In this Harpy Tutor Chat, Heather and Angela explore what really helps learners stay engaged with their harp practice over the long term, and how the language we use with ourselves can either support or sabotage progress.

Drawing on ideas shared by Dr. Eric Booth, the conversation reflects on the real challenges adult learners face when staying motivated, especially when goals begin to feel like obligations rather than genuine choices.

In this episode:

• What intrinsic motivation really means for harp learners

• Why willpower alone often is not enough to sustain long term progress

• How words like “should” and “have to” can quietly drain motivation

• The role of curiosity, autonomy, and mindset in staying engaged

• Why success can look different for every harpist

This episode will help you reflect on what truly motivates you as a learner, and how small shifts in mindset and language can lead to more joy, consistency, and confidence in your harp practice.

Host: Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp

Guest: Angela Boraston - Harp Tutor at How To Harp, Creator of Talking Harps

Learn with us:

https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow. See you next week!

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This week’s episode is all about how a life shaped by travel, curiosity, and community can transform the way you learn, play, and share harp music. Sunita Staneslow joins me to talk about her journey from classical foundations into folk, arranging, therapeutic harp work, and creating music that connects deeply with people and place.

In This Episode:

• Sunita’s early musical life in Minnesota, and how the harp found its way into her world

• Studying music alongside a broader academic path, and how travel shaped her career choices

• The shift from classical training into folk music, arranging, and playing more by ear

• Moving to Shetland, community music making, and how quiet spaces can fuel creativity

• Using the harp in therapeutic settings, and why sharing beauty really matters

If you’re an adult learner looking for inspiration to find your own musical voice, this conversation will help you reconnect with what you love, and give you fresh perspective on what progress can look like.

Host:

Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Founder of How To Harp

Guest:

Sunita Staneslow - Harpist, arranger and therapeutic musician

Learn With Us:

https://www.howtoharp.com (Courses, Membership and Retreats)

If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, subscribe, and share it with a harp friend. It really helps the podcast grow. See you next week!

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As the year draws to a close, this solo harp tip episode invites you to pause, reflect, and think more intentionally about how you want to move forward with your harping. Rather than rushing into new resolutions, Heather encourages a calmer, more thoughtful approach to goal setting that supports real progress and enjoyment.

In this episode:

• Tip 1: Look back before you look forward, and reflect honestly on what worked and what didn’t

• Tip 2: Set intentions alongside goals to shape how you play, not just what you play

• Tip 3: Create a realistic, sustainable plan that fits your life and energy

This episode is perfect for anyone who wants to feel more motivated, less guilty, and more confident about their harp practice in the year ahead.

Enjoying the show? New episodes weekly.

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Learn with us: https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

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Karina is a highly experienced top-tier musician, and in this episode she shares what it has been like to become a learner harpist. From those very first steps, to playing with others and setting new creative goals. We chat about starting out, choosing (and falling in love with) different harps, and how online community and in-person events can completely transform your learning.

In this episode:

• How Karina first got into the harp, and why it kept calling her back

• Starting online with Little Harp Social (and why technique foundations matter)

• Buying harps in the UK and learning what you actually love in an instrument

• Using projects, recording, and looping to stay motivated and make progress

• Playing with others, including orchestral experiences, and why it can level up your harping fast

If you want inspiration to stay curious, keep learning, and stay connected to other harpists as you grow, this chat will leave you feeling energised and full of ideas.

Host: Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Scottish Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and founder of How To Harp

Guest: Karina - Learner Harpist

Enjoying the show? New episodes weekly.Follow/subscribe and share with a harp friend.

Learn with us: https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

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As we reach the end of the year, Heather and Angela sit down for an unscripted, in-person Harpy Chat and reflect honestly on what this year has looked like. Together, they explore what it takes to stay connected to your own harping when work, teaching, and life feel full.

In this episode:

• A real-life round-up of the highs (and challenges) of the past year

• Why personal harping can get harder when you are teaching and creating all day

• How morning harp time, motivation, and guilt show up differently for different people

• Setting realistic hopes and goals for the year ahead, and saying them out loud

• Accountability ideas, including lessons, ensembles, and personal creative projects

If you have been feeling pulled in a hundred directions, this chat will help you pause, reflect, and reconnect with what you want from your harping going into the new year.

Host: Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Scottish Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and founder of How To Harp

Guest: Angela Boraston - Harp Tutor at How To Harp

Enjoying the show? New episodes weekly.

Follow/subscribe and share with a harp friend.

Learn with us: https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

#HowToHarp #HowToHarpPodcast #HeatherDownieHarpist #HarpPractice #HarpGoals

Learning an instrument is about so much more than notes and technique. In this episode, Heather sits down with renowned teaching artist, writer and educator Eric Booth to explore how understanding learning, teaching and creativity can transform your harping and your life.

In this episode:

• Eric shares his journey from Broadway actor to pioneering teaching artist

• What a “teaching artist” is and why this mindset matters for every musician

• How teaching or explaining something deepens your own learning and musicianship

• Why the learning environment and community around you are as important as the content

• Self determined learning, intrinsic motivation and staying connected to joy in your practice

• Practical ideas for giving yourself meaningful feedback as an adult learner

• The “law of 80 percent” and what it means for how you show up as a musician and sharer of music

Host: Heather Downie – Harpist, Principal Scottish Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and founder of How To Harp

Guest: Eric Booth – Teaching artist, author of Making Change: Teaching Artists and Their Role in Shaping a Better World, and international leader in arts education

Enjoying the show? New episodes weekly.

Follow or subscribe and share with a harp friend.

Learn with us: https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

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Keeping a regular harp practice routine can feel challenging, especially when life gets full and unpredictable. In this solo episode Heather shares honest, practical advice to help you stay connected to your harp in simple and sustainable ways.

In this episode:

• Why short, focused sessions can be more effective than long ones

• How to use time blocking to make practice actually happen

• Ways to make your harp practice space easier, faster and more inviting

• The power of keeping things visual so your harp stays front of mind

• How an accountability partner can transform your consistency

These tools can help you build momentum, reduce guilt, and enjoy your harp practice even during busy seasons.

Host: Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Scottish Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and founder of How To Harp

Enjoying the show? New episodes weekly.

Follow, subscribe, and share with a harp friend.

Learn with us: https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

#HowToHarp #HowToHarpPodcast #HeatherDownieHarpist #HarpPractice #PracticeMotivation

A warm and inspiring conversation with harp learner Katherine, whose journey has been filled with perseverance, rediscovery, and the joy of finally returning to the harp after decades away. She shares how she found her way back to music, what the harp means to her, and the breakthroughs that have shaped her recent playing.

Many listeners will also recognise her as the Customer Relations Manager at How To Harp, a role she grew into after joining the membership as a learner and connecting deeply with the community.

In this episode:

• How childhood inspiration led Katherine to the harp

• Why she returned to harp learning after many decades away

• How music helped her through anxiety, ADHD and loss

• Her first public performances, including café sessions and choir concerts

• What she has learned about practice, confidence and setting meaningful goals

• The highs and lows of her harp journey so far

This episode offers a beautiful reminder that harp learning is personal, emotional and full of unexpected milestones.

Host: Heather Downie — Harpist, Principal Scottish Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and founder of How To Harp

Guest: Katherine Rigby-Jones — Harp Learner and Customer Relations Manager at How To Harp

Enjoying the show? New episodes weekly.

Follow and subscribe and share with a harp friend.

Learn with us: https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)

#HowToHarp #HowToHarpPodcast #HeatherDownieHarpist #HarpJourney #HarpLearner