How To Harp Podcast

Ep 61: Lost Your Harp Mojo? It's Normal & Here's What to Try

A long break, a frustrating run of practice or a difficult stretch of life can leave a harp sitting untouched and the way back unclear. Heather gives this one listener qu

Ep 60: You Don't Have to Love Every Tune with Rachel Hair

Heather welcomes Scottish harpist Rachel into the studio for an in-person conversation. It's clear how much fun it was having her there in the flesh, and that warmth carr

Ep 59: You're Not a Slow Learner, You're Learning Properly

The quick fix doesn't exist, and Heather thinks that's good news. If you've ever come out of a practice session feeling like you should be further on by now, this episode

Ep 58: Sometimes Success Is Just Not Giving Up with Rosie Wilcoc

Her dad found a harp and a teacher in the early 1980s, and her mum said no. Rosie waited two decades, paid for her own lessons at 30, and sixteen years on she's still goi

Ep 57: You're Not an Exam Person or a Non-Exam Person

Working through grades can be exactly what your playing needs, or the very thing holding it back, and which one it is has nothing to do with the sort of harpist you are.

Ep 56: Play Like You Have Nothing to Prove with Rachel Groves

A library book about choosing an instrument for your child, left lying around the house, is where this whole story starts. Heather's guest is Rachel, who read it at 11, c

Ep 55: You Don't Need Permission to Be Creative

Heather's learning and teaching philosophy has never been spoken about properly before, and she lays the whole thing out here. It came out of a live session during our Ce

Ep 54: Walk Your Own Path with Niccie Hughes | How To Harp Podcast

Niccie heard a harp at the ballet when she was little, then waited more than four decades before she started playing one. Heather sits down with her to find out how she f

Ep 53: What Adult Harp Learners Get Wrong

Plenty of people come to the harp later in life already sure they've missed their chance. The Heather and Angela episodes are usually a Harpy Tutor Chat, but in this one

Ep 52: Where the Music Comes From with Nadia Birkenstock

Nadia's best-known tune sat in a drawer for eleven months before she published it, because she wasn't sure it was good enough. It's since been heard well over a million t

Ep 51: I Spent a Year Dreading Something for No Good Reason

Heather turned 40 last weekend, and this week she's flying solo with something a bit more personal than usual. It's an honest look at how she handled the run up to a birt

Ep 50: Finding Strength & Joy in Harping with Karen Marks

Heather sits down with Karen, a much-loved part of the How To Harp membership, to hear how she found the harp and what it has come to mean to her. Please listen with care

Ep 49: Why Great Teachers Never Stop Being Students

Heather & Angela are back for another Harpy Tutor Chat, sharing an honest conversation about what it means to keep growing as a musician. They reflect on their own experi

Ep 48: Performance Anxiety & Emotional Freedom with Gwyneth Moss

Heather chats with Gwyneth about EFT, tapping and how emotional blocks from the past can affect the way we feel, behave and make music. They explore how tapping works, w

Ep 47: Changing Strings, Becoming a Harp Teacher, Playing Faster & Heatwaves

Heather answers another batch of listener questions in this special Q&A episode. Thank you to everyone who sent questions in - you all made this episode possible! She al

Ep 46: The 4 Reasons Technique Gives You Freedom at the Harp

Heather explores why technique is about far more than scales and exercises, and how strong technical foundations can give you greater freedom, confidence and expression a

Ep 45: Karin den Rooijen

Heather chats with learner harpist Karin, who shares her remarkable harp journey, from discovering the harp during the pandemic to rebuilding her playing after suffering

Ep 44: Why Learning Never Stops (Even for Harp Teachers)

Heather & Angela chat about why nerves, vulnerability & learning never fully disappear, even when you become a teacher or have years of experience behind you. They also

Ep 43: Nicole Müller

Heather chats with Nicole about moving beyond external expectations and finding a musical path that feels honest, creative and true to who you are. They also discuss cla

Ep 42: 5 Tips to Stop Perfectionism Holding Back Your Harping

Heather explores how perfectionism can show up for adult harp learners, and why trying to get everything “right” can sometimes hold back your progress, confidence and enj