that wouldn't fit in storage.

When we moved to the bigger house, though, we were able to bring it all out again. It was a little like Christmas or at least meeting up with old friends. But there were some spaces in the new house that needed furniture that we didn't have, and one of the things we decided we would like to get was a desk, specifically, a desk with pigeon holes for sorting papers and a lid that closed, so we didn't have to look at those papers all the time.

Pigeonholes are great for organizing papers or mail or stamps or paperclips. They keep everything in their proper place. They keep the right things in, and the wrong things out, which is precisely why they are so damaging to our harp life.

I can hear the screeching of your mental brakes from here. "What? How did we get from a desk to harp playing?" I'll tell you how. It's the pigeonholes.

Most of us harpists aren't aware of the pigeonholing we do with our playing. Our warm-ups, exercises and etudes stay neatly in their respective pigeonholes, as do each of the pieces we're practicing. We may see the intersections but we don't exploit them.

We also try to put our learning in those little boxes, labeling our pieces and even ourselves as harpists by a skill level. Who can tell you that you are an intermediate player or an advanced beginner or a beginner advanced player? There isn't even any clear definition of what any of those terms mean, and no harpist fits completely into any one of them. We all have individual strengths and weaknesses that make our "level" unique to us and no one else.

The worst result of pigeonholing, I think, is that it shuts the door on opportunity. When we choose a label for ourselves as a harpist, we overlook possibilities for growth and for pleasure in our playing. So today, I'd like to reveal to you some opportunities you may be missing. I'd like to show you some different ways to think about your playing and about yourself as a harpist, ones I hope will help you find more joy in your harp journey.

By the way, my husband and I did get our pigeonhole desk, and while the pigeonholes are organized, the smartest thing we did was to get a desk with a lid that we can close. There's a lot going on in that desk!

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

• February Seminar
• Become a My Harp Mastery member
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-194

Today's episode focuses on the music of harpist, singer and composer Sophia Dussek. It is partly music history, partly harp history and partly harp technique. But it's really about connection. I want to help you feel a connection to our roots, to some of the musical and harp traditions that aren't merely history, but are part of the fabric of our daily harp playing.

There's an African proverb that says,"Walk like you have 3000 ancestors walking behind you." We harpists so often feel that we're all alone on our journey. The truth is that we are only the newest leaves on a tree with many other branches full of other leaves, a tree whose roots were formed long ago. Every time we play, we are continuing the traditions of those harpists, so it makes sense to learn a little bit about them. The things we learn about our roots can help us connect to the music we are learning today in a deeper way.

That's why I chose "connection" as the fifth of the five growth areas I identified in my book, Kaleidoscope Practice: Focus, Finish and Play the Way You've Always Wanted. When you take time, even occasionally, to enrich and enlarge your musical experience that is apart from your playing, you bring more understanding and dimension to everything you play. And in today's podcast, I will help you make those connections between the music of 200 years ago and the music that you're playing now.

So today our musical "way back machine" will take us to the turn of the nineteenth century when harp playing had yet to be eclipsed in the drawing room by the piano. Picture any screen adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" you've ever seen, and you will have the right atmosphere. In fact, our heroine for today, Sophia Corri Dussek, was born in the same year as the author Jane Austen. So put on your best muslin frock and we'll get going.

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

• Join the Finish It Clinic
• Our February Seminar Series is available.
• Find out more about my Kaleidoscope Practice book
• Online resource for music by Sophia Dussek
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-193

Do you remember when you were a harp newbie? Maybe you still are, or maybe you've been playing for a long time and the time you were a beginner is a distant memory. That's me, of course, I was a harp newbie a very long time ago. However, I can remember clearly the excitement I felt in my early days of harp playing.

You may have heard my harp story, but here's the short version in case you don't remember: Apparently, I heard the harp on the radio when I was two years old, asked my mother what it was, and told her that was what I wanted to do. I don't remember that part, but I do remember my first harp. My parents had gotten some very good advice and started me with piano lessons when I was four, with the understanding that I could start harp lessons when I was eight years old, if I still wanted to play the harp by then.

So - no surprise - when I was eight I got my first harp, a Lyon Healy Troubadour. I had a very high stool to sit on too. That was the beginning for me of a very long love affair with the harp. That's not to say it hasn't had its ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade any moment of it.

In the decades of harp teaching that I have done, I have seen many students start their harp studies with that same love of the harp and a passion for learning how to play. Some of them maintain that energy, and some do not, not because they're doing anything wrong, but often they find that learning the harp just isn't for them. If you're just starting your harp journey, I'd like to offer you my thoughts on the most important things you can do to speed your harp journey, to maintain your enthusiasm and to find even more harp happiness along the way.

If you're not a harp newbie, I think you may find these things helpful for you, too. These are basics that we tend to lose sight of when the music gets more complicated and we involve ourselves in the details of playing. So don't stop listening; this may be confirmation that you're on the right path, or it may be the refresh you need to get you to that next level. I had a lot of fun preparing this show, boiling down the myriad details of playing the harp to just four key concepts that are powerful enough to make big changes for you.

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

• Sign up for the Finish It Clinic live call on January 28th
• Watch for our February seminar series coming soon!
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-192

What do fingers, flow and faith have to do with each other? Absolutely everything. The three things are totally interdependent. You can think of them as three corners of a triangle, each corner being connected to each of the other corners. And, just like the legs of a three-legged stool, all three support your playing.

I'm guessing you haven't thought of these three elements together before, or how together they form the core of your playing, so I'll give you a quick sketch of what we're going to talk about today. Also, I should be clear that we're not talking about religious faith on the podcast; we're talking about trusting yourself.

The idea is this: your technique, your fingers, produce flow and give you faith or confidence in your playing. You have to have faith in your fingers doing what you have trained them to do, because they really don't need you to micromanage them. And you have to have faith that the flow of the piece is what you need to communicate the music. And focusing on flow frees your fingers and gives you faith in your expression of the piece.

I know that short explanation probably raises more questions than it answers and that's what the rest of this show is all about, answering those questions. My hope is that by the end of this episode, you'll have a new perspective on how your technique could be serving you better, how focusing on flow can make your music come together faster and how faith in the process will free you to get to the music (and out of the slow practice) a little faster.

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

• Focus your 2025 harp goals with our January Seminar Series.
• Activate your 2025 harp goals with me at our Getaway Retreat.
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-191

Happy New Year! I'm excited about 2025. I'm excited about all the harp happiness that you and I can add to the world together. I'm excited about the harp goals that I am putting in place for myself this year. And I'm extra excited about the opportunity to talk with you about your goals today.

We aren't actually going to be talking about goals as much as we will be talking about the most important step you will take toward achieving them. Of course, there are a lot of things that are important to the success of your harp goals: your motivation, your time, your choice of goals, whether or not you are working on your goals alone or with the support of a teacher or coach. But perhaps the single factor that is most important to accomplishing any type of harp goal is this: your practice.

Without practice, your harp goal is just an idea. Practice is the engine that drives your goal. Whether you want to improve your technique, develop a repertoire, play a concert, learn to improvise, speed up your fingers, or anything else, you can't do it unless you practice. Your practice makes whatever you want to do with your harp playing possible. Without practice, you may be on the right track, but you aren't going anywhere.

That's why I chose to make the first podcast of 2025 about transforming your practice. Today I want to give you some different ideas about practice that I hope will help you find new direction, new energy, new purpose and more fun in your practice this year. And not only this year, but starting today. After all, isn't fun a big part of what playing the harp should be? I think so!

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

• Focus your 2025 harp goals with our January Seminar Series.
• Activate your 2025 harp goals with me at our Getaway Retreat.
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-190

We are in the final days of 2024, and I, for one, am looking forward to the new year. Every year, as December draws to a close, I am intrigued by the mysterious possibilities that may lie ahead. What opportunities will I discover? What challenges will I need to overcome? Who will I get to meet or know better this year? I am always excited to start the new year, and I hope you are too.

I'm also setting goals for the new year, planning new projects and creating new ways to grow, not just for the harpists in our various Harp Mastery® programs but for myself as well. I have so many ideas that it's hard to choose which are the key ones to focus on, but over the years I have found that limiting myself to a few goals is critical. If I have too many goals or plans, none of them get the focus they need. On the other hand, if I don't plan at all, things tend to drift, and I don't make any real progress. But once I choose my goals, I need to figure out how to accomplish them.

I have a sort of checklist that I like to use as I set my goals. It consists of five factors that I have found to be absolutely vital to achieving any of my goals. I call these my multipliers, because I know that whatever goal I set, my progress will be steadier and faster when these five are in place. Like those sneakers that were around when I was a kid, they help me run faster and jump higher. And they can do the same for you.

By the way, we'll be talking about these multipliers in harp terms, but I'll show you how to apply them to any other goal too. What works for the harp, works for life!

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

• Join our January Seminar Series.
• Become a My Harp Mastery member.
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-189

A special holiday music mix just for podcast listeners!

• Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming, arranged by Anne Sullivan
• I Wonder as I Wander, arranged by Anne Sullivan
• Ave Maria, by Franz Schubert, arranged by Anne Sullivan
• Sinfonia, from Bach's Christmas Oratorio, arranged by Anne Sullivan
• Slumber Sweet, a medley of Christmas lullabies arranged by Scott Lavender
• In Dulci Jubilo, arranged by Anne Sullivan

All harp solo selections are from my Break Forth CD.Flute and harp selections are from the SPARX Christmas Echoes CD.All CDs are available for digital download in our online shop.

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

• Listen to our Harpy Christmas playlist on Spotify featuring music by Anne Sullivan and other harpist performers.
• Find some great holiday sheet music or a CD in our shop.
• Harpmastery.com

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

LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-188