Making ‘Virtual’ come Alive – Hip Harp Toolkit in Action

Yesterday was the first ‘live’ day of my new  Hip Harp Toolkit online course. Jeila, my new artist liaison was in the office and wrote this blog while I was online with the students:

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What an amazing experience! I’m so happy I got to watch this!

I never knew an online class could be so personal! Deborah is able to interact and connect with her students as if they were in the room with her.

She hosted two Fancy-Dress “Meet & Greet” Events Today – virtual parties that let everyone get familiar with the website and have a chance to say “hello” during the first week of the course (she got dressed-up – that’s why she’s got those long rhinestone earrings on.)

The students are from all over the world, so she held one “Meet & Greet” at 10:30 am and one at 2:30 pm to make it more accessible for people in various timezones.

After the parties, there was a live chat for students to ask questions! I got to hear and see so many people — all of them harp players, all different technical levels – from teenagers to professionals, all in different parts of the country – and the world!

Technology is SO COOL! This is all that “future-y” stuff that I daydreamed about when I was a little kid. People talking, learning, and creating things through computers! It’s amazing!!!

Take a look at these photos from today’s events

Here is a screen shot of DHC and student, Mary, who was showing Deborah her Paraguayan harp.

And MY FAVORITE…..BEHIND THE SCENES!! This is how the office looks when Deborah is interacting online!

I also loved it when she spontaneously decided to give the students a 360-degree look at the whole room, by swivelling the computer around

Since I got to sit in the office and listen to Deborah talk to the students, I got to learn too! They asked her all kinds of questions, but my ears perked up when I heard her answer the question:

“What do you do when you get into a MUSICAL RUT?”

She answered with this list:

1. She will read or invent a story, and write songs for characters
2. She will tell herself to sit down and write 10 “bad” songs
3. She gives herself stringent deadlines
4. She will physically change her relation to the instrument. She’ll try playing her harp backwards. This makes it so she has to break patterns– she can’t fall into her usual habits.
5. She will offer her harp to another musician who doesn’t play harp ... and the new way they approach it inspires her to come up with new ideas.

Guys, there are still TWO SPOTS ONE SPOT left in Hip Harp Toolkit. Learn more about the course here.  (Yowza!  Since Jeila wrote this someone else signed up – so check it out and if the payment link is still working, then that final spot is yours!!)