Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

Can Palores, a Cornish traditional tune in D major.  The first variation is one I learned from Rachel Hair, everything after that comes from my own brain.  Key firsts for me: sharing variations/accompaniments of my own devising, improv section (E dorian, you’ll see it), first time video recording myself, first time sharing a recording with anyone… so it’s been an eventful 2022 so far :D!

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I’m wordy, so I’ll put the most significant ones here.
Impulse – I’ve always wanted to play my own creations and be able to perform/record myself, but it was intimidating.  This class has been about pushing my boundaries to find new capabilities.  Impulse was also key to finding the variations on the melody/accompaniment.  This is a piece that I knew the original version well enough that I could start to just try things, “can I find a different string of notes to use for part B accompaniment” – giving myself space to play (e.g., 15 mins just going to play around and see what I find) was key and I’m using on new pieces now.
Structure and Deconstruction – This is my home base, lol.  I’m an engineer by day, so looking at the structural components and using them to base new solutions/ideas is bread and butter.  The biggest takeaway for me here was thinking of the arrangement as individual sub-pieces that I could mix and match on the fly – meaning that I had many possible combinations and could, in theory, play the pieces for quite a while without repeating an exact combo – thus keeping it interesting.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

Logistically: figuring out how to record/post the video.  Something I knew I could figure out how to do, but it was emotionally hard to start for some reason.  Finally, I took the chat-advice: do a bad version, so somewhat randomly, I got up from dinner and just sat down and recorded it – and it wasn’t so bad.  This version is one I recorded the next day with a bit more prep (not unwashed pjs) and that raised the pressure and caused greater anxiety.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I’m getting better at letting go of expectations during practice – but I need to work on comfort in sharing.  Of course, that’s a big reason I joined HHA was to push myself on that front.  In the immortal words of DHC: “You didn’t come here to not be scared”!

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

Virtually all of my music/dance background has been about expressing someone else’s voice – choirs, dance troops, etc.  It’s critical in these venues that you morph yourself into a whole made of multitudes of people – and it’s great, but it doesn’t really teach you to find your own voice, your own approach.  Much of this class has just been about figuring out where my own artistic thoughts live – they’ve been squashed for so many years…

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

The “you didn’t come here to not be scared” phrase came at an opportune time – a few hours later I was presented with a professional opportunity that I wasn’t expecting.  I am still a bit scared of taking on the new direction, but I’m (slowly) learning to let go of my expectation for perfection in myself, which helped give me the courage to say yes.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

First: it’s probably not as bad as I think it was.  Second: By taking it down to small components (the same way I’d tackle an engineering problem), I can begin to build new music – melodic variations, new accompaniment patterns.  For me the starting place was generally something like “I wonder if I can find a different accompaniment notes for the B section”, then just dig into that little piece.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

It’s still very rough – I made several obvious mistakes, but in the spirit of moving forward, I’m uploading it anyway, just so I can say I did it 🙂

Are you OK with me sharing your final project & answers to the 6 questions on my blog (or just sharing your answers to the 6 questions if you didn’t submit a final-beginning project)?

Yes .. and No … I’m fine with you sharing my answers to the questions – but not my video

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is the link for my final beginning project for SOP 2022.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I got inspiration and ideas that sparked my creativity by coming to the chats and the office hours, watching other peoples’ videos and from the improv snippets.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

I have had a particularly difficult week.  I have been suffering from vertigo and tinnitus, which has put me out of balance in many ways.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I still struggle with perfectionism.  I have not felt up to making a video of myself, so I decided to at least make an audio and add an image.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I met the challenge to create a full piece out of an experimental improv.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Creativity is a necessary part of life.  I love coming to class and getting ideas.  It is inspirational to see all the creativity flowing through the class.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

For this piece, my aha was that I could use a very short and simple motif and create something beautiful.  The basic motif was I-V and moving throughout the octaves.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

The image of water represents life, balance, flow, connection, fluidity, change, floating and peacefulness.  What does the image and music evoke for you?

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

Title:Miles Away.  Duet with drummer.  The composition wants to mimic Miles Davis via harp sound, claim unique harp sounds for jazz/blues, rhythmatize with drummer (or partner harps)to eventually carry on improvisationally endlessly
like classical jazz/blues.  

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I used foundations of Strings of Passion and half bake feedback to complete the project

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

It took many deconstructions to coordinate rhythmic bass with Melodie’s, and this song still wants more interesting rhythmic Melodie’s.  

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

Technical skill is always a blockage.  But that deficit is not something I seek real hard at this stage.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I hexed the drummer with a metronome but it didn’t take.  He goes one nuance too fast and as you might take note of, I could not slow him down

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

This is a joy and lots of fun.  

What were your personal “Ahas”?

I think I finally submitted a video to Sally without help.  (Hope so, and maybe not)

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

Not more than any comments you are willing to share.  Thanks. 

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is my own composition called ‘The Sleeping Goddess’,incorporating principles I have learnt from Strings of Passion.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

1.Impulse
I wanted to create a piece that was an evocation of a special place.
2.Structure
Intro /A /B /Outro
The piece grew out of experimenting with a descending bass line of 1~5~10.chords overlaid with a fragment of melody
3.Character
Despite experimenting with archetypes such as ‘The Goddess’ , the character is the hill itself in two manifestations ~ winter and summer
4.Roles
I thought about roles of bass,accompaniment and melody , the bass line representing the rock beneath the hill and the melody the wind in winter and the flight of birds in summer
5.Practices and Practicing
These principles were hugely important .The ‘Daily
Truing ‘sheet helped me clarify what matters most to me and emboldened me to make more time for practising on a daily basis.
6.Deconstruction
The piece ended up being even simpler than my Half Bake as I took DHCs advice to ‘ tell the story ‘first
7.Lift Off
I stopped thinking and played!

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

The visioning exercises at the start of the course generated the concept of wanting to evoke a place,  lots of walks to the hill generated the melody and committing to regular practice got it to where it is now!

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

My blocks are  tension  and trusting to ‘let go’

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

The challenge for me was to do much less in order to reach the level of ‘flow’ I was aiming for.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Other areas of my life impacted by the class were trusting to let go and ‘hide less’

What were your personal “Ahas”?

Noticing that the creative journey is not linear and does not always follow conscious intention.
It was like my brain played around with lots of semi formed ideas and then coalesced into a form of and on its own .

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is titled ‘Lullaby for Love’ and is the start of my idea that I will record a tape of lullabies for a newborn babe in my family (my nieces new 4 week old daughter).  It is 2minutes 41 seconds long, however I hope to make a tape of many melodies ultimately about half an hour long.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

All of them.
1. Impulse
When my niece’s baby was due, the impulse to make her a play list of lullabies arose.  This is a start.

2. Structure
There isn’t all that much structure to this piece.  There’s a chord as in introduction to Brahms
Lullaby, an arpeggio to mark a transition to Twinkle Twinkle, and then a chord to end.

3. Character
My Character in this role, is that of a loving aunt, giving the gift of lullaby.  My dress is intended to express that.  The style of the music is simple and child-like.

4. Roles (Leadership/Followship; Bass, Melody, & Accompaniment; Archetypes)
This piece is lead from the impulse to play simple lullabies…. The rest of me just followed.

The melody line leads… there isn’t much accompaniment, and just a few bass notes.

5. PracticING & PracticES
Since starting the Strings of Passion, I have taken on the practice of doing a warm-up each day.  It is starting to make a huge difference to my playing.

The practice reflected in this piece is ‘just do it’.  Just do something to honour your creativity and your wish to take the harp into the world.

6. Deconstruction
These are really simple melodies, played simply.
The seed is :  just play a couple of lullaby’s.

7. Lift-Off
Well, I did it!

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

It’s been an enormously eventful period in our household.  I had to just put this first to get it done.  That, in the face of thinking, that this is just trivia.

Anyway, I did just get it done.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

The block has been the idea that this is just a trivial piece of ephemera that has no on-going meaning…. So why spend time on it.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

The feeling that the product I am likely to produce is not worth spending the time on…. and keeping going anyway.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Interesting…. one of the ideas that came out of the course, and the idea of roles, characters and archetypes.  DHC said “Come to harp like the Goddess Diana”… and out of that came the idea… always come to the harp like a Goddess… a Goddess Rising!   And always come to your LIFE like a Goddess Rising!  I’ve found that I’ve often noticed I’m walking taller and my posture is better… of course the body and mind are inter-linked, and that means I’m feeling more positive.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

When I looked at the tape, even though it is by no means perfect, I’m glad I did it.  It means something to me that I put this piece of work together.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

It’s just really, really simple. So I’m hoping it won’t be judged too harshly.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

I wanted to add my voice. This video opens with the warm up of D,G,C,A open cords and moves into a base/melody of working with A and CE together, and moves to F and AC together…ideally the rest is moving around the A,F, D, B, E shifts we recently practiced. My voice recounts my heart string of part of a puja that is an ‘homage to Tara’ I’ve spoken a few lines of it in English. My first final video concludes with the Tibetan, but this was already long and the harp playing was more important to me

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

the impulse for this is how the harp strings can manifest the sounds of one’s heart – in this case in ‘devotion’ to the goddess Tara. this version opens with open cords and then focuses more on structure, which gave me a more solid base and place to return to than my first version. repetition helped ground it. Melody lighter in the right hand- freely noodling a few strings. I had a difficult time shifting to different movements of it, but I think it works. I had much more practice plus several partial recordings until I felt ok to resubmit this – though there were a lot of strong kerfuffles in my first attempt. I do not have here. The words and  my speaking them ( I could not stay in the tune I wanted to sing them!) are intended to add character.  Actually the base is my strongest role, even melody, my voice accompaniment, and a touch of noodling melody in my right hand. I had to practice parts of it for more time than i have to do so – but it seriously improved form m first version- the essence of it is there and I felt complete as I finished it – not quite a lift off , but peaceful wellbeing.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

logistically I had to put my job work aside ( geez- gotta complete that this weekend too)- really wanting to do this instead.That feels so good to choose this aspect of myself above a more formalized duty – knowing I am dependable in a good way and will complete that work too ( calls as a chaplain to bereaved folks and charting).this changes a deeply ingrained habit of childhood of deferring my own chosen things, to externally required ones – like a job and its demands…now I am just too old to do anything that does not have the substance of my wholeness, intention, time focussed attention in it – so this first and now job work! I also had to practice and still wish I could have practiced it much more, but I am ok with this.  And I had to seriously simplify my ideas to make it workable!

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

Basically time issues, choosing this over a few other needed things.  but THIS choice and completion is my singing lift off!

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I wanted to sing -I could do well with the base A note, but I could not stabilize my voice to follow harp, or choose the right strings to follow the movement of my voice characterizing the words and ‘inner devotion’ inherent in the words for me. So I let that desire of singing go for now and spoke the words hopefully in a tone/tune that goes with the playing. Part of me is just in simple delight doing this- all the harp classes, though with the unlooked for blessed gift of a job, my time-to-do is seriously in a reorientation stage!

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

just much more freedom, and much more utterly being myself–which has enhanced the being present each moment in a deeply authentic spiritual practice, also in  relationship to my teachers and sangha. It is so wonderful to socially to not be an ‘odd one out’ nor incapable of being creative…my creativity is supported–and that has freed me in other aspects. unexpected growth!

What were your personal “Ahas”?

the arising of fun and delight and of a more simply unmasked me

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

hmmm the actual practice is a doorway to dissolving the veils of habit, thus arises awareness of actual  inner innate union with divinity by whatever name, all names, and archetypes. And love, courage, compassion, kindness, creativity flows —as evidenced by each of you! thank you!

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

It’s a 3-part paraphrase of a Scottish Gaelic tune, An Coineachan, or Highland Fairy Lullaby, which tells the story of a baby stolen by fairies while its caregiver was picking blueberries.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I chose the easiest tune possible. I liked the story, the lyrics, they gave me the impulse. The more I worked on the piece through each of the Strings of Passion, the stronger the impulse got, and the more I wanted to play it and finish it.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

At first I was afraid that the melody was to basic, and I didn’t know what to do with it. Now I feel I could use it again and again.
I learned to use iMovie, which opens a new door for me.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

Freedoms:
While reinventing the piece I was focused on matching the music and the story, so I learned it as it developed, without realizing it.
The story in my head, the images, the feelings, the characters distracted me from listening to my inner critic continuously or wanting to control everything. It helped me stay in the moment.
The process gave me a lot of energy. It was a satisfaction and a liberation to finish the piece, write the final text, edit the video.
Blocks:
My primary impulse is to write songs and sing them. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that because of a very old and powerful block about speaking and singing. But that sort of silent movie in a 3-minute-song format was the best way of expressing myself as I am and let go of what I can’t do.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I don’t understand the question.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

During the chats I felt supported and encouraged like never before in my life, it gives me more confidence.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

Seeing what is there instead of looking for what is missing.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

Mind the fairies.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is my attempt at a Bossa Nova o n My Little Welsh Home.
I hope to look back on the following statement a year from now and laugh:
“I don’t think I will ever get the Bossa Nova rhythm in my head or my fingers.”
My success is completing the project on time.  
The video is over 2 minutes long, but it can be stopped at 90 seconds with no loss.  
I’m giving myself extra points for costuming and setup.  

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

The thing I used most was the deconstruction process, to take something I didn’t like and make it into something else by changing rhythm, tune, and chord structure.  

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

A belief that it’s being done in front of a supportive community.  
Logistically, I tried marching around the room and clapping the Bossa nova rhythm, I tried recording the rhythm and playing along with my recording, I tried it with a metronome, I got out an old keyboard I have that has some rhythms preprogrammed and tried it with that.   All of these were more or less failures when I tried to play both hands together without any crutches.  
Emotionally, I’m telling myself that I got to be 77 without learning the Bossa nova rhythm, so it might take me more than two weeks to learn it.  

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I generally have the feeling that I succeed in most of my musical endeavors, at least to my own mind, but I’m giving myself the benefit of the doubt that I may eventually succeed with this.  

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

The need to maintain the left hand rhythm went out the window every time I started to improvise a melody.  

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

I’m feeling more relaxed about some things, a bit more willing to be a little less buttoned up.  
I now know the world won’t end if I can’t do something. 

What were your personal “Ahas”?

Because I felt okay to be who I am, not who I should be, or who I think other people expect me to be, I performed Baroque Flamenco on a program where everything else was straight Baroque or earlier, and incredibly more serious.  And I loved doing it.  And so did the audience.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

It’s still a work in progress.  Come back next year.  

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is one video of what I hope will be a series of videos called, “The Adventures of Pastor Prime”.  It is an interview of Pastor Prime reflecting on her early days as a priest.  The name of the seminary is fictional, but the references to what the early days were like are factual.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

The structure is story interspersed with tune segments or improv.  Character – this is me telling my story. Practice – I am working on making smoother transitions between playing the harp and speaking.  Deconstruction — I have to keep simplifying.  I am constantly working on that.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

The challenge was to find or create musical interludes that fit various segments of the story.  

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

The challenges for women clergy in the Episcopal Church in the late 1970’s were very real.  Taking that on in a video is something I am kind of nervous about doing.  

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

The challenge for me was, “do I really want to share this?”  

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

see Aha below

What were your personal “Ahas”?

Music and the desire to create are becoming more and more central in my life.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

The Nightingale´s Call
In this project I am putting the foundation for a show with this name, picturing my journey with the Nightingale, my friend and teacher, symbol of my Soul, on my life´s path.
Here I am just outlining the moments when I have been inspired and guided by the Nightingale, but in the final project I intend to tell my story from being a very good ambition driven harpist to becoming a healer, sound healer and a more simple and authentic being. This will be a show of about 45 minutes.
I had difficulty resuming myself to 2-3 minutes but I gave it a try and I enjoyed it a lot!
Thank you for motivating and inspiring me, and for the freeing and very competent guidance!

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

Not expecting anything
The courage and motivation to take this step, ignoring my inner resistance
I have learned to talk while and between playing the harp, and I enjoyed it. I found it difficult not to lose the fluency while talking and playing at the same time.
I loved your Nightingale piece, also the singing, I have learned also the song, and this piece really helped me to overcome some strong and heavy emotions during this time.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

I tried several versions and had to stick to one of them finally, it was difficult for me to decide to which one.
I made 3 recordings for 4 days and everything became clearer with ever step.
To learn the music was not difficult at all, I have also taught this piece to my students, but to quiet the “oppinionists” in my head was more difficult.
In the beginning it was too long and a little bit boring, but having just 2-3 minutes helped me to become more efficient and focused.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I discovered the beauty and freedom of talking and telling a story connected to my music. I have been longing for telling a story with music for several years now, as I am also writing stories, I am a screen play writer.
My fear was to not being able to create something “exciting” that could be of interest to people different to me.
Also I was afraid of not being capable of going with this process to a satisfactory end.
I still have this worry concerning the creation of the show.
I connected with the things and events I loved during my childhood, form which I have sourced myself since now. I also remembered lots of details… and I feel excitement and joy when imagining how I can make people feel enthusiastic about my experiences.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I realized that I have lots of options and possibilities how to do it, and this was scary.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Creating this video and playing this music has distracted my attention from difficult feelings and helped me focus on beauty, insight and to rebalance myself.
This has helped me in my real life.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

I liked watching myself expressing what I felt.
I found tempo/rhythm of words and music really important.
The Nightingale inspired my to look for these islands of beauty in my life – I realized there have been lots of them…

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

Yiddish song from childhood – I sing and play the tune with some harmony.

Attach your homework in PDF or JPEG format here:

Yiddish song lyrics.jpg

Describe your written materials – if there’s anything in particular you want to say about it to help people know what they’re looking at, add that here.

Lyrics in Yiddish and my loose translation to English lyrics. I did the Yiddish phonetically and took lots of liberties with the English lyrics to make them fit the tune.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

Freedom to be myself – do what you can with what you have. The demons flew away and I felt so supported by the HHA community and saw myself as more capable than I previously believed.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

I’m resourceful – have no fancy studio but used what I had to make it happen. Emotionally? Was terrified but then focused on the task at hand, always keeping front of mind the great support from the HHA community.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

Before HHA I believed I could do nothing worthwhile until I got better technically. The creative exercises reinforced my tendency to noodle,  and that in turn allowed me to go ahead and do what I can with what I have! So freeing! For this song I had no sheet music, just memory of the tune, and figured out from that how it should go on the harp

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

Noticing that I looked glum while performing. That will improve when I practice the piece more and add harmonies and chords. I know what they should be, I just have to notate and practice them.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

I’m ecstatic about how free I feel and how much more in charge of letting go of and dismissing my obsessive thinking and using my mind for more important things.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

1. Realizing I could find this tune on my harp by putting down all the levers (except 1), and discovering the best note to start on to play out the tune.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

This tune is a classic Jewish lullaby. There is more to it, and much of that is melancholy, but my mother only sang us the nice parts, and that is what I present here.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is a video of me playing and singing a song I wrote: “Equally Opposite Sister.”

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

This year during Strings of Passion I wrote 4 songs and one instrumental piece. This song is my 3rd song.  The image of the string in the sugar water seemed to be a catalyst for me.  I had an image in my mind of holding a space around an idea, and allowing it to take shape, to withhold judgment.  This process is so important because some lyrics, some music doesn’t end up being part of the final piece, but plays an important role in the evolution, and I would not have ended up with my “final” product on each piece, if I had dismissed things along the way that weren’t quite what I wanted.  I learned also to let my unconscious mind work on a piece, instead of working hard to figure out things that were not working at the moment.  I learned to trust.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

This video is not perfect. I think I actually played more accurately in another video, but in this one, I was the freest. By the time I had been playing the song in front of the camera in several sessions over a few days, I started to relax.  I felt an interplay between the harp and my body.  I no longer cared so much about how my voice sounded.  I became more connected to my breath. 

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I was a trained classical singer and have had physical issues that ended that life path for me years ago.  In my training, casual singing, or singing with more a speaking voice resonance was considered not really singing.  Years ago I started out as a singer/songwriter with a guitar, but then I lost that part of myself when I went to school and studied voice, and then also went to grad school and studied voice.  The singer singing with a speaking voice along to a simple accompaniment was something that came naturally to me, but it did not feel like it was something of value.  After I showed my half-baked video, I experienced feelings of awkwardness and mortification, but I decided that I just had to feel the feelings and keep doing what I am doing: writing and singing songs to play on my harp.  I realized that in order to change, in order to become creatively unstuck I might be uncomfortable initially.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I have chronic laryngitis that keeps me from being completely confident in my voice.  Years ago when I was still performing as a singer, there were many times when I would walk onto stage to sing a concert and find that there was a physiological change that affected my voice, usually laryngitis due to allergies or a cold, say, and I would adjust on the spot to sing what I could sing with the voice that I had at that moment.    I used this past experience in making this video.  I remembered that I can only sing with the instrument that I have at the moment. I did not try to sing, therefore.  I focused on relaxing, breathing and interacting with the harp – feeling the music. 

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Above all else, this class is about becoming who I really am.  That is the deconstruction process – the peeling away of ideas that block that connection to myself and my creativity.  This class came at a time when I was not physically well, and not involved in all the usual activities of my life. It turned a challenging time into a magical time of self-discovery.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

I had an Aha moment about a week or so ago, when I realized that the last 20 years of my life have been a deconstruction of the persona I had built up to that time.  And in that time I have built up other identities that have risen and fallen as well.  Last year when I took Strings of Passion, I was focused on the musical and technical side of the course.  This year it was a spiritual experience for me.  By the end of the course I felt I had surrendered myself to the deconstruction process and I found myself as I had been all those years ago before trying to make myself into something else.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

When I was writing this song – only a few weeks ago – I was trying a bossa nova feel.  I did not know if it would fit to the lyrics and melody.  I did not feel like I was getting it, but I tried the same thing that I learned to do in the songwriting process: I suspended judgment.  Then during one session instead of trying to make the melody conform to the bossa accompaniment, I played the accompaniment to the feel of the melody, and ended up with an interesting hybrid.  At one point in the chorus there is a section that breaks into 3, that gives the effect of an off-kilter merry-go-round, which is a perfect expression of my feeling about my relationship with my brother.  Suspending judgment, and fixed ideas about how things should be, I found something that worked.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

I was asked to play improvisations in between the verses of a beautiful poem by J.C. Schagen, which he wrote at the age of 90. 
Keywords of his lithany were:
-Make us monotonous
-Make us slow
-Make us still
-Make us ordinary
-Make us unattached/loose
The whole performance was about 50 mins long. My final project is a little snippet the verse of ‘Make us still’ and my improv. And apologies that I still went over 3,5 mins. Just couldn’t make it any shorter without losing cohesion.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I especially used the strings of impulse, character and practice for this whole project: I let my mind go over the words from the verses to get a feel of where I wanted my playing to go. For the part of Make us monotonous I used one of the class snippets, which i just kept going in all it’s beauty and simplicity. For the part of make us loose I was inspired by the practice sheets from the string of practice, which also turned up in the chat at some point.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

To be able to perform the whole piece I really listened to the words being spoken in each verse, so I could connect to every emotion before starting to play: monotonous, slow, still, ordinary and loose/free
For the part being still, I wanted to see if I could incorporate effects on the accoustic harp, so I put the mullet on a chair next to me for easy reach.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I’m more and more embracing the freedom in myself and my playing. For the creative part of this project I didn’t experience the usual demon voices. For recording and sending it in however…..

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I didn’t really meet any challenges only the freedom of just expressing myself, and whether it sounded good or not I just couldn’t care about… YAAAYYYYY 🙂

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

With every class I become more Me with my harp. I’m pushing my creative bounderies and am quicker to put demon voices in that pot. The image of that pot has been very helpful. It is part of my overall project of letting go, and being good enough being me and my core values, which I started back in 2017 when I suffered from a severe burn out. 

What were your personal “Ahas”?

– I’m experiencing more and more that it only needs a little motive to create a whole piece. Building up from a couple of notes, or even just keep it at those notes.
– There is a lot of beauty and creativity in mistakes
– That a littly event/experience/answer to a question can become a whole piece
– I need to write down or record my noodles so that I can recall things for further exploration

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

Mr Schagen wrote this lithany when he was 90. It is adressed to God who he -at that age – still calls ‘Stranger’.

The poem is in Dutch. I have only taken the lines from the verse which especially gave me the inspiration for the piece, which I translated

For the background of the video I used one of my paintings of the Italian Franca Giaquinto, which to me represented the stillness in nature and in ourselves.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

A full version of The Weatherman – A Rondo that I have been working on since being inspired in February.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

Impulse can start with the music, the rhythm, the words, or an idea.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

I went to sleep singing this song, sang it in the car, in the shower (lots of bits came to me dancing in the shower) 

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I let my subconscious work on it A LOT

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I feel like I simplified it enough to add character.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

It’s really about folding THIS part more into the rest of my life. Making time for it, making time for ME. Even if a lot of that time is “just” in my “head.”

What were your personal “Ahas”?

To track my impulses: to turn on the recorder on my phone not to loose the bits that I like.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

I hope to have time to arrange it for 4 part harmony.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This video is my Final-Beginning Project. The piece is called “Lullaby for Ukraine.”  I wrote it after witnessing the heart wrenching stories coming out of the war in the Ukraine. (*detailed description below). I imagined a mother singing to calm her child in a bomb shelter.  I wanted the melody to be tender yet hopeful and to evoke a feeling of the fragility of life.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

Impulse:  I had been working on a different “Final Beginning Project” for the last month or so using the five motifs from Deborah’s “Vision Music Suite” but due to a drastic shift in world events, I felt the impulse to write a “Lullaby for Ukraine.” 
Over the last few weeks, we have watched in horror as war has come to Ukraine and threatened the freedom of many people.  I’ve felt so deeply saddened by the heart wrenching stories coming out of the Ukraine.  
This piece emerged as a result of playing along with the snippet Deborah gave us at the beginning of the second chat on Monday, March 15, 2022.  I just kept building on the descending bass pattern.  Musical ideas flowed from there.  

Structure:  Thanks to Deborah’s great tips on structure, I was very aware of structure when I was building the piece.  The melody was the first idea that came to me but as we learned in class, it’s best not to jump right in with the melody at the beginning of the piece. Once I had established a solid melodic theme, I created an introduction.  
After the intro, I introduce the main melody (“A” section) which I imagined might be a mother singing to calm her child in a bomb shelter.   I wanted the melody to be tender yet to really pull at ones heart strings and to evoke a feeling of the fragility of life.   The “B” section was intended to give a sense of hope and nostalgia.  The piece returns to the “A” section played an octave lower.  I thought that this could symbolize a grandmother singing to the child or a father singing in a deeper voice.  The piece then descends into a kind of “running” pattern, evoking a sense of urgency and fear before ascending & then descending again to close.  The piece ends with a whisper type effect with a harmonic in the left hand.  I imagined a candle being blown out followed by silence. 

Character:  As I mentioned above, I imagined of a story when writing this piece.  Hopefully, the imagery in my mind translates into the character of the piece. The actual characters I imagined are  a mother or grandmother singing a lullaby to a young child.   When the melody is in the upper register, I imagine a female voice.  When the melody shifts to the lower register, I imagine a male voice or possibly multiple people singing while in the bomb shelter.  I wanted the piece to evoke a sense of fragility, sadness, despair and hope.  I changed the colour palette of the video from colour to grayscale as I felt it would better reflect the sombre character of the piece.

Practicing and practices:  I realize that I need to practice, practice, practice and know a piece inside out, upside down & back to front in order to feel the freedom to express myself.  The more comfortable I am with the music, the more I’ll be able to play with ease and expression.  I have a tendency to rush so I practiced with the metronome to prevent myself from playing too quickly.   I’ve also been extra aware of phrasing and dynamics thanks to Deborah’s reminders.  

Deconstruction:  I played the sections over and over, simplified them, switched them around, tried different ways of playing.   Deconstruction makes me think of building a Lego project: trying new colours, new pieces, new ideas, taking the pieces apart and then putting them back together again.  The idea of deconstruction helped me to simplify things rather than always trying to make them more flashy or challenging.  Simplicity and beauty are key!

LiftOff:  Again, the more I know the piece and feel it comfortably in my fingers, the easier it will be to achieve lift-off and freedom in my playing.   Even though the piece isn’t ‘finished’ at this point,  I hope that I achieved a sense of “lift off” in my playing. 

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

I’ve felt so saddened by the world events of late so it felt very natural to play this piece with emotion. I noticed that if I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, I couldn’t play the piece with the right character or feel. 

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I really struggled with my demon pot which was giving me every excuse in the book as to why I shouldn’t share my work.   I truly understand why Deborah named this group “Harpist’s Who Dare” as it really takes courage to put oneself out there.  
Regarding the feeling of freedom,  I have certainly felt freer in my playing after giving myself permission to just enjoy the process and have fun.  I’m striving to express beauty and connection in my playing, not perfection (as Deborah so wisely says!).  

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I realize that I’m very hard on myself.  I’ve really struggled with being able to share in the online platform.   The sadness of this piece made me feel vulnerable.   Through our online forums, I’ve learned that there is so much beauty in sharing our vulnerability.  It allows us to connect with one another in a real way and on a deeper level. 

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

The past two (nearly three) years of the pandemic have been so challenging for all of humanity.  I can’t begin to tell you how much this class has given me a boost of creativity and joy.  My loved ones have noticed how energized and excited I am about being creatively inspired once again.  I’ve played my harp and written more music in the past three months than I have in the past three years. I really can’t thank you enough Deborah.  

What were your personal “Ahas”?

Every musical idea emerges from a single note.   That’s why I love the snippets Deborah gives us at the beginning of class.   I’m amazed at what I’ve been able to build upon from those little musical gems. 
I really enjoyed the splotch drawing exercises as well.  Drawing opened up an area of my brain & a creative spirit that I haven’t explored since I was a child.  I was amazed by how the splotch drawings translated to me being able to be more creative at my harp. 
I love how Deborah always reminds us to “make it beautiful”….even if we’re playing a warm-up exercise, “make it beautiful and think about phrasing, dynamics, etc.” This has been such a great reminder to me and has helped me to find so much more joy in my playing.  

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

This video is just the beginning of my ‘baking’ project.  It still feels half baked to me, but I keep reminding myself of Deborahs words – that this is all about “connection, not perfection.”  I’d like to expand upon the piece and record it professionally with other instruments (strings, percussion, keys, etc) one day.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This a part of a suite I’m in the early stages of creating – this part is about the gannets returning to Bass Rock offshore here. It is an awe inspiring experience to see them in their thousands (from a small boat). I hope I express some of the hectic activity and a sense of the sea, flights and gannets fishing

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I trusted my creative impulse and have  grown more willingness to take creative risks, to dare to share unpolished ideas. A year ago I could not have imagined wearing a bird mask, playing the harp with feathers AND feel comfortable doing so! 

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

This came together surprisingly easily – I had already roughly notated the music a couple of years back and it had lain dormant. Being involved in an improvised migrating birds soundscape ensemble project in February  (I shared that in the half-bake) sparked the idea of putting my music together with elements of that. This is the result 

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

Initially the thought that there might be a right and wrong way to do it held me back a little but this is far less of a constraint after the past few months in the academy. 

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

Relatively few once I decided to work on something that was my own creation – I found this really liberating 

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

I can see how the principles, the strings, can be applied to any creative enterprise including my own life!

What were your personal “Ahas”?

I am free to express myself in any way I please, to explore possibilities 

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

I hope to build on this, to add other sections/elements that express something of the wonder of the Forth estuary and its islands which beguile me.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This project is based on an historical event–The battle of Dargai, India, in the fall of 1897 when the Gordon Highlanders and Indian Gurkas claimed victory.  It speaks to the horrors of war, and even in victory asks the question “at what price?”  The music echoes the pain, suffering, and devastation of war. It is as relevant today as it was when written by Scottish violinist James Scott Skinner.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

All of the 7 Strings of Passion played a role in developing this project and coaleced into this first lift off.  Especially important was the deconstruction. Since the Pibroch tradition is based on a theme and variations, I plan to extend this piece with new ornamentation and secondary phrases.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

This music has special meaning for me.  It is the most powerful piece in my repertory.  It was played at my husband’s funeral eleven years ago, by renowned Scottish Fiddle Player, Bonnie Rideout.  It is in the Piobaireachd (Pibroch) tradition, which is powerful in its simplicity and repetition.  

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

The patterns came easily and harmonization was based on the power of the open fifth, reflecting the sound of the bagpipes.  I screwed up the spoken portion of the piece so many times that I moved it to the end of the video, or I would never have gotten to the musical part.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

The usual tech problems of recording.  It was frustrating to keep recording again and again to come up with a video that, while certainly not perfect, was at least presentable.  What I hear in my heart and soul seems to misfire on it’s way to my fingers.  Finally, it took a good shot of bourbon to settle me down enough to complete the video, and the help of Sally to get it into her hands.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

This class, as well as the Hip Harp  Tool Kit have opened up a total new dimension to the work I have been doing as a Certified Music Practitioner.  I am able to connect with Hospice patients and families on a deeper level.  And the freedom of improve have made my sessions much more meaningful as I play to their conditions.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

The music I played was in the key of Am.The chords in the left hand are Am, Dm, and Em. At the end of the phrases, the transition into Em, is like a dagger going into my heart.  How many times when I listen to music there is an unexpected harmonic change that takes my breath away and this is one of them.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

One night I was playing this piece and went into a trance.  When I took my hands off the harp and rested my forehead on the top, all the strings started to vibrate simultaneously.  I thought, “what is going on here?  When I raised my head, the harp stopped resonating.  Then I did it again, and the strings vibrated again without being touched.  It was a beautiful mystery coming from my connection with this instrument and music and has not happened since..

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

I tell a story about my relationship with music through many years and feature the song, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”  The song begins as familiar snippets backing up the story; then at the end it transforms into a Dorian tune that I sing in French.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

All those principles came in somewhere during the project.  Impulse and structure were closely linked, since the early idea was to create a personal story with music.  Last year I did a “How I came to the harp” story; this time I tried a “How I came to music” story.  Character comes in as I try to have the music mirror the story, from childhood to maturity, by turning “Mary Had a Little Lamb” into something more exotic and sophisticated.  The idea of roles came into play because I needed to have the harp be support for the voice sometimes and other times be the star.  Practic[ing/es] came into play as I isolated bits that I needed to figure out, pare down, or make smoother.  Deconstruction came into play as I chose a Little Lamb motif to color the story accompaniment and as I decided how to alter the song from the childhood version.  Lift-off came as I tried to record a version to submit, when I needed to allow the flow of the improvisation to just go without overthinking it.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

The hardest part emotionally was deciding to share such a personal story, even though I suspect that many people can relate to at least parts of it.  On the other hand, it seemed important to share the story because I suspect that many people can relate to at least parts of it.  Logistically, the hardest part was in making the project concise enough.  I did separate timings for the story and the song in order to help me decide where to try and tighten things up.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

There are always moments when I feel I have to take the plunge even though I don’t know what I’m doing.  It can be a little daunting.  Once I make that decision to dive in, though, I can really enjoy being immersed for a while and have fun making discoveries.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

When harp and voice are both going, it is challenging to shift my attention between them so that the whole feels smooth.  Practicing helps, as long as I take manageable chunks and vary what the chunks are.  Also, I really had to trust that improvising would give me something worthy of recording.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

I’m gaining a better understanding of how practice and improvisation mesh, and I think this applies broadly in life.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

A shift of mode can be accomplished smoothly in a very brief span, with just one or two chords; and the shift still requires practice so that the possibilities aren’t overwhelming in performance.  In deciding how to tell my story, I found myself thinking about deeper meanings that it might illustrate, and hoping that some of those deeper meanings come through.  Also, I’m still kind of scared to share this with my parents, even though I don’t think there’s anything in it they don’t know.   I guess the fear of parental disappointment has a lot of staying power.  In a much lighter vein, I was amused to see a slight change in the French song lyrics compared to the English: the first verse ends in English with, “[His] fleece was white as snow,” but the French translates to, “White as snow, he was beautiful.”  The explicit focus on beauty strikes me as very French.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

When I looked up the French lyrics, I was reminded of the message contained in the last couple of verses, which I think is very sweet.  Why does the lamb love Mary so?  Because Mary loves the lamb, you know.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

I used a progression from DHC with ideas and snippets from chats.  The picture was my impulse for this piece and the idea was taken from a chat. I used structure and rolls within this piece. 

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

Logistically it was the first piece from impulse to lift-off. It was emotionally satisfying when it was finally finished. 

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

I struggled with including a second rhythm and the melodies. During one of the chats a second rhythm was mentioned to make the piece more interesting. I put the rolls in it because of Sally and her wonderful playing. 

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

Just trying to evoke my own freedom of expression. 

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

The part of my life that was affected was understanding that perfect imperfection and deconstruction are more important than perfection. 

What were your personal “Ahas”?

In the project I used the 7 strings of passion from start to finish and ahas they really worked. 

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

Few mistakes but overall, it was a fun project. 

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is a piece I wrote about 5 years ago, “A Walk in the Deep Forest“. I wanted to apply the Strings of Passion to the performance, as well as use iMovie to add scenery.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

Three Strings of Passion stood out more for me than the others in developing and performing this project: 
1. Impulse—Act on and follow through with your ideas.
2. Character—Think about what the character of the piece needs to be and emphasize that.
3. De-construction—Break the piece apart and evaluate what needs to stay and what needs to change.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

I needed to learn how to use iMovie (YouTube tutorials); find appropriate scenery videos (making sure I could legally use them); and coordinate the timing of my video with the scenery videos.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

I feel I’m becoming more expressive in my playing, instead of holding back.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

My challenge was how to structure the piece, transitioning between the sections.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

When life feels overwhelming, de-construct; break apart into smaller issues, evaluate, then deal with each separately.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

Passion in the piece is more important than the notes.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

Song I composed for harp & voice

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I started this in our last class, and wanted to bring this to more of a completion. 

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

Sometimes YOU write the song and sometimes the SONG writes YOU.

Me: playing around with C to F vamp.
Song: Here’s a melody for that.

Me: That’s nice but I want to practice improvisation. Let me explore some other ideas.
Song: THIS IS THE MELODY.

Me: OK, OK. I’ll add an Am/F section to improvise on.
Song: Here’s the melody for that.

Me: Got it. I like that. I think it needs a bridge section. How about this C/Dm/Em chord structure?
Song: Great. How about this melody?

Me: I like it. This feels like a song now. So interesting there is no dominant chord.
Song: It needs lyrics.

Me: WHAT? Why didn’t you send those with the melody? I’m not good at adding them after the fact. I don’t even know what this is about. 

Me: I asked my harping peeps what images/feelings the song invokes. Lots of nature imagery, but I still don’t know what this is about. 
Song: Here’s one line.

Me: Oh. So that’s where this is going. 
Song: Yes. 

Me: I’ll try. 

Me: Wow. I had no idea. I just told this story to my granddaughter and here it is in a song. But now it needs an instrumental section.
Song: I think you’ve got it from here.

Me: Hey – Wait a minute. This is hard to sing and not quite in my range. 
Song: You’re the one who put it into C. 

Me: I WAS JUST TRYING TO IMPROVISE on C & F !!!!
Song: BTW, This could use a violin or cello, maybe some vocal harmonies.

Me. I can hear that… But I use lead sheets!! I only score things by hand!!!!! 
Song: Time to get a little help from your friends.  

Me: There’s a pandemic going on, you know. 
Song: I know. Why do you think you can hear me? 

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

My voice! I haven’t been singing and my voice is out of shape. And this song deserves a really good vocalist. But it’s just got me now, so here we go.

I’m feeling other limitations – needing to learn to score music on the computer, better sound equipment for recording.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

Being able to express a song with a serious theme while playing the harp. When i first got the lyrics to this song, it felt way too personal to share. But if the song was so insisting to be born, then it isn’t just for me. 

I experimented with different settings on my amp, i wanted the notes to sustain a little longer. 

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Sometimes the most important thing you can do is listen. 

What were your personal “Ahas”?

Being able to hear this in my head as a choral piece, with sustained harmonies and a violin/cello part. 

My next goal with this is to score it and have it performed in next year’s concert with the RidgeTones, our local choral group. 

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

I would love to know how people experience this song. What feelings, stories it invokes for them. And any questions that come up. Thanks.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

Playing a rondo form of Swan Lake snippet, and improv sections with video footage of gardens in Blenheim, NZ

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

How to move from minor to major in the improv sections.  Coaching in the office hour was very helpful for this.  Learning snippets with a descending bass that we’ve learnt in the chats.
My partner did the photography and editing for this video, using an iPhone and gimbal.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

I was told a couple of years ago that I couldn’t play a ballet piece on my Celtic harp and because I couldn’t read music.  So this made me more determined to give it a go and with the encouragement and teaching from DHC I soon discovered that you can do anything. The academy is non-judgemental and a wonderful learning environment.  

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

That it’s OK to do a snippet of a ballet piece and I can make up the improv sections.    It’s even more fun than trying to play the exact notes.  There’s plenty of people out there who can do that but my version is my own creation.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

The piece is in D major and playing in Bm and I could do the first improv in Bm but found it harder to do something in D.  I wanted it to sound sort of classical and I’m happy with what I achieved.  I will continue to work on this piece and it will evolve into something else in time.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Getting my partner involved as he used to be a photographer but hadn’t edited videos and I have difficulties with technology so he offered to help.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

That I can explore this rondo form for lots of other pieces of music which might be too difficult to play but I can now make them sound amazing with improv sections.  

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

I have always loved ballet music as my older sisters both did ballet and it’s my first memory of music as a baby.   I have wanted to play a ballet piece for some time but thought I couldn’t do it.  So thank you as I couldn’t have done this without your teaching.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is a medieval tune in 5-part format. I used only the A part of the tune to keep the video short.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I used the 7 strings of passion to decide how I wanted to arrange and present the song.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

It took simplifying and learning to be ok with simplicity, and letting go of the need to show I can do more difficult things.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

nothing to add here

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

nothing to add here

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

nothing to add here

What were your personal “Ahas”?

The beauty and power of simplicity.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

nothing to add here

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is my final project for Strings of Passion 2022

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I wanted to create a video taken in our new garden and also present my new composition. A composition I initially was very unsure of. The feedback I got for it in one of the chats really helped me. This piece has 3 different time signatures and it took a while to see that this defines the character of it. So especially the character module was important for me.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

This video is a first test to take videos in our new garden, so it took a while to find a good place to play with a nice background etc. 

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

Since I have missed the last part of the course I was unsure to create a final project at all. But I had planned to take a video of this new piece and decided to also use it as my final project. 

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

I was very unsure of the song and for a long time I thought it wasn’t good enough or too unsteady with 3 different time signatures. But in the end my creativity won my internal fight, the piece had to be like it came out of me.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Accept who you are and trust your own creativity.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

I can still create a final project, even though I have missed the last modules and the chats. I “just” need to trust myself and focus on the creativity.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

It’s a poem of Jochem Myjer (Dutch performer, who gave me consent to use it) that I translated into English and tried to find an accompaniment that suited the poem. With the 3 verses I used the same sequence in 3 different ways.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I improvised with a chord sequence as a starting point. Don’t know so much about principles, besides behaving respectfully and not bothering others I don’t have many. I hope this was not the case in this piece.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

Needed to find a text that touched me and got me inspired enough to be able to repeat it often and then develop some music fitting to the content. Logistically I needed enough time to doodle behind my harp and emotionally enough quietness to concentrate on how what I was doing was working out.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

As always I never can tell if my technical (in)capabilities make things boring to listen to. When I’ve heard it so much and it is so ingrained in my mind it stops being interesting to me.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

My technical incapabilities

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Being able to relax other people when they are fussing about not being good enough and then enjoyably playing together and see what comes out of it, just having fun.

What were your personal “Ahas”?

Lazily, reusing motifs can just be fine.

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

I hope they enjoy watching it.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

Final Blues Project for SOP.  I used melody 1, a riff and melody 2 which was new for me.  Getting the slap base together with the right hand notes and timing were a challenge and I practiced a lot.  I still have a long way to go but it is fun.

What principles from this course or from chats did you use to develop, perform, and record this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

Structure, look for it and use it
Practice, you will get incrementally better each time, so be focused and celebrate small successes

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally.

Logistically practicing slap base with one note, then with two etc as DHC showed me and a classmate was generous enough to post a video online helpful.  Just take little bits at a time.
Emotionally, detach from how bad things sound or how long it takes to get just a little something better.

What freedoms and blocks within yourself did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?

Struggle:  practicing the same 8 bars over and over and over and barely getting better.

What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?

Challenge:  I somewhat avoided freedom of expression by trying to do DHC’s blues versions exactly as they are written.  I didn’t make up any riffs and just do whatever.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned in this class, and how?

Classmates are so generous, it makes me more humble (and I consider myself a very humble person)

What were your personal “Ahas”?

I can keep dividing a string in half and get harmonic notes.  I thought I could only divide it once,

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

Think of yourself as being in a dark small club with lots of noise and glasses clinking!