When Cherrie saw that her church needed a new furnace, she had an idea — but it scared her.

What if she offered to play a home harp concert for the church auction fundraiser? She’d never performed a home concert before. The voices of doubt were loud: Would she be ready in time? What should she play? Could she really pull this off?

But Cherrie is a member of Hip Harp Academy, where the motto is “Connection, Not Perfection. Don’t do more – hide less” And she’d been learning that the best way through fear is to take action — with support.

The Problem: Turning a Dream into Reality

Like many harpists, Cherrie dreamed of sharing her music beyond practice sessions. But between the inner voices of doubt and not knowing how to structure a concert, that dream stayed locked inside.

The questions she faced:

• How do you organize a full concert program?
• What songs should go in what order?
• How do you create an experience that connects with an audience, not just a recital?
• How do you push past the fear of “putting yourself out there”?

The Academy Solution: A Framework for Creative Courage. This is where Hip Harp Academy transformed everything.

Cherrie used the Academy’s practical creativity tools to design her concert from start to finish saying, “Connection with others was the biggest principle used in this project.” From there she used:

• Repertoire Builder worksheet — to clarify what pieces she wanted to share
• Creation: 8 Weeks to Showtime — to structure her preparation timeline
• Show Order Builder — to sequence her program for maximum impact
• The weekly Masterclass Learning Lab chats — where she got real-time help developing her set list, understanding why organization matters, and learning what to include in a program – (including an interactive “Meet the Harp” segment that was a huge hit)

But the Academy gave her something even more valuable than worksheets and feedback — it gave her permission to be imperfect and courageous.

“I struggled with the many voices inside me questioning the decision to put myself out there,” she admitted. “But I do feel it’s important to find opportunities to share harp music and to follow through, even if it’s not easy.”

The Results: One Concert Becomes Two — And Over $1,000 Raised

When Cherrie offered her concert at the church auction, she hoped someone might bid $100.
The bidding climbed to $500. Then two people were competing for it.

Final bid: $550.

But here’s where the story gets even better — in true “Connection, Not Perfection” spirit, Cherrie didn’t just perform the winner’s concert. She offered to perform an additional concert for the second-highest bidders!

The outcome:

• ✅ Two successful home concerts completed (her first ever!)
• ✅ Over $1,000 raised for her church
• ✅ Confidence to share music with others — without perfection – but maximum connection
• ✅ A new creative freedom in designing performances

Cherrie shared her journey in a video montage featuring photos and clips from that first concert, accompanied by an audio track she assembled from the songs she played. You can experience how she turned doubt into action and fundraising into artistry.

Watch Cherrie’s project video:

What This Means for You

If you’ve been dreaming of sharing your harp music — whether through home concerts, recitals, community performances, or creative projects — but you don’t know how to structure it or you’re held back by perfectionism…

Hip Harp Academy gives you the tools, community, and coaching to make it happen.
Not “someday when you’re ready.” Now — at your current level — with support.
What creative project have you been dreaming of?