Today in the Practice Room

	March 19, 2020 How are you doing? I feel like I haven’t been able to catch my breath for about a week now. My head is spinning, just trying to make sense of it all…and then, I sit down to the harp.   About a year ago, I made the difficult decision to stop playing for the Detroit Symphony after nearly 35 years in the contracted second harp position. It was a bittersweet choice, brought on by personal circumstances. It was at that time I decided I had to give myself a challenge. I wanted to learn something difficult, impressive, and I wanted to Nail It. So, I sat down to the harp.   Everyone, at some point, must face their inner demons, and look ‘em straight in the eye. For artists, that could also be described as Tuesday, lol. We are continually wracked by anxiety – “Am I good enough?” “Do they love me?” “Are my hands limber and up to the task?” “Am I getting the good gigs?” “Can I make the bills this month?” “What do my peers think of me?” “Am I good enough?” This was to be my Mount Everest. I would scale those heights and succeed!! So, I sat down to the harp. I chose to study an etude by Nicholas-Charles Bochsa, a Bohemian composer/harpist who was a contemporary of Beethoven (and a scoundrel, apparently, but I digress.) Nearly every day for the last year, I sat down to the harp. 20 minutes of exercises to warm up my hands, then 40 minutes on the etude. This is what I refer to as “deep learning,” a practice that I instill in my students. At a time when we’re called to learn faster, jump higher, get better grades and work 24/7, I have steadfastly adhered to the concept that true learning, deep learning, like a fine wine, develops over a long period of time and at a slower pace. Today, I sat down to the harp. After a year of practice…I still haven’t nailed it. Maybe I never will. But this will do. Tomorrow, I’ll sit down to the harp and decide if I’m going to continue working on this etude, or move on to a new one. But I will sit down to the harp. (Click on my photo or click below to hear the results.)   The crisis we face today will eventually pass, and when it does, where would you like to be? The only thing that makes sense to me, that has ever made sense to me, is to Find Beauty and Create Beauty. And so, I sit down to the harp, and do my best.   I hope you enjoy this music. Please stay home and stay healthy. Virtual Hugs, Christa PS – During this time, I’ll be periodically posting my creative endeavors on my Facebook Artist page. Please “like” me to hear them first!