It’s “Make Your Dreams Come True” Day – don’t waste it!

Today is “Make Your Dreams Come True” Day.  Ok, first, who knew?!?  Second, how cool is that?  A whole day dedicated to that thing everyone always says they want.  Third, I could not make this up!  Which begs the question – how will you observe this auspicious day? 

Head over to the website to read the rest of the blog.

On another note, I think you have all transitioned over to the blog on the website, but if you have not, please leave a comment here so i will know.  I have completed the transition over to the other site and don't want to leave you behind!  

Clear vision for 2020

It is now 2020 – Welcome to the new year and the new decade!

Just like every new year, we are encouraged from many sides to develop resolutions – to define those things we need to “fix” to improve ourselves.

Read the full blog on the website.

It’s going to be a busy year, and you’ll do exactly as much work as you fit in (and no more).   What will you do with all the energy you have from not developing resolutions or goals that won't work for you?

Are we done stretching? Not yet!!

So, throughout August we have stretched our artisticness away from the harp. We’ve stretched our bodies and we’ve stretched our repertoires.  What could possibly be left?

Maybe the most important part. Have you stretched you?

I hear you grumbling. I’m all stretched out. Yes, I’ve stretched me.

But have you stretched all of you?

Join us at the blog  https://www.jeniuscreations.com/are-we-done-stretching-not-yet/

Expand your musical reach – another stretch (or 7!)

We have talked about stretching through making art and stretching our bodies.  There’s another place we need to stretch and that is in our music.  And it’s the perfect time to think about it – it will be the winter holidays and all the lovely opportunities to play will be coming.  I mention the holidays because they are the perfect foil for stretching our music.

Read more and get all the details on the website: https://www.jeniuscreations.com/expand-your-reach-another-stretch/

Can there be a First Inning stretch?

Last week we talked about stretching yourself in your art and I hope you’ll agree that is important.  But, we might have been a little bit ahead of ourselves.  Typically when we talk about stretching, we are talking about moving our bodies, stretching our muscles.  Maybe that's the First Inning stretch?

Well, that’s pretty important too. And for a lot of the same reasons.  And for a few different ones.  Physically stretching may be important purely because playing the harp is a physical activity.  Don’t believe me?  Play a 3 hour gig!  Or even an intense hour long practice.  Then you’ll know. 

Read the rest of the post here.

7th Inning Stretch

The start of August is sort of the “7^th Inning Stretch” of Summer.   
Most of the Summer is gone, but there’s easily another six (or more!) weeks to go, so it is the metaphorical 7^th Inning.

 
We actually started stretching ourselves in July by giving ourselves permission to cross into making art in other media.  This challenge to ourselves is a type of stretching -

Why is stretching so important? There are loads of reasons you should stretch yourself, but here are 7 (one for each Inning up to the stretch? Maybe 😊)

See more at  https://www.jeniuscreations.com/7th-inning-stretch/
 
PS - as I mentioned last week - if you've got a piece of art from another medium that you'd like to share - I will add it to the post.  If you missed last week's post where people shared their amazing art from other media, prepare to be amazed and check it out here: https://www.jeniuscreations.com/challenge-accepted/ 

Challenge Accepted!

You are amazing!!  All I can say is "WOW!!"  and "Thank you!" 
So many of you were willing to make art and share it with the rest of us.  You were artistic, creative, and definitely away from the harp.  And you made such wonderful stuff!

Here are a sample of the wonderful things people sent.  We have art made from pastels, markers, textiles, pencil, and clay!  

See the beautiful art at
https://www.jeniuscreations.com/challenge-accepted/

If you didn't finish in time, or whatever but now you're willing to share, I'm still willing to post - just send it to jeniuscreationschallenge@gmail.com and we can keep this up for a while!

Give yourself permission – be a mixed media artist

Blogspotters - as promised, from now on, I'll post a snippet and a link here but the blog is moved to my website and I hope you'll join us there.  Subscribing is easy, subscribe and get an email reminder of the latest posts, the occasional free content, and more as we continue to grow.  As always, sharing my thoughts, occasionally offering a travel opportunity, book or CD.

Being creative away from the harp will allow you to have room to grow.  Working in another medium also means learning new things, practicing different things that you need at the harp and having to think differently – even if only briefly.  Being creative in any medium will help you be more confident in your capacity to be creative.  And while the skills you master may (or may not) transfer – the freedom certainly will. 

Join us for the challenge at  https://www.jeniuscreations.com/give-yourself-pe…xed-media-artist
 

In the Bleak Mid-Summer…8 ways to stay Motivated

Blogspotters - as promised, from now on, I'll post a snippet and a link here but the blog is moved to my website and I hope you'll join us there.  Subscribing is easy, subscribe and get an email reminder of the latest posts, the occasional free content, and more as we continue to grow.  As always, sharing my thoughts, occasionally offering a travel opportunity, book or CD.

It is the Bleak Midsummer – that time of year when it might as well be winter for all that you intend to go outside!  It’s predicted to be about 100^o tomorrow – ugh.  And raining.  The remnants of a tropical depressed (yes, I meant that).

But that’s the thing about the Bleak Midsummer (you might call it the Summer Doldrums, but that’s not bleak enough for me) – the heat, the humidity, the knowing that it will last another eight weeks – all gang up on you and sap your strength and motivation!  Who wants to play when you know you’re going to sweat on your harp?

https://www.jeniuscreations.com/in-the-bleak-mid…o-stay-motivated

Permission Granted x20

Playing the harp is more challenging than it looks.  You already know that.  That’s why we work hard during practices.  It’s why we try to practice regularly – so that we enjoy small, incremental improvements each day.  And this is one reason I’m always suggesting that we track our progress – to acknowledge, accept, and grow from that practice.

Practicing certainly gives us a way to work on the technical aspects of playing, but there is so much more to playing – things that go beyond the technical.  However, to get to those things we sometimes need to get out of our own way.

So, how do we do that?  We start by giving ourselves permission.  Permission for lots of things.  But mostly, you have to give yourself permission to be YOU!

Here are 20 types of permission you might consider giving yourself:

1. Permission to fail.  It happens.  Actually, if you’re learning, you’ll fail a lot on the way.  But if you refuse yourself the opportunity to fail, you won’t learn…and that would be a shame.
2. Permission to be silly.  There is so much seriousness in music, but a little silly will probably help you enjoy more.
3. Permission to give it rest. Sometimes you need to percolate – and taking a little break will give you the option to do just that.
4. Permission to be as good as you are (and no better). You are where you are.  Be there.
5. Permission to work on just one thing (until you get it right).  Sometimes we think we have to master everything, all at once.  But this doesn’t really do much except frustrate you.
6. Permission to do scary things.  When you scare yourself, you learnt that it didn’t kill you to try something new.  We’re usually most scared that we will embarrass ourselves – you're going to embarrass yourself one way or another, so embarrass yourself your own way!
7. Permission to get out there and share.  We often huddle in the safe cocoon of our harp room at home.  But the music is best shared – so get out there!
8. Permission to fail again (and again and again and again).  You can’t just stop at one failure – do it over and over and over – and each time you’ll learn more that you can apply to the next failure.
9. Permission to make art in multiple ways.  This can be as small as playing a new kind of music or as big as learning to sculpt or paint or write.  All your art will work to help you in the others.
10. Permission to create “first drafts” (and second and third and on and on as needed).  You know that what you see on stage or on YouTube is not spontaneous, right? So why do you expect your initial efforts to be performance ready?  Think of the pre-work as your “drafts” that you will continue to refine and develop – until they are ready to share.
11. Permission to have fun.  Ok, this is pretty self-explanatory!
12. Permission to laugh at yourself.  No really, you should be able to laugh at yourself.  Keep it light – it’s not rocket surgery after all.
13. Permission to expect more from yourself.  You don’t have to be content with your lot – you can want more (as long as you’re willing to work for it).
14. Permission to be good at some things, not good at some others, and even to be terrible at a few.  Here’s an example – I’m good at playing the harp, I’m not as good at cooking and I’m terrible at gardening.  I’m ok with that – I allocate my time and resources accordingly (e.g., I practice for hours, I heat soup for dinner, and I pay a kid in the neighborhood to tend the garden – that's that sorted!).
15. Permission to practice as much as you need – and no more.  I know some of you struggle to get your butt on the bench, but others spend too much time there – practice while it’s productive, and then go do something else.  Got a deadline?  Try a little practice multiple times in the day.
16. Permission to be happy with where you are. This might seem counterintuitive (or counter to development) but it’s not – you are where you are.  Be there.  Right then. Realize too that time is a river – there is only constant change and you are changing when you are where you are – give yourself permission to accept that.
17. Permission to want more.  You think I’m contradicting myself – but remember I said there is constant change – if you want more, want it – and work for it!
18. Permission to change your mind. Playing classical music and tired of it? Trapped in session tunes but longing for something more “substantial”?  OK. It’s ok to change your mind about what you want to play.  Just do it.
19. Permission to keep track of what you are doing…and what you want to do next.  However, you need to – keep track in your own way and build on that.
20. Permission to spend your valuable time doing what you love. After all, time may be your most precious commodity – so spend the time you have doing what you love.

There are plenty of permissions to give yourself.  What other ones do you give yourself (or do you need to give yourself)? Share that in the comments!

Blogspotters - I am gradually moving the blog over to my website - please go over there, subscribe (on the upper left of the screen) so you don't miss anything. Unfortunately, blogspot doesn't have all the functionality available on the website, so this site will eventually go away. Until then, I'll post the same content but please begin to watch that space! 

Is it getting warm in here?

Yes, it’s now spring.  And yes, temperatures are going up – it’s starting to get warm.  The question is – are you?

Every morning, when I head out for a walk or run, I start slow.  Work out the kinks. Settle into my body.  Paying attention to my body.  Feeling my feet hit the ground and roll up again.

Do you take the time to warm up when you play?  No matter if you’re practicing for 15 minutes or preparing for a 3 hour background gig, you should should take a little time to warm up.  Why?

Really?

Oh yes – you need to warm up!  One of my favorite sayings is that musicians are the athletes of the small muscles.  This is central, not only because it equates us with athletes – who are more far more respected in modern society – but also because it focuses on the corporal elements of making music, rather than on how “pretty” our music is!

While we may not spend hours in the gym (not that getting additional exercise would be bad), you can still keep in mind that you’re about to do physical work.  Caring for those muscles will allow you to do more.

Why is warming up so important? Well, for at least four reasons:

• Gently moving lets those muscles gradually make ready to work.  While significantly experienced humans (read: older) probably appreciate this, it is important begin to warm up long before you even actually feel the need to do it.  And if you are a growing human (read: not yet out of adolescence) you have the opportunity to build the habit long before you need it. 
• Warming up is work – it’s “pre-work” so it is a legitimate part of your practicing time. 
• Warming up is actually about warming up – you want to warm up those hands that they will be more limber and flexible.
• Warming up is a great time to check in on yourself – to really focus on how you feel and if you are ready to play.

But, you don’t just warmup for the fun of warming up!  Doing some warmups will allow you achieve flexibility to play better.  Warmer hands will result in better technique because your hands will be better able to move – keeping your thumbs up maybe? will be easier if your hands are limbered up.  Loads of crossovers for scales? certainly easier if your whole hand is warmed up and working together.  And of course, it’s not just your hands – you should warm up your arms and shoulders at a minimum.

What should you do to warmup? Here are a couple of ideas:

• Wash your hands in warm water with nice soap – be luxuriant.  Massage your hands while you’re at it.
• Simple stretching.  Stretch.  Go slowly.  Raise your arms overhead and reach for the ceiling.  Stretch through your fingers.  Wiggle your fingers.  It’s not a race and it should be like when you wake up.  Don't overstretch.
• Palm taps – you probably learned this in your first lesson.  Tap your palm with each of your fingers to mimic closing.
• Shoulder rolls – this is an iconic stretch – do rolls both forward and back. 

Then move to your harp and begin there – you already know this but remember – you’re warming up, so go slowly! There are loads of warmups but here are a couple of easy ideas for use at the harp:

• Scales. No, not the “how quickly can I get these over with” scales – slow, careful, accurate, gentle, fully closing.  Check your posture.  Go up and down all of the harp.  Yup.  All of the way up and all the way down.  A few times – remember you’re warming up.
• After that, it’s up to you.  You want your warm up to reflect what you’re going to be doing.  So, that means you could make part of what you'll be working on into a warmup!  Take it slowly – you’re warming up, so maybe the rhythm doesn’t matter as much as the placement certainly does.

Remember this is warming up – not exercises.  Yes, you can do the same stuff, but the focus is different.  Warmup scales are slower and quieter, while exercise scales may be focused on intonation, speed, articulation, or something else.

When you’re warmed up, you’re ready to play or practice and to get more from it.  It only takes a moment and the benefits will become readily apparent.  Do you warm up already? If so, what do you do?  If you haven’t been, are you going to try any of this? Let me know in the comments what’s working for you (or what totally doesn’t!).


Blogspotters - I am gradually moving the blog over to my website - please go over there, subscribe (on the upper left of the screen) so you don't miss anything. Unfortunately, blogspot doesn't have all the functionality available on the website, so this site will eventually go away. Until then, I'll post the same content but please begin to watch that space!