When Lila joined Hip Harp Academy two years ago, she never imagined herself as a storyteller — only as a musician.

“I always played the harp without words,” she said.

But that was all about to change.

A Story Written in the Stars

Somewhere in the process of being in the Academy, something shifted for Lila. She watched other members experiment with storytelling — combining spoken word with their playing. Suddenly, it seemed possible for her too.

Then one day, reading a scientific journal, she came across an article about the Pleiades — that ancient cluster of stars that has inspired myths across cultures and centuries.

The story didn’t just inspire her music. It wanted to be told with words.

The problem? Lila had been playing with the 12-bar blues, and when she tried to tell her star story, the blues structure felt like a cage. The words didn’t fit the bars. The story kept get bent out of shape.
“I wanted to make the verses of the story fit into the 12-bar blues form,” Lila said, “but it didn’t work easily.”

She was stuck.

Then she brought it to an Academy Masterclass Chat

Lila brought her challenge to one of the weekly Masterclass chats — where members bring me their creative problems to solve in real time.

“How do I fit the story into the structure of the blues?” she asked.

My answer was not what she expected: “You don’t.” I said. “You stretch the structure to fit the words.”

Structure isn’t there to confine you — it’s there to support you. You can stretch it. Step out of it. Come back to it. The structure is still there — you’re just not required to fit into it.

I showed Lila WHERE she could stretch it and WHY that would work, how she could use harmonic relationships to give her story room to breathe.

Watch our session below where I showed Lia how she can ‘stretch’ the blues structure.

“Only after I allowed myself to let go of the pattern when needed was I able to put it together,” Lila said. “And after I managed to give myself permission, the music came by itself.”

By the end of the quarter, Lila had already shared “Story-Telling Story” in public — a piece that merges science, folklore, and blues into one deeply personal expression.

Structures aren’t Strict – they’re Support

Lila’s biggest Aha? “It’s easy when I don’t make strict rules for myself.”

She gained more than a piece. She gained a new creative identity — not just a harpist, but a storyteller. And deeper confidence: “I can do it as others can.”

Her advice for those who watch her piece is simple and poetic: “Be patient. It takes at least half an hour of sitting in a dark night to see the stars well.”

Watch Lila’s Story-Telling Story through this video below:

What This Means for You

• If something more in you wants to be expressed…
• If you’ve learned structures but feel confined by them…
• If you’ve been afraid to try something new because you don’t know how to start…

Hip Harp Academy is where you learn that structure is freedom — and how to use a structure, stretch it, even break it – and still get its support.

You learn by bringing real creative challenges to live coaching. By watching others experiment. By getting permission to break the rules when your music needs you to.

What story wants to be told through your harp?

Harpists Who Dare

Ready to liberate yourself from the notes on the page?