Firecrackers

The other day my house shook and vibrated for a few seconds. “That was an explosion!” my husband said. We later found out someone had dropped off a not-quite-empty propane tank to the garbage transfer station we live near. I don’t think anyone was hurt. Days earlier, a boat in the nearby marina caught on fire (from 4th of July celebrations) and melted black smoke into the night. In my garden, I planted some crocosmia because I love their red hot shoots during mid-summer.

crocosmia_lucifer1
red firecrackers

Sometimes all of this July fire energy gets me crazy! But this year I seem to have a good balance down of work and pleasure and mixing the equations of the two together. I’m thrilled that this year we seem to be having one of the best Pacific Northwest summers in recent years. (i.e. We didn’t have to wait until July for some over 70 temps.) Its been warm (not overcast). Hot (but not too hot). And I’m busy (but not totally strung out).

Last week I had a wedding for friends in Leavenworth and it WAS hot though! We experienced gorgeous mountains for camping and a night sky that took my breath away. A few days later I was back at another wedding, this time at a golf course playing Pachelbel’s Canon for the new Mr. and Mrs. Rossman.

This week, I play at Substrata Music Festival, an ambient set for string quartet composed by Christina Vanztou. I’m looking very forward to this! I get to play with some of my favorite musicians, all fabulous women on the music scene. That’s Saturday night. Then Sunday morning will be a low-key breakfast/brunch couple sets of duets with cellist Jackie Robbins. We’ll be at the Ship Canal Grill from noon – 2pm.

This here’s a picture of another little firecracker, my daughter.

Zephyr at the harp, 2 years old
2 years old adorable firecracker

Marriage Equality for Washingtonians!

Yay for Marriage Equality! It would be my great pleasure to play harp at any same sex wedding ceremonies coming up this year!

Washingtonians voted progressively last fall on a number of issues, one of them being legalizing same sex marriage. So… to anyone gay reading this wondering if I’m the right harpist for you at your nuptials? – YES. I’m extremely in favor of love overruling bigotry, repression, stagnation and negative thought patterns. Finally, a little righteousness has been given the main stage. Congratulations!

January is a major network-y month for me. I worked at the monolithic Seattle Wedding Show (in high attendance despite a Seahawks playoff game) and am poised for this weekend’s wedding show up in Everett, where you can find me on Sunday. Anthony at Monte Cristo Ballroom in Everett has asked me to play as a preferred vendor for his clientele, so I’ll be playing there for an open house on Thurs. March 8th.

In non-wedding news, I’m lining up a therapeutic harp internship at  NW Kidney Center in Sea-Tac for patients on dialysis. Music in clinical settings has been proven to alleviate anxiety and pain, not to mention help family and staff feel more at ease. This is ongoing work for me – more news to come in the coming months- so I’ll just leave it at that for now.

I’ve spent the past three Tuesday afternoons over at Bright Water Waldorf School playing music for play rehearsals – pictures from the upcoming performance forthcoming. Its pretty adorable to see 5th graders dressed up as gypsies, fairies and ducks!

Onward and Upward!

Mnemonic Device for Success

My mnemonic device for success in music is PRETH. It looks something like this:

P – Performance $

R – Recording $

E – Events $$$

T – Teaching $$

H – Healing $$$

P is for Performances. These are public shows, orchestra concerts, new music, dance performances, art performances. These are typically events that occur in theaters, halls, public centers (such as Seattle Center), festivals (such as Folklife), clubs, restaurants, museums (last February I performed solo at both Bellevue Art Museum and Seattle Art Museum for after hour patron and public events) and in parks (I have played for the City of Seattle Parks and Rec summer buskers program).

Performances for me don’t usually pay a lot. Sometimes they do, but I can’t rely on them to be a predictable amount. Sometimes I know in advance what I’ll get (orchestral work is forthcoming); sometimes I have no guarantee at all (restaurants and particularly club work). Performances for me can range anywhere from from $0 – $500. Regardless of pay, performances are an essential part of a working musician’s career. It is when I play with my musical family – people like Evan Flory-Barnes, Josh Rawlings, Aham Oluo, Jherek Bischoff to name a few. It is also how I get to play with my peers in public, tell friends to come out and hear me play and hopefully get exposure to some new ears. Performances are the “art” part of a musician’s career, when original songs are played and/or audiences are entertained. Admittedly, I don’t do as many concerts as I’d like to do, largely because I’m mother to a person under the age of two and sleep is unpredictable and precious to me. I can’t be going on stage at 11pm anymore. (groan) I know. I’m boring. I could get depressed and think missing out on something, but I usually don’t. I get to be mom to an awesome little girl (who happens to be fond of music already) and parenthood has made me hip to trying other means of making money in the music biz. Which leads me to the next letter.

Pretty Abandoned

R is for Recording. I don’t think I’ve tapped into my fill potential here. I’ve almost exclusively recorded other people’s music. Out of 100%, I’d say 85% of the recordings I’ve done have been when other musicians are calling me to work on their albums. I’ve been fortunate to have done recording work with some very inspiring and easy to collaborate with people, like bands Hey Marseilles and Secret Chiefs 3.

Albums I want to do personally are #1 my own songs dammit! Q. You write songs? How come I never hear them? A. I am a lazy, slow, audio ludite. But I’m getting better!

At least I have a Soundcloud page and an audio/video page on my website. In the Spring of 2012, I had the awesome chance to be one of the primary musicians (my musical co-collaborator was Saskia Delores) on a huge installation that well-known fiber artist Mandy Greer got commissioned to do at Seattle Center. We recorded hours of tracks at my house and in the field and then played the pre-recordings during the dance performance (under direction of Jessica Jobaris) while I played and sang live on top of those recordings.

Ok. So, back to the R in PRETH: I am putting my twinkle toes in the recording pool this Christmas and have done a few tracks for you the hear, download and hopefully drop a few dollars and cents on a Bandcamp site – coming very soon!

at Jack Straw Productions in 2009

E is for Events. These are private jobs and they make most musicians who play them a fair amount of bread. For a harpist, its fairly predicable seasonal work. Summers are always taken up for weddings. December is always booked with company holiday parties and holiday concerts. Events are categorized as anything where I am background music and/or I am paid privately by an individual, company, hospital, or business entity. I usually like these jobs because I end up meeting interesting new people. In other words, they are weddings and special occasion events.

Once, I played for a wedding of two men (before WA state passed the historic Ref. 74) and they wanted me to play all Dead Can Dance songs on harp – it was so much fun! I’ve been invited to artist colonies in MN, WA, OR and CA. I’ve played at the Microsoft campus. I’ve got an upcoming school concert that I’m very excited about, and every December I play for at least one Seattle Waldorf School’s winter spiral (when kids toddle through a labrynth of evergreen boughs to the center of a spiral and light a candle, eventually making the room a magically candlelit sanctuary by the end of the ceremony). Its one of the most enjoyable things I do every Christmas.

Waldorf Winter Spiral

T is for Teaching. Frankly, I wish I had more students. I’m eager to teach actually. Two years ago I resigned from Holy Names Academy adjunct music faculty for a maternity leave. I’m still trying to get back from it! Honestly, teaching is something I had always put on the back burner – having students from time-to-time, but not really going out of my way to advertise. In that way I’ve had random students come to my home who have lived in my neighborhood, or I’ve gone to their home. I’m flexible. My friend Leslie asked me to teach a couple of classes on improvising at the harp and playing harp in a band at her harp camp. Now, I’m itching to share some knowledge about the harp once more. I’m ready to take on students of all musical backgrounds and ages. I’m excited to say, I’m re-opening my home teaching studio in Seattle and also teaching Saturday mornings at Music Works Northwest in Bellevue.

H is for Healing: Did you know that the harp is one of the oldest instruments used for therapeutic purposes? Did you also know that caves in current day France have paintings of a harp that date back to 15,000 B.C? If that doesn’t blow your mind, then perhaps knowing this will: Soothing music will make a person relax; which causes their breath to deepen; which has a domino effect of increasing oxygen flow to the brain, balancing hormones, neuropeptides, and a number of other regulating systems. What music, specifically soothing sounds, can do is to allow the body to relax, and thus unwind that tense state. In contrast, people who don’t take enough deep breaths never allow themselves to be de-stressed and can remain chronically stuck in a “fight-or-flight” state. Music is a tool for good health and recovery from illness. Harp is a primary musical instrument in fighting off stress!

Dr. Mitchell Gaynor’s book “The Healing Power of Sound” is just one of the many scientific books that medically back up the human response to musical healing. Obviously, not all music heals every person in the same way. But certain instruments, particularly long resonating instruments like the harp, are universally recognized as being therapeutic. For instance, the long fibers of the human body resonate with the long strings of the harp more than any other instrument.

This is why I have undertaken a clinical certificate with the Clinical Musician Certification Program aka Harp for Healing to become a therapeutic musician. After I complete a 45 hour internship in a clinical setting, I will then officially be a Certified Clinical Musician (CCM). I intend to play at the bedside and in clinics where my harp music is needed and welcomed.

Q. What is the difference between a therapeutic musician and a Music Therapist. A. Capital letters of course!

All joking aside, the Music Therapist (MT) has a degree in Music Therapy. MT is the active rehabilitation of a patient’s condition with music as the tool. A MT likely can play therapeutic music, but their job is primarily to work with a patient directly in an active way.

Conversely, a therapeutic musician has a certificate to play at the bedside and do not have a degree specific to this work. They work in a passive environment, playing music for clinical patients as well as their staff and family to alleviate stress, pain and discomfort. This can be in the form of bedside music or music in a lobby, operating room, post-op, or neo-natal unit, to name a few clinical places.

And there you have it – my secret to personal success as a musician! I have posted this message partially for myself alone, just so that my goals become more real and take solid shape. I have also written this for other musicians to hopefully look at their own careers as a legitimate business. This is the model I dreamed up for me. I’ve been half way there for years and just now have thought of this mnemonic device to help me stay focused and complete my plan to success as a professional working musician.

New Rates

I haven’t given myself a raise in four years. A few weeks ago I saw quite a few harpist colleagues at the Seattle Wedding Show and comparing prices with them, I was quite below everyone else. My new rates are listed on my website here.

I realize times are challenging for everyone out there. I guess that’s why I took so long to increase my pay. That said, I’ve got to pay the bills too and I think my time, unique skill and set of talents are worth something! I hope you do too. I just took on another last minute client this week and he didn’t scoff at all at my new prices. With respect to my musical community, myself and my clients I think I’ve found a new balance.

Sometimes people comment to me about price of hiring a harpist versus a pianist (or some other instrument). I tell them that harp is a challenging instrument to learn, one of the most difficult. My rates reflect my level of professionalism — 20+ years of performing and focused education (college and post graduate).

I take consideration of your pocketbook and give you 100% of my positive energy when you hire me. You can read some more Q & A about the harp on my Thumbtack profile regarding lessons and private engagements.

Top of the World

Last week I had the pleasure to play two private gigs at two iconic Northwest locations: Microsoft and the Space Needle. It was breath of fresh to be able to get behind the scenes at both of these places instead of going through the front door.

Allison at Happily Ever After was the event planner for the wedding at the Space Needle. I was up there on one of the last summer days we had – and the sun was actually in session. The view was gorgeous and everyone I encountered – from the valet to father of he bride – was incredibly kind. l really appreciated how calm Allison, who recommended me, was. Life is more fun when you’re working with people who don’t stress out at the drop of a pin. Instead, we all did our work for the lucky couple on top of the world as the rest of Seattle buzzed around below in the waning days of summer. If felt very rewarding.

Playing at the Space Needle

Blessing Poem

My friends Marty and Anne are getting married in a few weeks. As a harpist, I play for so many weddings, but most often they are for people I don’t know. And when I do go to weddings for friends and family, I get asked to play on my pedal harp. I’m excited that I have just asked been asked to read a poem! What a joy to show up with a simple piece of paper instead of a dolly, a 90 pound instrument, music stand, bench, power cables, amplifier and music. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do! But it sure will be nice to be a regular, plain ‘ol guest in the crowd.

Well… I might just bring my little 20 string harp too. There aren’t too many details yet.

I’ve been wondering what poem I could share with them. I wrote this poem last year for no particular reason. Its small concise nature left me wondering where the idea had come from. I guess now it has its place.

A Blessing (Sunflower)
May you continue to give graces
And bloom again next year
The bride will want to see you
Growing tall in the golden field
May your head be high
And small creatures
Lift you up with their sweetness
Though they may crawl through life
We are all born with wings

Gettin’ Busy Again

July has brought about a lot of play time for me. I’m grateful to my husband Stephen Schildbach for building me a brand new website! Not only that, but he drew all of the illustrations. The one of me on the About Section was re-cycled from our wedding programs, drawn on a springtime outing with pink cherry blossoms falling everywhere.

The month of July has been getting busy: I’ve had three private jobs. The first was a wedding at the iconic Salish Lodge (cue Twin Peaks theme music) where I played on the hidden terrace at the crest of the waterfall. The second wedding was on Whidbey Island where I enjoyed a beautiful drive across Deception Pass. The most recent job was at the Plateau Club in Sammamish where I was hired to play harp for a private party.

This weekend I’ll be traveling up to Vancouver for the World Harp Congress. You can imagine my excitement – harpists from around the world! Then its off to my brother’s wedding in Madison and when I get back, it will be time to start getting busy for the Black Eden show next month.