One thing I love about teaching at Hip Harp Academy is getting to see the “Final Beginning Projects” that each student does. This is a culmination of Kathryn Dandurand’s experience in the Blues Harp-Style class – and this is just the beginning!

This post is from a series that shares the Final-Begining Projects from one of my first Blues Harpstyle online courses. Students created short videos based on what they learned in the course, and answered 5 questions about what they got from the challenge of this project.

KATHRYN SAYS …

1. Give a short description of what it took for you to get to the place of being able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally

I wanted to put a string of snipets of familiar standard blues tunes together to play for patients by the bedside in my therapeutic music work. I wanted to be able to offer something from the blues genre.  I wasn’t able to get even the printed version of Swingin’ Shepherd Blues under my fingers in time and was frustrated about what to do for my final project.

Then one day,  I was swimming after work in the hospital, and started singing these lyrics to my own version of  the Swingin’ Shepherd Blues.  I got inspired by other people’s theatrics on their videos and had fun with the idea of dressing up, etc. and found that it’s more about creating your own Blues.  At least patients and staff might get a laugh out of this song, or even some empathy.

I got inspired by other people's theatrics on their videos and had fun with the idea of dressing up Share on X

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

Wanting to try to do it all, over complicating it, and losing the whole groove.

3. What challenges did you meet to connect with your own freedom of expression in this project?

Just to accept where I am at this moment in playing the blues and just do that.

4. What were your personal “Ahas”?

Blues are all about feeling, feeling the groove.  I Played slowly and simply to allowed the emotions to seep out.  The structure of the 12 bars blues leads to the freedom of improvisation.

I Played slowly and simply to allowed the emotions to seep out. Share on X

5. Is there anything else you´d like to tell people who are watching your video?

When I went through the review of the course, I was amazed at how much I’d really learned about the blues.  Different bass rhythms, riffs, slides, ornamentation, blowing, in heads, out heads, blues in all sorts of keys……wow!   And a lot more that I want to explore in the next few months.  Thanks DHC for the “get it into your hands now imperfectly , and you have the rest of your life to explore it,“ teacher that you are!

I went through the review of the course, I was amazed at how much I’d really learned about the blues. Share on X

A NOTE TO THE READER FROM DHC

Hey, thanks for reading this example of what it’s like to go thru a course with me! Did you have A-ha’s or revelations watching the video & reading the answers she wrote? Add your comments below. Please – no critiques – just share what you learned from someone courageously sharing a project that’s the BEGINNING of a lifelong learning journey.

Check out the beginning of a lifelong #harp learning journey Share on X

Want to do some courageous learning yourself? Click here to check out my next online course especially for harp players.