HARPISTS: Join the FREE Opening Webinar of “Structure is Freedom” program Register FREE
HARPISTS: Join the Hip Harp Academy Kickstart Week! Register FREE
Deborah Henson-Conant’s
HIP HARP
ACADEMY
The World’s Premiere Online Program
for Creative Harpists
from Fledgling to Advanced Players
Where music is about CONNECTION…
not Perfection
What if you already had all the skills you need to express yourself…
But you didn’t know how to use them?
Well, that’s all about to change!
“Hip Harp Academy” is all about learning fundamental skills of creativity to support the talents you already have and give you the tools, templates, blueprints and practices to free you from the notes on the page.
This webinar excerpt gives the nuts & bolts of Hip Harp Academy – the schedule, how live events and replays work, how much time members spend each week. PLUS interviews with two members so you can hear, in their own words, how the Academy works for THEM!
Join Us for the “Structure is Freedom” Quarter
Thru December 2024
Membership is $400 OFF thru Oct. 29
Structure is Freedom
The “Structure is Freedom” opening Celebration includes a series of FREE events: The 5-Day Harp Improv Adventure, “Structure is Freedom” Intro Webinar and the “Kickstart Week” of 3 FREE classes so you can get a taste of the Academy.
These 3 events also prepare members – whether you’re new or ongoing – in the fundamental skills and tools we’ll be using throughout the quarter: The 5-Part Arrangement Framework, Roles of Engagement, Fencepost Improv, Snippets and fundamentals of Modulation.
The Outcome of this Quarter is that you will be a new kind of musician: One who’s able to effortlessly, joyfully and spontaneously create music at any moment using any simple tune combined with the framework and tools from the course, somone who can spin an arrangement that has a beginning, middle and end; who can easily create and play a ‘set’ of these arrangements – and who can use small musical snippets to ‘fill’ or ‘explore’ moments within or between tunes. I hope you’ll join the Academy for this adventure with me!
The Academy combines THREE powerful learning modes:
Classes ~ Coaching ~ Community
The Academy combines dozens of CLASSES you can take self-paced or as part of the Guided Curriculum – with COACHING from an Award-Winning international harp innovator and role-model to give you direction and support- and a powerful, inspiring, supportive COMMUNITY of harpists around the world – so you never have to do it alone.
JOIN HIP HARP ACADEMY NOW
THE CLASSES
The Academy has dozens of classes in improv, arrangement and performance to give you the skills you need to break away from the notes on the page.
They’re available in the Learning Vault and you can access any of them 24/7 with your membership. But you don’t have to do them alone. We’ve crafted a quarterly pathway we take together as a community – and each quarter focuses on a specific creative framework and set of tools.
In addition to the Quarterly Focus, Academy Members have access to all the classes in the Learning Vault, pre-recorded trainings available 24/7 for those who like to learn at their own pace.
The Learning Vault
Dozens of classes like these in the Learning Vault take you through the fundamentals of harmony, jazz, blues, vamps, how to read lead sheets, how to play and sing, “Beyond the Page” classes that break down specific songs to their fundamental parts so YOU can learn to play them and improvise with them and “Blueprints for Creativity” that gives you the framework for improv structures.
Jazz for Harps
LEARN MORE
“Jazz for Harps” covers the 4 Quadrants of Learning Jazz & Improv: Harmony, Rhythm, Roadmaps of tunes, and Improvisation.
Learning the basics of how jazz ‘works’ expands your ability to improvise in every style of music – from jazz to folk to meditation music – and gives you skills in creating your own music, playing with ensembles and expanding the pieces you already play by adding improv sections or expanding the harmony.
LEARN MORE
“Blues Harp-Style” is 6-Module online course, especially for harp players. It gives you secrets to playing one of the world’s most fun, useful, and expressive musical forms: the Blues – no matter what your skill level.
By the end of the course you’ll be bending notes, improvising bass lines, comping, playing riffs and rhythms – and you’ll know how to do it alone or with others!
You’ll liberate yourself from the page by learning how the Blues WORKS – then expand your improv skills by learning to simplify, embellish and even modify Blues for therapeutic playing!
Blues Harp-Style
LEARN MORE
“Summer Harp Jam” is a 6-week playalong Virtual Summer Camp for harp players that’s all about learning improvisation by playing along.
You’ll get left-hand patterns, right-hand patterns, rhythmic patterns and chord progressions that start you improvising immediately.
Learn improvisation while you play…liberating you from the notes on the page and opening up your creative power!
Summer Harp Jam
Hands-on-Harmony
LEARN MORE
This essential course is always available for “at your own pace” learning because it gives you a theory and harmony foundation specifically for HARP – with hands-on exercises that get the harmony directly into your fingers.
“Hands on Harmony” teaches you the essentials of how to EXPAND chords, create ALTERATIONS and apply SUBSTITUTIONS. It also gives you an introduction into the world of harmonic PROGRESSIONS, with many play-along exercises to integrate what you’re learning.
Lead Sheet Bootcamp
LEARN MORE
What if you were liberated from the notes on the page, free to interpret music any way you wanted: as a meditation, as a joyful upbeat romp, as a sing-along, as a rhapsody.
What if you were creating a full arrangement – including improvisation – by looking at a single line melody and some chord symbols?
What if you could spontaneously sit down and create a whole repertoire this way?
This is what it means to arrange from a lead sheet. Anyone has the technical ability to do it as soon they have basic facility on their instrument. You just need to know the process for doing it AND the practice of applying that process.
“Beyond the Page”
LEARN MORE
“Beyond the Page” Immersion classes show you how to deconstruct and reinvent pieces including New Blues, Pachelbel’s Canon, The Nightingale and others — these immersions are currently only available as part of the year-long Academy Curriculum.
Hip Harp Toolkit
LEARN MORE
The Academy’s repertoire-building powerhouse program,”Hip Harp Toolkit” teaches you to create spontaneous arrangements from any simple tune using a 5-part arrangement blueprint.
You’ll also learn how to modulate, create medleys and power-generate repertoire whether you’re a professional harpist looking to liberate yourself from the notes on the page, an impassioned amateur who wants to play for family or friends, or a harp therapy practitioner looking for ways to be more responsive to your clients while expanding your repertoire and improvisation techniques.
The Toolkit also includes a module on the business basics of promoting and sharing your repertoire.
LEARN MORE
What if you could learn the art of singing and playing harp – together at the same time – in just a couple of hours?
Well, you CAN – if you know how to approach the learning process, and are able to simplify it to start with only 3 chords – so you can shift between them with your eyes closed (yes, literally closed).
This is actually the way that every ukulele and guitar player starts – with 3 chords – and you can start the same way, too – learning by shape and quickly developing a repertoire of songs you can sing alone or with others.
Once you’ve learned to do this at a simple level, “Sing & Play Harp” also shows you how you can expand and embellish what you’ve learned as your skills develop.
Sing & Play Harp
Strings of Passion
LEARN MORE
“Strings of Passion” is create to develop creative rigor: the ability to distinguish and use the 7 principles that develop your creative resonance – the skills that transform a ho-hum recital into an electrifying performance – the key to your creative expression in any area of your life – and specifically as applied to music.
We’ll learn the 7 strings: Impulse, Structure, Character, Roles, Practice, Deconstruction, Lift-Off – and how they work together to empower and liberate your creative journey internally – and externally through your instrument.
This class will enhance your ability to listen as you play, to use blueprints for improvisation, and to develop your own daily creative practice – with video lessons, prompts, meditations, an online “Creativity Gym” and a workbook full of creative exercises. This class powerfully combines mindset with usable techniques whether you’re playing classical music, jazz, or improvising a meditation.
Baroque Flamenco
LEARN MORE
Baroque Flamenco’ Beyond the Page” is a 3-week, 12 module course created especially for the impassioned harp player. Learn secrets from the composer of how to play her harp fiery showpiece, “Baroque Flamenco”,’ at your skill level on your harp.
You’ll learn to EXPAND it if you’re an advanced player and SIMPLIFY it if you’re still a fledgling player. You’ll learn to make the dramatic Flamenco cadenza SIZZLE and how to end the piece with so much inner fire that you COMPEL your audience to jump up and shout! You’ll even learn to RESTYLE the piece to play it as a meditative or bedside piece!
One Song: The Nightingale
LEARN MORE
“One Song” is a new way of learning music: to distill a piece, get to the heart of it quickly, and then to go deep with it, learning to play it as a simple instrument, or to sing with it, to turn it into a duet, an ensemble piece, or a meditation for responsive playing.
When you learn to do that with One Song – you’ll know the secret of how to do it with any song.
Blueprints for Creativity
LEARN MORE
“Blueprints for Creativity” is a set of seven creative music templates that give you just enough structure to set you free – and the training in how to use them to create massive repertoire very quickly. For those who want to prepare their own way for an Academy Experience, this class gives you the foundational Blueprints that we use in the Academy classrooms.
THE COACHING
Deborah Henson-Conant’s World-Class COACHING integrates the classes, gives accountability, and provides you ways to apply the training to your specific goals while Conservatory-trained assistant coach, Sally Walstrum, gives support in technique and logistics in the “Catch-Up Coaching” sessions.
There are 5 Live sessions you can attend each week. Most people choose one a week – but all five are available so that at least one should fit your schedule.
MONDAYS: 2 LIVE weekly Learning Labs (the “Chats”) – to fit your schedule – and the “Transformational Practices” mastermind. The chats combine a weekly improv “Snippet” training and feedback coaching for those who request it.
THURSDAY & FRIDAY: Each day there’s a smaller, more casual live session where you can ask questions, get feedback on projects or ask for support in areas where you’re stuck.
Weekly LIVE Virtual Learning Labs
In a deeply supportive virtual classroom of 20-35 harpists, worldwide.
Weekly OFFICE HOURS
In a smaller group of 12-18 harpists, with open questions and coaching time
CATCH-UP COACHING
Feeling behind, with a group of 4-12 harpists you get to catch up on any part of the Academy.
Working with a Master-Coach gives you new creative solutions.
Academy creator and coach, Deborah Henson-Conant (“DHC”) is an iconic innovator in the harp world, co-creator of the CAMAC “DHC” harp and a Grammy-Nominated, international touring artist who is dedicated to passing on the power and freedom of her creative experience to harpists worldwide.
DHC has spent a lifetime exploring and self-expression. She’s performed her own original orchestral works as a soloist with the Boston Pops, Baltimore Symphony and National Symphony Orchestra, received multiple awards including a Grammy Nomination, NEA and “Meet the Composer” Grants, collaborated on stage with Bobby McFerrin, Steve Vai, and Mason Williams, was the first woman instrumentalist signed to the GRP Jazz Label, and tours the world as a soloist and collaborator. She’s been featured in two PBS Music Specials includes her own “Invention & Alchemy” and has been featured on NBC’s “Today Show,” CBS “Sunday Morning” and speaking from her harp in her TEDx talk.
THE COMMUNITY
The Academy Community is a powerful and supportive group of harpists from all over the world. In addition to the official Academy Curriculum, Academy members create mini-trainings to teach specialized skills to each other, host a Harp Therapy Mastermind, Social Salons and member-run classes within the Academy to support each other in learning. Members direct-connect with each other during the LIVE Masterclasses and Office Hours and in the membership Facebook Group.
It’s all about CONNECTION … not perfection.
- With a commitment to connection, not perfection, the Academy Membership of harpists from around the world, are committed to support each other in breaking away from the notes on the page
- When you see others challenge themselves it’s more inspiring and encouraging than all the self-help books in the world.
- You get support and camaraderie in learning the skills, tools, mindset and confidence to express yourSELF with your music.
- Members range from dedicated, impassioned amateurs to professional players, all dedicated to overcoming perfectionism, sharing their most authentic creative self through the harp – and having fun doing it!
JOIN HIP HARP ACADEMY NOW
Invest in Your Creative Freedom
Take your creative expression to the next level
With a Full YEAR of Academy Classes & Community
$597 $497 During Early-Bird
One Payment of $1997 $1597
$400 OFF During Open Enrollment
Join by Oct 23, 2024 to lock in this pricing
FOR A FULL YEAR
of COACHING, CLASSES & COMMUNITY
12-Months Access to all Classes, Coaching & Chats, Office Hours and Academy Events
Click the “Register Now” Button below to see your discount!
3 Payments of $215 $179 During Early-Bird
(Scroll down in order form to “Payment Plans”)
3 Payments of $215 $179 During Early-Bird
(Scroll down in order form to “Payment Plans”)
12 Payments of $185 $147
Join by Oct 23, 2024 to lock in this pricing
(Scroll down in order form to “Payment Plans”)
FOR A FULL YEAR
of COACHING, CLASSES & COMMUNITY
12-Months Access to all Classes, Coaching & Chats, Office Hours and Academy Events
Click the “Register Now” Button below to see your discount!
For Upgrades & Renewals (click to open)
This info is for those who have taken a paid class recently and would like to upgrade to the full Academy Membership — or those who are current members wanting to renew.
TO UPGRADE
When you take a stand-alone class from the Academy, you have the option to upgrade to Full Academy Membership within 30 days – and you can apply 100% of what you paid for the class to your membership.
Here’s how to Upgrade:
==> Use this UPGRADE ORDER FORM, put your UPGRADE CODE into the “promo code” field & hit “apply” to get your discount.
- If you don’t have an upgrade code, use the Ask-a-Question form to let us know which class you’re upgrading from and we’ll send you the code.
- We want to make getting into the Academy as easy as possible for you, so if you’ve missed the deadline, reach out anyway – and we’ll see what we can do.
TO RENEW:
- If you’ve been in the Academy for at least one year & you’re renewing, use this order form to RENEW with your discount code and put your “Elite” discount code in the Promo Code field. You’ll be able to choose to pay in full or a payment plan. Renewal also gives you ‘Elite’ status with extra Elite-Only chats.
- If the Academy price has gone up since you joined, don’t worry. Your code should bring it back down to your original locked-in price.
- If the code doesn’t work didn’t get a renewal discount code, use the “Ask a Question” form to let us know and ask us to send it to you.
- I look forward to spending another year with you!
See you in the Academy!
What students say about learning with
Deborah Henson-Conant & Hip Harp Academy
“My sheet music has always been my safety net, and I couldn’t imagine myself to perform anything by memory. But when you broke Baroque Flamenco down into small pieces, it all felt so simple. I felt so safe. Thank you so much for making me do something that I thought was impossible.“
“I have not had this much fun playing my harp for months. Since I’m fairly new to the harp; I’m also learning a great deal from the suggestions, ideas and comments of everyone. Taking copious notes & tucking them away for when I’m ready for new concepts.”
Laurie Esch Taylor
“I play almost daily at the hospital or hospice, and put all of this into practice immediately, so it really sinks in.”
Betsy Scott Chapman
“She makes it possible no matter what your musical ability is. Thank you DHC!”
Katrina Sleight
“This was the single most important musical course I have ever done in years of learning harp, and I would recommend it to anyone at any musical level.
The course was absolutely jam-packed with incredible information, carefully structured so anyone at any level can work with the concepts … and the concepts I learned have become integral to my harping experience, like a kind of ‘harping code’.“
With this one course, Deborah gave me all the tools I needed for arranging music.” Blythe Tait (Australia)
“As an adult beginner on harp, I thought your “New Blues” was way too hard for me, but after I took ‘New Blues Beyond the Page’ I realized I CAN PLAY IT!”
“You provide the most inspiring, amazing space for students to break through the challenges, let go, and feel free.
It is so fascinating how you explore the emotional and spiritual aspects of music together.
I love how you keep it real and think out of the box all at the same time, and I love both the fun and profound sides of what you express and explore.”
Tess Nurman
“When I first met Deborah’s work I assumed she would be far above what I could ever do so didn’t look to work with her. But then a 5 Day Challenge made me realize how incredibly skilled she is at recognizing & affirming the beauty of the simple, at bringing every single person along with her, no matter at what stage they are, that every single person can leave her armed with a new bag of goodies and a knowing of where they’re going.”
Helen Bawden
No child should EVER go through years and years of music lessons and end up like so many of us … unable to really play anything without the music in front of us.
You are the way-shower for anyone who actually wants to know music and make music. You are freeing humanity to tune into the music that we were born to express.
Dr. Christiane Northrup
With less effort than it would take to learn ONE complicated piece, I have the foundation and tools to take all my playing to a higher level.
Diane Giorgio
If there is one lesson that DHC emphasizes over and over, it is to appreciate and enjoy what we can do at this time, knowing that we can and will continue to improve.
This support has had an effect on me that has gone beyond my harp-playing.
Harriet McKenna
FAQs
How long is the Hip Harp Academy?
You are signing up for a 12 month adventure when you join Hip Harp Academy. That means that you can take any or ALL of the courses in Hip Harp Academy, either at your own pace or in the guided interactive versions DHC leads (i.e. the “Guided Curriculum) — or BOTH — at any time, or as many times as you want for the whole year. If you renew your membership at the end of that year, then you’ll get another whole year of access.
You can join the Academy any time and get 24/7 access to everything in the Learning Vault, to learn at your own pace, BUT it can be fun to start at the beginning of a quarter.
What if I’m not Tech-Savvy … or a downright Technophobe??
Even people who consider themselves completely non-tech-savvy have said they’re able to access and enjoy the course. Some people even say that one of the big benefits of membership is getting help becoming more tech savvy.
Most course modules are provided in 3 formats: streaming video, PDF worksheets and downloadable audio.
Do I have to do homework?
I encourage everyone to do the suggested work in the classes and share it to get coaching. While that can be intimidating at first, ultimately it’s liberating, fun and confidence-building.
Are ALL the courses already available right now? If I wanted to hunker down and take them all in the first year, could I do that?
Yes. Although you probably wouldn’t be able to do anything else. There are a LOT of classes!
When are the courses available and for how long?
The courses are available 24/7 for as long as you remain a member of the Academy. In addition to being able to go through the courses at your own pace whenever you want, DHC also runs interactive “Guided” versions of most courses on a schedule throughout the year. Once you’re in the Academy, you can choose either option – or both – whatever makes the learning work for you.
How do the “levels” of the Academy work?
The Academy is a Yearlong Membership program with THREE LEVELS
- FREE LEVEL includes fun resources everyone can enjoy (and you can stay in FREE LEVEL as long as you like – whether you renew your other membership levels or not)
- FULL LEVEL includes ALL the online courses you see on this page. When you join at FULL level, you can take any of the courses at your own pace any time OR join the guided interactive versions of the courses OR do BOTH.
- HARNESS YOUR MUSE – if you’re ready to develop a new project, like an album, a concert, a show (or you want to COMPLETE one you started), or work with a new kind of ensemble – like a trio, or chamber group – or if you want to work on career development you can apply for the “Harness Your Muse” mentorship project. Read more and apply here.
Is there any way to see inside the Academy to get an idea how it’s set up?
YES!! You can sign up for my FREE “HaRpy Birthday” mini-training (https://pr205.isrefer.com/go/HBF/DHC/) and you’ll get right into the FREE level of the Academy where you’ll see how it’s all set up.
What if I live in a timezone that makes it difficult for me to attend ‘live’ events? Will they be videotaped for replay?
- The TRAINING MODULES are all already all videotaped, and we’re just transferring them to the new classroom now (but there’s a lot of content so we’re doing it class by class)
- Any LIVE CHATS and EVENTS will be videotaped (barring major equipment gremlins) — and the replays will be available to everyone who has FULL membership.
- We currrently hold the weekly Masterclass TWICE each Monday so that it’s accessible for people in multiple timezone.
- For people who want to ask questions but can’t make the live chats or masterclasses, you’ll be able to submit your questions in advance via the “Ask a Question” form
Exactly what is the cost?
Yearly membership is $1997. Once you become a member, the price you paid is locked in – and will remain the same for as long as you maintain your membership, even if the price of the Academy goes up.
Can I get credit for a class I took when I "upgrade" from a single class to the full Academy Membership?
YES! If you choose to upgrade within 30 days of purchasing any class, you can apply 100% of what you paid to Academy Membership as a class credit.
Do you provide payment plans?
Yes. We almost always have at least one payment plan available for any class that’s over $150.
Can I get a Refund?
We operate a strict no-refund policy. Join the community, take action, invest your heart and soul in our own creative expression and you’ll never want to leave, let alone a refund… trust me!
Next Question
The next question might be the one you have! So if the answer to your question isn’t listed above, send it via my “Ask a Question” form and we’ll try to answer as soon as I can!