FAQ

If you have a question, scroll down to look for the answer. If you don’t see it,  use the search field.  If you still don’t find your answer, use the “Ask a Question” form.

 If you are a full Academy Member, you should be able to access most of the pages that are linked in the following categories. There are a few resources that are only for “Harness Your Muse” members. If you’re unable to access a resource you think you should have access to, use the “Ask a Question” form to tell us exactly the problem you’re having.

If you’re in a stand-alone class, you should have access to the pages that are for the class you’re in, but you won’t have access to all of them. 

If you think you should have access to a page you don’t have access to, use the “Ask a Question” form to let us know exactly what page you’re tryng to get access to.  Please take the time to explain it clearly and give us the URL (link) to this page and tell us exactly what page you can’t access

Hip Harp Academy Curriculum Overview

This is an overview of all Hip Harp Academy Curriculum. Note that this curriculum is constantly expanding and transforming so it may not always be a completely accurate reflection of what’s available in the Academy right at this moment, but it will give you a good general idea.

Warmups

Note that, depending on your membership level, you may not have access to all of the resources below.  To get full Access, make sure you have full-level membership by registering at HipHarpAcademy.com

Below is a list of all “Warmups” POSTS & PAGES

This link will open all the Warmup POSTS in a separate tab. Or click on each separately below.

Note: Many of the following resources are from replays of webinars or other trainings. 

Ignore this:  catlist orderby=title order=ASC excerpt=full name=warmups
Resources

Note that, depending on your membership level, you may not have access to all of the resources below.  To get access to most of them, make sure you have full-level membership by registering at HipHarpAcademy.com.    There are also some resources only available to “Harness Your Muse” members.

 

Below is a list of “Resources” POSTS & PAGES available to ALL Academy Members

Note: Many of the following resources are from replays of webinars or other trainings. 
Scroll down for a list of additional resources that are only available to Harness Your Muse Mentorship members.

Below is a list of additional “Resources” POSTS & PAGES available ONLY to Harness Your Muse Mentorship Members

  • ADVANCE: Advance Sheet Info (I)
    ADVANCE: Advance Sheet Info (I)
  • ARRANGE-O-MATIC: The Super Arrange-O-Matic (I)
    ARRANGE-O-MATIC: The Super Arrange-O-Matic (I)
  • ASANA: Big Picture ASANA & Worksheets (UD 221227) (I)
    ASANA: Big Picture ASANA & Worksheets (UD 221227) (I)
  • AUDIENCE: Find Your Audience Connection (I)
    Click the following link to automatically download this video: https://player.vimeo.com/external/180799460.sd.mp4?s=808ddbdb63f1fdc8b3b5b0a97e313f9efc7f9c9d&profile_id=164&download=1 Download the audio for this video in the SoundCloud player below by clicking the download icon (the arrow pointing to the horizontal line) in the righthand corner. NOTE: The player may take a little while to load.  You may need to refresh your page or leave the page for ...
  • BIG PICTURE: Big Picture Map (Worksheet) (I)
    BIG PICTURE: Big Picture Map (Worksheet) (I)
  • BINDER: Course Binder Setup (I)
    This is a one-page document that will help you organize your show binder(s). Download it here or by clicking on the image below:
  • BIO: “I Hate to Write My Bio!” Worksheet (I)
    Click the following link to automatically download this video: https://player.vimeo.com/external/180417578.sd.mp4?s=c203d8343debc7317745d44af6215f8d4b5331d2&profile_id=164&download=1 Download the audio for this video in the SoundCloud player below by clicking the download icon (the arrow pointing to the horizontal line) in the righthand corner. NOTE: The player may take a little while to load.  You may need to refresh your page or leave the page ...
  • BLOG 101: Creating Your Private Test Blog (R)
    Even if you’re never planning to post a public blog, private blogs will be the easiest way to share written materials, videos, images, flyers, programs, etc – and working in this format will also get you more comfortable with the logistics of blogging if you’re not doing it already. I posted this video on YouTube ...
  • BOOKS: Books of the Month
    Although we are no longer doing a book of the month, I wanted you to have a list of the books and videos we’ve looked at previously to use as a resource. All of these materials have had an important impact on my own work and reading the books or listening to the videos is a ...
  • BUDDY: Accountability Buddy Work (I)
    BUDDY: Accountability Buddy Work (I)
  • BUILD: Build Your Repertoire (R)
    BUILD: Build Your Repertoire (R)
  • CLARIFY: Clarify Your Vision & Big Picture Map (Worksheet) (I)
    CLARIFY: Clarify Your Vision & Big Picture Map (Worksheet) (I)
  • Community Map of People Connections (Example) (I)
    Community Map of People Connections (Example) (I)
  • CONDITION: Condition & Routine Builder (I)
    This PDF will explain how you can set up conditions and routines that will contribute to your success. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • COPY: Finding Your Marketing Copy (I)
    Below you’ll see the video of a session where I’m running through and explaining how to use “The Big Picture Game” worksheet  with Shelley to find the marketing for her “StartHarp flyer.” Download the Big Picture Game PDF here or by clicking on the image below: Here’s a session in action: [Navigate to it on YouTube to watch ...
  • DAILY: Daily Practice Worksheet (I)
    This worksheet provides you with a guideline to make your daily practice more efficient. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • DUMP: Dump Sheet (I)
    The Dump Sheet is a kind of catch-all for the ideas, people, team members, suggestions, examples, tune names, etc. It’s the first thing I suggest people work on. For now, download it and put it in your HYMM binder. It’s also good to create some kind of online/computer method for collecting the same kind of material when ...
  • EZINE (I)
    What is an Ezine? “Ezine” stands for “Email Magazine” – it’s your own personal mini-magazine you create yourself and distribute via email to the people who have signed up to receive them on your email mailing list. Why do you need one? For the same reason it’s helpful to send invitations and notifications to people by mail ...
  • FILTERS: Content Development using Creative Filters or “Shape-Shifters” (R)
    I use different “Filters” or “Shape-Shifters” to help me shape my shows.  These are some of the ones I use the most.  You can see a description of each below and then download the templates at the bottom of the page. A Program A Poster A Script (download an example of one of my early drafts of “Electra’s Lyre” ...
  • HARMONY: Harmony Thoughts: Chords, Extension, Substitution & Alteration (I)
    This is just a page of thoughts I wrote down about how to alter, extend, build, and substitute chords.  Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • HELPER: Harp Helper Outline (I)
    This is a detailed document which will give you an idea of what happens tech-wise in my shows-i.e. what will happen at a gig and a bit of background into how we prepare. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:
  • ICK: The Ick Pot (a.k.a. the Demon Pot) (I)
    Download an MP3 of this video here – you will be taken to a separate page where you can right click (or “Control” – click) on the MP3 player and then select “Save Video As” or “Download Video As” to download and save the file on your computer. I call this pot different things: sometimes the “Ick ...
  • KIT: Social Media Kit (I)
    This PDF tells you what you need to include in your social media kit in order to effectively market yourself or your show, including a web poster, printable poster, Facebook boostable images, and a basic promo video. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • LANDING: Landing or Offer Pages (R)
    A “Landing Page” or “Offer Page” outlines your ‘thing’ so that people know what it is. Here’s what you’ll be able to download below to help you create your Landing Page or Offer Page: Anatomy of a Landing Page Cheatsheet (1 page): It’s a down-and dirty composite I made when I was first learning to make landing pages ...
  • LEVERS: How I define my levers (I)
    You can define your levers however you want.  If it’s not an issue for you – like if your pieces are in standard keys, then you can just list the key instead of the levers. I often have different parts of my harp tuned in different ways, or non-standard keys – and I don’t remember that ...
  • MARKET: Muse to Market Overview (I)
    This is an overview of the first phase of the Harness Your Muse Mastermind program and will guide you through structuring and managing your career as a performer. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • MARKETING: Basic Marketing One-Sheet (I)
    This PDF lists ways to market your project, show, or yourself!  Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • META: Here’s How the HYMM Program Works (R)
    META: Here's How the HYMM Program Works (R)
  • MINDSET (R)
    MINDSET (R)
  • MISTAKES: Famous Mistakes in Promoting (I)
    OK .. these aren’t really famous … they’re just my mistakes. It’s soooo easy to make mistakes of omission in telling your story. I’ve made posters that include everything except my name! Just recently, I printed 1000 cool postcards for my Fall 2013 shows: If you don’t see anything amiss with this … you’ll get why I didn’t catch ...
  • OVERVIEW: Program Overview (I)
    The program overview will likely be changing a bit as we go – but this how I see it. As you know I need to see things all on a single page, so this may look dense but it helps me see the program as a whole. Again – don’t worry.   Not everyone needs ALL of ...
  • PACKAGING: Packaging Value Overview (I)
    This worksheet will help you determine and package your value as an artist. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • PHOTOS: Google Photos “How-to” Manual (I)
    After the August Retreat, my assistant, Kim Jarvis, set up a GooglePhotos folder for us to make it easier to share photos.  She also created this excellent manual which you can download as a PDF here or by clicking on the image below. You’ll notice that this document includes How-To’s for YOU, the USERS of the ...
  • PICTURE: Get the Picture (R)
    PICTURE: Get the Picture (R)
  • PICTURE: Your Big Picture (R)
    PICTURE: Your Big Picture (R)
  • POSTER: Sketch Out Your Poster (I)
    Click the following link to automatically download this video: https://player.vimeo.com/external/180800505.sd.mp4?s=049a99a54864aca42d05332dc3ba5a616d02900f&profile_id=164&download=1 Download the audio for this video in the SoundCloud player below by clicking the download icon (the arrow pointing to the horizontal line) in the righthand corner. NOTE: The player may take a little while to load.  You may need to refresh your page or leave the page for ...
  • PROJECT: Project Worksheet & Tracker (I)
    These worksheets will help you jumpstart your project(s) and keep track of your progress on them. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • REPERTOIRE: Repertoire Builder (I)
    REPERTOIRE: Repertoire Builder (I)
  • REVIEW: Write Your First Glowing Review (R)
    Click the following link to automatically download this video: https://player.vimeo.com/external/180800039.sd.mp4?s=2103880c10a6dc5eafcd6f94de60d87b57637d52&profile_id=164&download=1 Download the audio for this video in the SoundCloud player below by clicking the download icon (the arrow pointing to the horizontal line) in the righthand corner. NOTE: The player may take a little while to load.  You may need to refresh your page or leave the page for ...
  • RIDER & STAGEPLOT: Tech Rider & Stageplot/Diagram (I)
    The tech rider is a 3-page contract regarding technical requirements at show venues. Within the tech rider, you will find a stageplot/diagram that will give you an idea of how to set up your show stage. We’ve included the stageplot as a separate PDF on this page below the tech rider. Download the tech rider, which ...
  • SESSION: Session Info (R)
    SESSION: Session Info (R)
  • SHORTCOMINGS: The Put-Together-and-Get-Real Moment (I)
    There are many times during the creation process when you need to assess the difference between where you WANT to be and where you ARE. These are “Get Real” moments.  I call them “Shortcomings” because they’re areas where the place we WANT to be is short of the place where we ARE and that creates a ...
  • SHOW: Show Order Builder (I)
    So now you’ve done this: Dumped everything you COULD have in your show into your dump sheet Transferred them into your “Repertoire Builder” and added at least the “I Love” and “Easy-Hard” numbers If you haven’t already, use the Excel ‘sort’ function to sort by the column about “I Love” and “Easy-Hard” – that will show you which ...
  • SHOWTIME: 8 Weeks to Showtime (R)
    SHOWTIME: 8 Weeks to Showtime (R)
  • SYNOPSIS: Sunday Synopsis (I)
    Download the Sunday Synopsis form to use as your template. Copy this master each week to create your Sunday Synopsis Print it as a PDF & share it with your Accountability Buddy and with ME OR …. Download the WORD version of the document below, save it as a template, fill it out out each week, save as a ...
  • TEASERS: Video Teasers (I)
    This is a fun homework exercise from the original “Hip Harp Toolkit” – give it a try! Create a Video “Advertisement” for your program, like the kind of cheesy adverts they have for song compilations, with contrasting musical clips.  You can really have fun with this. Use this script for your video advertisement: “NAME is playing DATE/TIME at ...
  • TIME: Time Planning (I)
    These are the materials you can use to help you be more successful in time planning and time keeping. Here is the time-tracking sheet DHC uses to organize her time. Download it here or by clicking on the image below: We’ve also provided the Daysheet that DHC uses to organize and prioritize her time and tasks. You’ll find ...
  • TIMELINE: Show Timeline (I)
    This is a 3-page guideline to follow when preparing for your show. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:
  • TOUCHPOINTS: Social Media Touchpoints (I)
    This PDF will help you touch base will how, why, and where you’re connected within the social media universe. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:  
  • TRUING: Daily Truing Sheet (I)
    Download the Daily Truing Form here, or by clicking on the image below, as your template or master.   Fill in the orange-color areas in the MASTER (those will basically stay the same each day) Then copy that master each day to create your daily PDF Truing Sheet – or print them out and fill them in by hand Print ...
  • TYPOGRAPHY: Typography Enhancements for Readability in WebPages & Blogs (R)
    These two documents will help you enhancing the style and appearance of text and the overall layout of your website/blog so that your audience can better navigate through it. Download “Layout & Typography Enhancements for Readability in WebPages & Blogs” here or by clicking on the image below: Download “Typographic Enhancement & Readability for WebPages & Blogs” ...
  • VFO: VFO Playsheet (I)
    A VFO, or Valuable Free Offer (also known as a “Lead Magnet,” “Opt-in Gift,” or “Ethical Bribe”) is the piece of content you offer people in exchange for their email address. This PDF will explain in more detail about VFO’s, provide examples of them, and explain how you can provide them to your subscribers.  Download it here ...
  • VIDEO: Video Rehearsal Sheet (I)
    This is a table you can use to organize all that you need to do during a video rehearsal. Download it here or by clicking on the image below:
  • WEBSITE 101 (R)
    This video will give you the basics of creating your website.  Download the Cheatsheet & Why-When-What documents below. Click the following link to automatically download this video: https://player.vimeo.com/external/180803790.sd.mp4?s=7edfdc2f4cf9b4afa78ee24ea2f7a3424f7fa83d&profile_id=165&download=1 Download the audio for this video in the SoundCloud player below by clicking the download icon (the arrow pointing to the horizontal line) in the righthand corner. NOTE: The player may take ...
  • WEBSITE CHEAT-SHEET: Basic Website Cheat-Sheet (I)
    This Basic Website Cheat-Sheet will help you know which pages to create for your website and how to organize those pages and the content on them.  I provide examples of a website home page, an “About” page, a “Products & Services” page, and “Contact” page. You can download the Cheat-Sheet here or by clicking on the ...
  • WHO-WHAT-WHEN-WHERE: Promoting What? The Who-What-When-Where Blurb (R)
    Connecting to your audience starts long before the show.  The connection starts when you tell people the story of what you’re going to do. In it’s basic form, the story of a performance is: WHO you are WHAT you’re doing or creating, including its title WHEN you’re doing it WHERE you’re doing it (WHY it’s different / new / relevant) Yup, we ...
  • WHOM: Promoting TO WHOM? Your Contact List(s) (I)
    Unless you’re playing on the street and don’t really want an audience, or you’ve been hired out of the blue to play background music for a private party, you’ll need to connect with people before your performance. This means you will have to build a contact list. Your list will include people in the following categories: AUDIENCE MEMBERS: ...

Bossa Resources, Warmups, & Lessons

Note that, depending on your membership level, you may not have access to all of the pages below.  To get full Access, make sure you have full-level membership by registering at HipHarpAcademy.com

 

Below is a list of  “Bossa Nova” POSTS & PAGES

Note: Many of the following are from replays of webinars or other trainings. 

Ignore this:  catlist orderby=title order=ASC excerpt=full name=resources

Lead Sheets (In Process)

Note that, depending on your membership level, you may not have access to all of the pages below.  To get full Access, make sure you have full-level membership by registering at HipHarpAcademy.com

 

Below is a list of  “Lead Sheet” POSTS & PAGES

Note: Many of the following are from replays of webinars or other trainings. AND PLEASE NOTE that this particular category is a new one, so may not include all lead sheets.  If you find a page that includes lead sheets that isn’t listed below, please send us the URL (web address) of that page using the Ask-a-Question form

Individual PDFS we found

Ignore this:  catlist orderby=title order=ASC excerpt=full name=resources

Member-Generated Content

Note that, depending on your membership level, you may not have access to all of the Member-Generated Content below.  To get full Access, make sure you have full-level membership by registering at HipHarpAcademy.com

 

Below is a list of allMember-Generated Content POSTS & PAGES

Ignore this:  catlist orderby=title order=ASC excerpt=full name=resources
Snippets from Masterclass Chats

PclipsedNote that, depending on your membership level, you may not have access to all of the Snippets linked below.  To get full Access, make sure you have full-level membership by registering at HipHarpAcademy.com

 

Below is a list of “Snippets from Masterclass Chats” POSTS & PAGES

Snippets that DHC presented in the Masterclass Chats are shared via the links below. Includes downloadable PDF files from Joke and video clips of the snippets.

Thank you to Joke, Sarah, & Ruth for collecting and sharing information on the snippets. Thank you to Melinda for requesting the snippets.

Pages and video clips made by Sally.

Ignore this:  catlist orderby=title order=ASC excerpt=full name=resources
General Questions

General Questions (this link will open all the general questions in a separate tab)

Below is a list of all “General Question” posts

Q: How Does the Yearly Membership Work? What if I Fall Behind?

Hip Harp Academy is a yearlong program, so when you sign up you’re signing up for the whole year, so Read more

Q: Final “Beginning” Project Display Page – HHT2016 – Hip Harp Toolkit 2016

Wooooohoo!  Enjoy the Final “Beginning” Projects below and please add your congratulations, appreciation and takeaways below in the comments. Remember: Read more

Q: Where can I buy Pluck-U merchandise?

You can purchase all of the Pluck U merchandise at this link: http://www.cafepress.com/hipharp

Q: Can I get a refund?

Your Hip Harp Academy membership is billed on a monthly, or annual basis. We operate a strict no-refund policy. No Read more

Q: Do you offer payment plans?

Yes, we now offer payment plans. They are slightly more than the cost of paying for your Hip Harp Academy Read more

Q: Do I have to do the homework?

I encourage everyone to do the homework – but you can think of it as “applied play.”  Each homework assignment Read more

Q: How long is Hip Harp Academy?

You are signing up for a 12 month commitment when you sign up with Hip Harp Academy. During that time Read more

Musical Questions

Musical Questions (this link will open all the musical questions in a separate tab)

Below is a list of all “Musical Question” posts

Q: How to Create a Dominant Chord (if you know nothing about theory)

Someone asked me one day how to create a dominant chord if they knew nothing about harmony or music theory, Read more

Q: How do I set my lever harp in different keys? What key do I tune my STRINGS in?

Q: What if I have trouble memorizing/remembering music?

My personal suggestion is “don’t try to remember” – just get more and more comfortable creating ‘whatever you create in Read more

Tech Questions

Tech Questions (this link will open all the tech questions in a separate tab)

Below is a list of all “Tech Question” posts

Q: Zoom Chat & Online Meeting Protocol & Troubleshooting

Q: Who can see what I post in the private HHA Facebook group?

Only group members in private and secret groups like the HHA Facebook group will see any posts or comments made Read more

Q: How do the audiofiles work and how do I download them [FAQ]

We try to put a downloadable audio file below every video. You should be able to listen to the video Read more

Q: How to Log into the Academy

You may have trouble logging into Hip Harp Academy in the future or maybe a friend is having trouble logging Read more

Q: How to Create A Youtube Account and Upload a Video to YouTube

Q: How to Videotape (for Newbies)

Are you new to videotaping yourself playing and to uploading videos to YouTube for the class to see?  Scary stuff?  Read more

Q: What are some reasonably-priced microphones for recording harp?

I still don’t have a perfect solution for recording harp (except to use an electric harp)! But I had a Read more

Q: What if I’m a technophobe?

One of the things technophobes (like I was!) love about this course is that they become so more web-and-tech savvy Read more

Q: What if I am not tech savvy?

Even people who consider themselves completely non-tech-savvy are able to access and enjoy the course. Some people even say that Read more

Mindset Questions

Mindset Questions (this link will open all the mindset questions in a separate tab)

Below is a list of all “Mindset Question” posts

Q: Do you have strategies for overcoming performance nerves?

I personally like to set up sequentially more ‘intense’ situations — like starting by doing performances for my cats (not Read more

Q: I feel behind in class – what should I do?

Don’t worry. You’re not BEHIND. You’re AHEAD. You’re way ahead where you were at the beginning of the class, and Read more

Q: How do you motivate yourself to continue playing with passion and enjoyment, even if people are not listening?

In the past, when I played for events, I found it liberating to just have the time to experiment without Read more

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