Enjoy this special holiday gift from my students and me.  This is Sally’s “Final-Beginning” project from Fall 2016 Hip Harp Toolkit course at http://www.HipHarpAcademy.com. The project was to create a Holiday Greeting with Harp – and the goal was “Connection – not Perfection.” These projects are called “Final-Beginning” projects to help us remember that each thing we complete is really the first step in the next phase of our relationship with it.

Sally answers questions about this project:

1.  What did it take for you to get to the place of being able to play what you did – both logistically and emotionally?

This is an arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” that I made for my electric harp and looper. Emotionally, it was about letting go of the perfection mindset and I was able to have fun with it. Logistically, it was about setting up cameras, moving furniture and fiddling with lighting.

2.  What freedoms and blocks did you connect with (or struggle with) in the process?  This whole process was quite liberating. I realize that I can go off the page. I can manage simple (and I stress simple) lead sheets and improvisation, which is something I never would of dreamed of a couple of years ago.

3. What challenges did you meet while connecting with your own freedom of expression in this project?  The challenge was to let go of the idea of perfection. I grew up in the classical world where striving for perfection was stressed. It was difficult for me to change the mindset. But once I let go of that notion; I started having fun experimenting with new ideas.

4. What were your personal “Ahas”?  Enjoy playing the music. There’s freedom within the structure and realizing that opened up a world of possibilities for me.

5. Anything else you want to tell your viewers?  I loved the class and I loved putting this together.

Harp players –  join my Hip Harp Academy today!

Do you want to feel freer sharing your musical gifts at whatever technical level you play – whether that’s on the web, in the world or just for you?  That’s what the programs at Hip Harp Academy are all about.  It’s all about connection … not perfection.  HipHarpAcademy.com