Auld Lang Syne - Seven Ways to Reflect on 2016

It’s that time of year when we wrap up our celebrations and prepare for the year ahead.  2017 is already started and we have the opportunity to make it a great harp year.  We know it’s the time for goals and resolutions -- we might even have already made some.  If you haven’t, you’re probably feeling the pressure to get a move on and make at least one resolution for the coming year!

There’s a small problem with this though.  As the saying goes, how can you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been?  Where have you been? Reflection, even if brief, will allow you to glean from your past year how to best prepare (and conduct) the coming year.  Here are seven ways to reflect on the previous year and your harp playing.

          1. Interview yourself.  Ask specific questions about how 2016 went for achieving your goals and how you wanted the year to go.  Questions could include: 

               -- what did you do really well? of what are you most proud?

               -- what “do over” do you wish you were going to get?

               -- what’s the best thing you learned?

   -- what did you play that you wish you could have skipped?

   -- what did you just not get around to doing? 

2. Review your notes to see how your year went?

3. Review your calendar to see if your goals happened or if were they unrealistic, unmet, and driven by life or other events?

4. Review your lesson book or journal – there might be some real nuggets in there!  It’s blank? Really?!?  Consider actually writing to yourself this year. 

           5. Review your “what went well” answer, and refine it – what went well in a sustainable way that you'll be able to keep doing into the new year? 

           6. Map out what worked and what didn’t work for you.

           7. Note what you’re grateful for.  Gratitude is all the rage just now and it likely should be.  What lagniappe or serendipity happened in your harp playing this year? This will give you something to smile about.

This review does not need to be a long drawn out exercise.  Pour a cup of tea, pull up your journal (or a post it note!), think and reflect, and jot it down. It’s a great way to prepare for what’s coming!

Happy New Year!

Hope you're having a great holiday season - and playing your harp to say good bye to the old year and hello to the new year!

Happy Christmas

Thumbs up to the end of the year

The year is winding to a close, so it’s a good time to take stock.  You may be playing a lot with the events of the holidays or you may still be working on material for your family get together or to impress your cats. It is also cold and dry which is tough on your hands. Meanwhile, there is just a lot going on and everyone is busy.

All of those things certainly don’t make playing any easier.  So it might be a good time to check in with the basics and see how you’re doing.

Are your thumbs up? Are your fingers and hands relaxed?  Are you sitting up and breathing?  Do you keep up doing all the good techniques while actually playing?

You know good technique is important – making it possible for you to play better, longer, stronger.  But good technique requires awareness - and what better time than the present to give yourself the present of making sure you’re doing well?

Check in, and be sure to have your thumbs up as a strong end to the year!

Still Shopping?

There are so many things to do in the holidays season - so much shopping to do, so many presents to get.  And harp players can be so hard to buy for! 

What would be the perfect present? How about the Harp the Highland and Islands Tour in 2018?

Plenty of time to plan to enjoy the beauty of Scotland while learning some wonderful tunes! Easy to wrap and any harp player (or traditional musician of just about any ilk) would be delighted to receive the gift.  If you, or someone you know, would love to find the Harp The Highlands and Islands Tour in their gifts, contact me for more details (before they are presented on the website).