Category Archives: Holiday

Makin’ a List

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Makin’ a List

Since the end of the year is coming, many people are spending a moment taking stock (which is a great idea, BTW!).  My own led to a list of random thoughts that I, of course, felt compelled to share with you!

1. If you need gift ideas (or hints?) I stand by this list for ideas. I should have added index cards to keep a running collection of tunes you have learned (I talk about that here).

2. Regardless of whether you play for your own edification, the cat and the curtains, your church, paid audiences, or you’re opening for the Rolling Stones, never lose sight of the reality that you not only have a gift, but you sharing that gift with others simply magnifies it. Playing music is never a waste of time or resources.

3. Take care of you. Beyond basic self-care, never play through pain or in pain.  Use good techniques, use the tools your teachers have shared with you – placing, fingering, posture, etc.  But no matter how long you practice each day, there are still the habits of the other hours of your day that can gang up on you – darn day job!  If you are developing discomfort or if you have allowed that discomfort to grown into pain, of if something else is impinging on your playing (I’m looking at you desk job keyboard un- functional posture) seek help from a Certified Music Ergonomist – like me*!

4. Take time to enjoy. Even as the hustle and bustle, the premanufactured stress of the season, the actual stress of life, and the chores pile up – you play the harp!  Play the tunes you like (or those that come easily to you).  Really listen, feel, and resonate with your instrument and draw some peace to you, in you, and around you.  If it’s midnight and you’re keyed up, sit for just a moment and put a little disturbance into the air.  Let the ick of stress, etc., ride those sound waves right out of you!

5. Is it possible to say thank you enough? I doubt it.  So, sincerely, thank you for sharing your year with me.  I really enjoy your thoughts, observations, and comments, and I remain delighted and grateful for you and your willingness to share!

Told you, just a jumble of thoughts.  What’s on your list?  Let me know in the comments!

 

 

* Shameless plug.  But seriously, if not me, let me point you in the right direction~

Thanks

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This week we celebrate Thanksgiving in the US.  We have so many things to be grateful for, and once again, I find that one at the top of the list is – you!  Thank you for being such a wonderful part of my community.  I really appreciate your time and attention and participation!

Thank you.

Even better than Halloween!

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It’s one of the best holidays – Halloween.  What’s not to like? Little kids in adorable costumes! Your favorite candy – that terrible candy that you’d never admit to liking but is so good (candy corn? Smartees?)! Leaves to kick through! Cooler temps, breezes, sweaters, socks!  All the things!!

Well, I’ve found something even better.  I got to go to Shepherdstown WV and play the harp with little kids and bigger kids.  I spent a lovely morning with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and then with Pre-K and Kindergartners!  They had great questions – how long had I played? Had I ever played for anyone famous? Best of all, they really enjoyed getting to play the harp(sicle!).

No photos of course – they are little, and the internet can be a terrible place.  But there, in those schools, they were amazing and fun.  I was grateful for the opportunity to play for them!  Hopefully a couple of budding musicians will emerge.  Or, at a minimum, these children will continue to enjoy the magic of music for the rest of their lives!

I was also delighted to get to play a concert for some incredible people too!  They were a wonderful audience – they also asked great questions and were so interactive!  Special thanks to Judy for setting the entire experience up.  I’m so hopeful that they’ll invite me back again (hint hint 😊).

After I played, I was delighted to have a number of audience members come and give playing the harp a try – they were so game and fun.  Jen and I had a great time playing for her first time

I couldn’t ask for a better weekend!  Have you ever gotten to work with kids?  I’d love to hear about it!  How old were they? What did you do with them? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments!

Last Minute Gift Guide

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It’s that time of year when nearly everyone is gifting – no matter their tradition.  There’s a joy to receiving a gift that can only be exceeded by the thrill of giving the perfect (or near perfect) gift.    And that’s the rub – because finding the perfect (or near perfect) gift can be a challenge. 

Those who love you and love your harping would also love to give you an appropriate gift that will not only encourage you to keep playing but also will be something you want and that fits perfectly.  So this week, ten last minute gifts you can suggest to someone to buy for you (or to buy yourself – nothing wrong with getting the joy of giving and the thrill of getting!).

1. Tuning wrench (yes, another one).  Whether you call it a wrench, a key, or a thingamabob, you need one when you need one and having an extra one to keep in your case so you never don’t have one makes this a great gift!  Ranging from completely simple and inexpensive to incredibly complicated (and costly) you can always leave a photo or the appropriate URL laying around to assure you get the right one for your harp.

2.  Snark Tuner.  Compact, accurate, easy to use, and cute – what more could you ask of a tuner?  I have one of these.  Put it on the tuning key (or clip in in one of the holes in the back) and you’re good to go, no matter how many other people are tuning around you!

3.  String buttons or leather lace. I recently bought some of the new Dusty Strings String Buttons – and just in time before two strings on my Dusty 36 broke!  I thought they were clever, but now that I’ve had to use them, I l-o-v-e them!  You can find them here.   Now, I get that not everyone is ready to move to the String Buttons in which case you might prefer to go for my previous favorite solution – leather shoelace (like this one).  Either solution gets you a strong knot that won’t buzz.

4.  Candle Stick-um.  This wax adhesive is great when you use a spline in a string knot on the higher, thinner strings.  It holds everything together while you’re getting the knot set – no untying, no dropping the spline, no needing three hands to get everything put together.  I got it online like this but you might be able to find it in a store near you.

5.  Gloves.  No matter where you live or when you’re playing, nothing will make you feel less like playing than not being able to feel your fingers!  But gloves are an investment, and you have to keep track of them, and they’re in your other coat pocket and they don’t go with your outfit.  Ok, all of those are excuses.  The small stretchy gloves are perfect – they’re in small, inexpensive, go with everything, and because they come in bundles, you can have them everywhere.  Seriously, I have them scattered all over the place – in my car (actually 3 pairs in there), in my case pocket, in my purse, in my gig bag, and in the pockets of every coat (including my raincoat).  And, because they’re really inexpensive, if you lose one, it’s not so bad.  While I’m not a fan of urging you to shop at evil vortex of commerce, they do have them there.

6.  Hand Warmers.  Sometimes even those little gloves just won’t do the trick (like that time there was a nor’easter during the national competition?).  Then you might be glad to have hand warmers like these.  They last a long while and I know they work! 

7.  Hand Lotion.  Winter is hard on the skin on your hands.  With all the washing and drying and cold air and heated air and dry air, using hand lotion becomes a no-brainer.  Failing to keep your hands lotioned leaves you open to getting split (and bleedy) skin, hang nails, flakiness, and leaves you susceptible to infection.  All that is easily avoidable, and you should be better about this than I am.   I have lotions at each sink and little travel containers in my harp case and purse – but it works best if you use it!

8. A Journal Book.  You didn’t think I’d leave this off, did you?!  The first step to keeping a journal is to have a book for it!  Whatever is the right size, shape, and paper for you is the right one.

9. Tea or cocoa.  You want to be ready when it’s time to take a break from practicing.  Or to have a small refreshment while reading your music or practicing in your head or planning your practice.  Whether you’re “Team Tea” or in the “Cocoa Club” it will be nice to know you have it when you are ready!

10. Lesson Gift Cards.  While I don’t usually launch into shameless commerce here, lessons do make a great gift.  You don’t have to have them with me – I’m sure others would also offer them (but of course, I’d be delighted if you did get them from me).  For the holidays, I am offering a cute printable gift certificate and in December if you buy ten lessons, you’ll get 11!*

The links provided are for information and aren’t an endorsement of any particular retailer.  Once you know what you’re looking for, you can make your own decisions on where to buy. 

If you have other ideas, please share them – we’re at the holiday gift buying crunch and I’m sure more ideas would be appreciated by all! 

* Legal stuff – Offer valid for new or current students.  Subject to availability, all lessons must be completed in 2022.  Cancellation and other studio policies apply.

 

 

 

 

Holiday Boundaries

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Well, Thanksgiving is in the books for another year.  Thank you for all your lovely messages – they totally made my holiday that much more better!

As one holiday recedes in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to tee up the next event.  Yup – the winter holidays.  This is the time of the year when people who know you play the harp come out (in droves) to ask you to play for their event.

If you’re gigging (or hoping to), I hope you get mobbed with requests and that your calendar is so full that the added ink makes it perceptibly heavier!

However, if you are not really interested in gigging, you are reticent to perform, or you’re a new harper not quite ready to get out there, it’s time to establish some boundaries!

If you haven’t experienced this before, people are typically hungry for entertainment – especially at the holidays.  They would love to provide you an opportunity to share your gift.  Typically, they don’t fully understand what they are asking of you.  And if you are new or relatively inexperienced, you may not fully understand what they are asking either (this is another “don’t ask me how I know this” moment).

So, before we hit full holiday stride, you need to ask yourself a few questions.  By the way, there are no right answers.

1.  Do you have enough repertoire to perform?  How long are they asking you to play?  Do you have enough seasonal tunes to fill that time?  Not have you learned enough – do you have enough music ready to perform?  That doesn’t mean you can just practice them for that same amount of time – rather, can you entertainingly fill the time comfortably?   As an example, for a half hour performance, I aim for at least 15 carols.  Ok, actually I aim for closer to 20 because I like to be prepared for randomness!  But remember that these tunes are short, so even three times through will only last about a minute and a half.  If you have 15 of these, that will be about 23 minutes.    There is also the phenomenon of time on stage, where although it feels like time is slowing down (probably due to terror!), it is instead speeding up (probably because your natural metronome (your heart) is racing!) so what usually takes 23 minutes now only needs 20 and leaves you wishing you had five more tunes.

2.  Do you feel prepared to perform?  After all, these tunes are really well known so each misstep, jazz variation, arrangement variance (other people might call them mistakes but we know better!) feels huge.  Like a pimple on prom night, these are much worse to you than to your audience, but each one is easier to weather with experience.  Remember that performing is nothing like practicing in your living room – even if you are performing in your living room!  This shouldn’t surprise you – it’s just like running through tough conversations in the mirror while you brush your teeth – the real conversation never goes like your rehearsal! You want to be confident in the tunes you have and that you can weather any variances that crop up.

3.  Why?  Yup, WHY.  Why would you say yes?  If the answer is that you are eager to play the event, then go for it!  But if the answer is that you don’t know how to say no, put down that tuning key!  If you can’t give a heartfelt “YES!” then repeat after me, “No.  Thank you, but no.”  Don’t elaborate.  Don’t dither.  Don’t explain.  Don’t make excuses.  Just don’t.  If you are of a mind to, you could pass along the contact information for someone you know does want to, but you are under no obligation to do that.  A variation of this question is “Will doing this enhance my holiday season?  Or will it distract me and stress me out?”  Are you ok with the answer?

4.  What is my time worth to me?  Let’s be honest – there are a lot of people who will want you to play for free.  Are you ok with that?  Another way to phrase the question is “Do I like the requestor well enough to give them a gift of (your perceived value of) my time?  Because that’s what it is.  When you’re calculating your perceived value, remember that it includes not only the performing time but also the preparation time (which is not insignificant).  Because in the end, if you didn’t want to say yes but you did, you’ve given a very dear gift to someone you don’t esteem as well.  Only you will pay that price.

Whether you are just starting out or are a seasoned pro, set your boundaries now.  Know the answers to your questions and give the right answer for you.  If you are ready to say yes, your tunes should already be ready (BTW if, as you read this, you are thinking that maybe you should start now, just say “maybe next year”!).  And if your answer is no – stick to it!  Practice saying it – out loud if you need to.  Focus on assuring that your holiday season is enjoyable and happy rather than focusing on making everyone else’s holidays entertaining while you twist in a stress knot! 

Because you know that we’ll go through this again next year, you might also consider one additional question – How do you define being ready should you decide you’d like to be for next year?

And remember, how you spend your time is up to you.  Don’t allow anyone josh, cajole, press, bully, beg, or persuade you into performing if you’re not interested.  If you are completely uninterested in playing for others, I give you leave to use my line that you “only play for the cat and the curtains” (this is particularly jocular if you do not have a cat!).

Get out your metaphorical post hole digger, we have boundaries to establish!  How will you do that?  Let me know in the comments!   

Ides of September….

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The Ides of September are here.  Temperatures are beginning to dip, the sun is setting sooner.  Yep, autumn is in the air.

What could be better than apple picking (or picking apples at the market, if you don’t live in apple region), pumpkin carving, or selecting the right layer that will keep you warm in the morning but help you not sweat in the afternoon.  All the good things.

Of course, that’s right now.  But right ‘round the corner are the holidays.  And then, no matter your level of play, people are going to ask you to play. The question isn’t whether they’ll ask, the question is –

WILL YOU BE READY?

The upside of the holidays is that the music doesn’t change much, so each year you can refresh tunes you have played in previous years and add a couple of new ones to broaden your repertoire. 

The downside (especially if you are less experienced or don’t often perform) is that people know all those tunes, so you might feel more stressed about making a mistake while playing.

That stress doesn’t make it easier to get through the season.  What will help is to give yourself time to get ready and to have a plan so you make the most of your practice time.

Are you sitting there secure that this won’t apply to you?  Consider this – playing for your family and/or your friends makes a lovely caring gift that they are sure to enjoy and cherish, so keep reading!

Here are a few ideas to help you prepare:

  • Take stock. Make a list of the tunes you want to play.  Try to make the list broad – some carols, some popular tunes.  Include those tunes that are essential to you for the holidays – those ones that give you a warm fuzzy feeling that it’s really here.  Then include the chestnuts and crowd pleasers and you’ll have a good list going.  Keep in mind that there are a lot of holidays in a few calendar weeks, so include music for those if you may have the opportunity to share.
  • Once you’ve listed those tunes, separate them into the ones you have played before and the ones you would like to learn for this year.  Don’t go crazy with adding new tunes – the point is to be successful, not to be made insane!
  • Make a Schedule. “The Holidays” seem to start earlier each year.  Early November is the new mid-December.  If you’re not gigging per se, you may have a couple of months to prepare, but if you aim to be ready by Halloween, you will have wiggle room if something doesn’t come easily.  You will definitely want to be comfortable by Thanksgiving.
  • Make a practice plan. Now that you have your list of tunes and a schedule, figure out when you’re going to practice what.  Mix up old and new tunes so you’re gaining breadth while also polishing the rusty things.  Be realistic about how many tunes you can learn and how long it will take to polish up tunes you already know.  Using your schedule and your list, plan time to polish and time to learn.  I like to write it on a calendar so i am very aware of how far along I am in preparing and how much time is remaining.  Also be ready to modify – if things are going poorly, reevaluate your list.  If things are going swimmingly, what else should you add?
  • Keep the other stuff going too. While everyone enjoys holiday music, we also also get saturated at some point.  So it’s a good idea to include a couple of non-holiday tunes as well.  This will also help keep your regular repertoire in your mind and hands – because you’ll need them as soon as the holidays are over!

We are watching September slide by, the Ides of September are going past us.  But with just a little bit of organization and focus, you will be able to be comfortably prepared for the entire holiday season with less stress.  And you’ll probably enjoy it more too! 

Have you been asked to play yet? What are you planning to play this holiday season?  Have you started yet?  Let me know (I might want to learn it!).