Final-Beginning Collection 2026 Q2 – Part 3 [Member Spotlight]

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

Simple harp arrangement of a Czech song.

Tell us a little bit about who you are, your harp journey, and why originally came to the Academy. 

I am a self-taught harpist from the Czech Republic. I came to the Academy following a 5-day improv challenge at a moment I was about to give up harp playing altogether. 

What’s different for you now? What has changed since being in the Academy and anything particular that changed in the last quarter?

I can play with more freedom and joy. I no longer need sheet music to play the harp. Improvisation made it possible to arrange songs I want to play on the harp.

What principles from this quarter have you used in your life, your playing, and/or the development of this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

The rondo form allows me to play impressions of classical pieces and songs I like, despite my limited technique. 

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – whether you recorded and shared it or not – both logistically and emotionally.

It took a lot of courage to record and share a song in which I sing. 

What freedom and joy within yourself did you connect with in the process?

I found relief in “finishing” a song, as I often end up with dozens of half-baked projects I never develop further and record. 

What challenges and blocks to your own freedom of expression did you experience in this class and/or project?

What limits me most is my lack of technique. I’d love to play more classical pieces but I don’t know how to make a nice cadenza, classical arpeggios, etc.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned this quarter, and how?

I try to keep in mind that our presence and self-expression in music is more important than how well we actually play the instrument. I’m still fighting my perfectionism and self-consciousness. 

What were your personal “Ahas” and breakthroughs this quarter and did they come thru the chats, a specific class, or the development of a project, a practice, or something else?

What I love most in the Academy are the snippets. I often rediscover my love for the harp and music while playing along DHC and other harpist (even when I can’t actually hear them play). When hearing the homework and projects shared by other harpists I am always inspired by the arrangements and original songs they make using the tools we are all provided with by DHC.

If your experience of this quarter was a story and had a title, what would the title be?

Glimpses of sunshine in my harp journey of frustration

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

Harp&voice of Blue Moon (out of copyright)

Tell us a little bit about who you are, your harp journey, and why originally came to the Academy. 

I am a mostly retired human who started harp in her mid forties (my midlife crisis). I started with a passion for this instrument but had no plan of where I was going with it. I had been exposed to many styles of learning, tried many music genres – classical, traditional, pop, and jazz. I loved singing too. I looked for ways to find myself. The Academy turned out to be the answer. I needed discipline and structure, but I also needed  permission to explore freedom to find myself in my music.

What’s different for you now? What has changed since being in the Academy and anything particular that changed in the last quarter?

I’ve been in the Academy since 2017 I think. I was in and out because I was still working. Covid changed the focus. We were seeing DHC and members 4 or more times a week. The Academy community started to evolve into something more than a place for learning, it became a sanctuary where one could discover and evolve as a musician.

What principles from this quarter have you used in your life, your playing, and/or the development of this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I thought about the project in the past as performance, that I had to produce something that form fit the quarter, and made me feel more accomplished. For me, this project covered everything I’m doing in music. I do create and perform and entertain and experiment, etc I can push my limits here and not try to be something other than who I am. DHC demonstrates this and preaches it, but it is you who lets go and essentially finds that you don’t give a flying cow of the way you sound, the way you look, the harp you have, then you find your bliss, your niche. Your chutzpah! My FBP is loose as a goose.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – whether you recorded and shared it or not – both logistically and emotionally.

I dragged my feet and am late in submission because I wasn’t sure I could share anything that fit any criterion. Today I decided I would not try to produce a constructed idea and just play and be loose and relaxed and not care how it turned out but just feel it through.

What freedom and joy within yourself did you connect with in the process?

Glad to have submitted SOMETHING because I wanted to but again, it had to flow out, and that was the freedom.

What challenges and blocks to your own freedom of expression did you experience in this class and/or project?

The only thing that stops me is if I think I have a need to perform rather than just being myself in the process.

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned this quarter, and how?

Life is long. To be or not to be, that is the question. Being present in your being ,I find, is the most honest of expression.

What were your personal “Ahas” and breakthroughs this quarter and did they come thru the chats, a specific class, or the development of a project, a practice, or something else?

My aha is that showing up at the Academy or watching the videos or trying something you always wanted to but never got around to finding the time, is a practice to be inspired.

If your experience of this quarter was a story and had a title, what would the title be?

Here I am

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

I like color, so if I can’t dress the part, I will decorate the part.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

This is a cover of “Joga” by Bjork I played at my first livestream cover request show last night. I only had time to rehearse it once through right before the show so I was largely winging it!

The video continues after 3 minutes but you can stop it when time is up.

Tell us a little bit about who you are, your harp journey, and why originally came to the Academy. 

I’m an artist who fell in love with and taught myself harp in 2019. I came here to find community and was drawn to DHC’s style of “teaching” from the JPG confab 2 years ago.

What’s different for you now? What has changed since being in the Academy and anything particular that changed in the last quarter?

I have become more generous with myself and others and less focused on performance and perfection. I’m able to receive as much as I am to give now (well, I’m at least better at practicing it…), and focus on the “big notes” in music and life. I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore. 🙂

What principles from this quarter have you used in your life, your playing, and/or the development of this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

I’ve created a grounded structure that forces me to play publicly when I don’t feel “ready”. By showing up and playing for/with others (on a self-imposed deadline), I have to surrender the “perfect” performance in favor of just singing the damn thing from the heart and being okay with simple chords. My voice and my heart has expanded as the result.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – whether you recorded and shared it or not – both logistically and emotionally.

It took willingness to invite people into my world, which often feels like self-promotion to me. That reframe is big for me. 

It also took vulnerability – I had to allow people to witness my fingers’ little stumbles, but that freed my voice to take center stage and ultimately honored the songs even more. 

What freedom and joy within yourself did you connect with in the process?

I love singing covers. I love singing, and this really got me out of my head, out of my ego. And the joy of giving to others – that’s the big one.

What challenges and blocks to your own freedom of expression did you experience in this class and/or project?

When I play my own music there’s so much more pressure from me to “get it right”, but this just felt easy and fulfilling. Sounds backwards, but its true!

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned this quarter, and how?

When I ground in the big notes of life – the simple beauty of a repeating pattern, a steady beat – expansion happens organically. Easily.

What were your personal “Ahas” and breakthroughs this quarter and did they come thru the chats, a specific class, or the development of a project, a practice, or something else?

See above!

If your experience of this quarter was a story and had a title, what would the title be?

When the Heart Beats, the Lungs Expand.

Describe your final project so I know exactly what you’re sending me.

I’ve been trying to learn Baroque Flamenco, the version for pedal harp. This is the best I could do in the short amount of time and with the little time I had for practicing. There is still a lot to work on, but I want to submit something so decided to make a video of where I am with it right now

Tell us a little bit about who you are, your harp journey, and why originally came to the Academy. 

I always wanted to make music, but my instrument was the clarinet. When I couldn’t play that anymore due to some health issues with my right little finger I had to find an instrument where this wasn’t needed, so ended up with the harp. There I started with a tiny Scottish clarsach, but somehow they kept growing, so that now I mainly play the pedal harp. I came to the academy after some deep frustration with my classical harp journey, never doing anything good enough for my teacher, finally being so scared that I started shaking when I just sat down to play. The academy offered a completely different approach and this is the first big piece of sheet music I have practiced again since being in the academy.

What’s different for you now? What has changed since being in the Academy and anything particular that changed in the last quarter?

The academy has opened up the whole spectrum of playing without sheet music, improvising, finding out what I would like to do at my harp. 
This last quarter approaching this piece was a big step out of my comfort zone, after getting into it I started enjoying it, it’s still a challenge to play the wild parts. But in doing so it’s like meeting a different part of me, it’s like finding some of my aliveness. And at the same time I never felt this lost in the academy as I did this last quarter 

What principles from this quarter have you used in your life, your playing, and/or the development of this project – and how did they play a part in your process?

Going beyond what I am comfortable with and being curious what is there to be found.

Give a short description of what it took for you to be able to play what you did – whether you recorded and shared it or not – both logistically and emotionally.

First getting over a lot of I can’t do this, this is not me, …then remembering the little harp and the magic of nonetheless, opening to the possibility of me being able to do this. And continuing although I had more blisters on my fingers than ever before 

What freedom and joy within yourself did you connect with in the process?

I was surprised how alive I sometimes felt while playing especially when I forgot to remember that I can’t do this .

What challenges and blocks to your own freedom of expression did you experience in this class and/or project?

I felt lost, wrong, not belonging in the classes during this quarter. 
In myself it was mainly dealing with beliefs of who I am and what I can or cannot do 

What other parts of your life were impacted by what you learned this quarter, and how?

Don’t know yet 

What were your personal “Ahas” and breakthroughs this quarter and did they come thru the chats, a specific class, or the development of a project, a practice, or something else?

My personal aha was actually the fun I discovered in doing something so not me. 
Actually it mainly came through my teacher who persuaded me to take it on for 2 weeks and only decide afterwards if I can and want to do this. 

If your experience of this quarter was a story and had a title, what would the title be?

Give it a chance

Is there anything else you want people to know when they watch your video?

It’s still a long way to go in terms of practising it, it’s more a half baked than a final beginning