Put it in writing

I have never been interested in keeping a journal. I always thought it would be a pointless narcissistic exercise.  But now I’m not so sure.  Journaling can be very useful to your development as a musician if you are willing to take the time.  Here are five ways journaling can help you as a musician:

1. Write regularly – be sure to capture your thoughts frequently and regularly.  This will provide you with a great deal of your own thinking, over time, across various situations.  It will allow you to look at your playing in a new way, with a compression of time that will make some patterns visible so you can then change them (or reinforce them!).
2. Focus on the topic not on yourself – the point of writing in a journal is not to see yourself talk but rather to capture the chatter in your mind and allow you to sift through it to find the gems that are buried in there.  You can use the collection of chatter as a means to gain clarity.
3. Review the journal as a tool rather than as an end unto itself – the point of journaling isn’t to write in a journal but to capture those ephemeral thoughts that arise when you’re practicing (or when you’re nowhere near your harp) and review and refine them later.
4. Use the development to track your goals – you can capture your goals in your journal but you can also capture your progress.  And keeping those two things near each other like that might help improve that progress no matter what your goals are.
5. Carry your journal – you never know when inspiration might hit (or what it might hit you with!) so carry your journal to capture your thoughts away from the harp as well.

The journal is for you – use it as you see fit.  I capture my musical thoughts and ideas.  My journal has pockets to collect napkins (I write on a lot of napkins), as well as things that push those thoughts into being (like cool bits and bobs that spark my imagination along the way).  Then I have all the elements in one place when I work to generate new music.  Give it a try – don’t just have the thoughts – put them in writing!

Sorry to be late...

Sorry to be late posting, I am having a bit of an emergency.  Travel, focus, caring, fatigue, etc.  You've all had emergencies, so you know.

I did think to grab my little harp on the way.  I spend so much time teaching and writing and arranging and practicing and blahblahblah, that I sometimes forget that I really enjoy playing my harp.  It not only provides distraction and pleasure, it adds a soothing balm at the end of a hectic day. 

I'm not spending a lot of time with it but, like my good friends, it is there at the end of the day, waiting to provide it's own form of help.  It assuages my heart and quiets my thoughts.

Don't forget why you fell in love with your harp.  And don't wait for the universe to prompt you to remember.  Go play, and enjoy, and don't ever let the mundane everyday suck the joy from your relationship with your harp.

Just be silly

Sometimes you work so hard that you forget to have some fun. Well, not in my world!  I am delighted to have spent last weekend teaching with my good friend Kris Snyder at the 19^th Annual Harp Camp.  We had a blast!  We had wonderful students, lovely tunes, and loads of fun.   

 

And sometimes we got silly… and that lead to some great tunes made together!  We played directed ensemble music, and our students generated amazing creative ensembles – each year they are more amazing than we could possibly imagine.  I think these photos sum it up:

It's Summer - time for Harp Camp!

I'm off to this year's Harp Camp and I'm so excited to be invited again to teach with Kris Snyder at this, the 19th annual!  I'm looking forward to seeing you there - we have a lot of good stuff planned for this year as we explore this year's theme - the Game of Music.

 What better way to spend a part of your summer - learning and sharing and having fun!  See you soon - I'm off for a good game!

Basking in the glow

Summer is a wonderful time.  Not only is the sun shining and the warmth of the days calls us to spend more time in that glorious light, but perhaps more importantly…it’s festival season!

I am basking in the afterglow of participating in the Somerset Folk Harp Festival in a summer full of enjoying the thrill of the middle of the summer Games and Competitions season, while getting ready for this year’s Harp Camp, and gearing up for the Harp the Highlands and Islands tour for this year*. 

Summer is just chock-a-block with great opportunities to learn, to play, to meet new friends, to see old friends, and to just enjoy our music!  I hope you have had to occasion to avail yourself of the discovery, the camaraderie, and the pure joy of making music. 

 

Summer is fleeting though and soon we’ll be in the bitter cold of winter when there are fewer opportunities to get together, time will be spent alone, practicing for Christmas gigs, and the shortened days seem to suck some of the joy from the day.  With the waning daylight we will miss the carefree days of playing through the summer. 

Find your opportunity to join with others, to make music and have fun!

*there's still time - if you want to get in on this year's Harp the Highlands and Islands tour, get more information here or send me an email.