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Catherine

@harp_queen

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Eastman ‘23 ; RCM ‘25
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What a week! Honestly was a bit of a whirlwind but I’ve finally made it through the first half term. I honestly didn’t have much time for reading with all the things that were happening but hopefully I’ll make up for it this week! Had a bit of fun reorganizing the harp room in preparation for recording my candlelight video! Also finally had time for making solid progress in The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow. It’s a highly political tale with a tale of female oppression all too relatable to modern day, but with an added magic system which is quite interesting! Last Monday teaching of this half-term! Headed out for some peace by the river at lunchtime and enjoyed the sunshine. Enjoyed reading in the sunlight for a bit! It took quite some experimentation to figure out how to safely light the candles without risking burning my harp or my books😂 but overall it was quite fun to record this for posting the next day! Finally finished The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow! This is a book that I have so much respect for in terms of its story, writing and magic system. I was not a huge fan of the romance, and with it being such a heavy read I will put it alongside the likes of Babel by R F Kuang where it is a one and done read to remember in my mind but not have on my shelves as I’ll never reread it. Also, with how things ended, I likely will not read any sequel as it can be read as a standalone. Practicing some excerpts in preparation for an audition video. Half-term may be a reprieve from teaching (mostly), but it’s full on for creating recordings! Began this adorable, autumnal paranormal rom-com and it’s adorable! After a shorter teaching day, I curled up with my book on the couch for a rest! I’m really enjoying our main characters Jack and Rosie, though the names remind me of the Titanic movie and I can only hope this ending is better and without a large plank of wood! Finally Friday came!! Had a productive day of teaching 9-6pm, read for a little bit… but mostly tried out the new Warrior cats game on my Nintendo Switch 2! I have adored the Warrior cats series for nearly 20 years, and I jumped at the chance to get to play as a cat of the clans, hunt for prey and by @harp_queen
Inspired by a recent week where my flat blew a lighting fuse, and I could only practice with daylight or a stand light, I decided to try playing purely by candlelight (plus a specifically positioned stand light on the side😅). The piece is Una Furtiva Lagrima from Donizetti’s opera “L’Elisir d’Amore” as arranged by Meinir Heulyn. I’ve tried to capture the relief and hope of Nemorino as he sees Adina shed a tear and believes she returns his affections through dynamic range and some changes in tempo. The piece is soft, at first, lamenting his unrequited love. But by the end, as we modulate to B-flat Major, Nemorino fully believes his “love potion” has worked. Please note no harps or books were injured by the candles! #harpist #harp #opera #candlelightperformance by @harp_queen
And we’re back! In this penultimate week before half-term, both the teaching days and the books seemed to pass by much slower than I wanted them to. However, I am making progress on a new piece so that’s something! #harpist #harpistlife #musicteacher #bookstagram Sunday was marked by a trip out to the science museum for ESA’s partnership with Pokemon! Was honestly very cute and was my first time wandering through the telephone exhibit which made me nostalgic for the old ways of phoning. I would very happily use a snoopy telephone! Monday had a long teaching day, much caffeine and lots of steps! Got a lot of reading done during the students’ mandatory 90min lunch break I can’t teach in, but other than that my brain was too tired from speaking for reading words 😂 Tuesday marks my weekly Women’s Legs Bums and Tums class as well as a lovely evening of teaching! I absolutely adore this class and have so much fun during it, and if nothing else it’s helping my self esteem! Wednesday was a day at home bar one student with lots of time for reading and practice! I finished Prudence Marsh is not a Nobody Anymore, a cozy, fun filled adventure featuring a main character who is a musician and plays the mandolin. I then began a much darker tale of a woman on trial for helping another woman lose their baby. The trial of Magdalena overmorrow is highly political, relevent to today’s world and a huge contrast to Prudence Marsh which I hope will help me avoid a book slump. After a long teaching day, what’s better than getting out any frustrations at the gym! I’ve really come to enjoy my personal training hours each Thursday and can now deadlift 30kg! Reading wise, it is going slowly, especially with how intense the writing and story are within The Trial of Magdalena Overmorrow. INSET day for me! Only had after school students, so used the time to explore a cafe (and practice a bit of course!) Some lovely flowers outside a pupil’s home! Impressed they’re still blooming. Finally managed to get 1/3 of the way through the book! by @harp_queen
I’ve only been learning this piece, Parish-Alvars’ La Mandoline, for a few days, and it shows. I wanted to share this excerpt anyway because practice is NOT the polished clips I so often see (and admittedly try to post) on social media. Practice is where we identify the areas for improvement before isolating the issues and fixing them one by one. In this case, I was testing how much had stuck from yesterday’s practice, and yes there are several aspect that still need to improve, but overall I have the notes learned and now need to work on phrasing and feet as opposed to where my hands need to be. I hope this video shows that no musician, whether in school or graduated, starts by sounding great. Instead, we have to put work in to achieve the polished sound of performances and recordings. #practicemakesprogress #harp #newpiece by @harp_queen
And we’re back! Another week complete… half-term is really creeping up on me. #music #harpistlife #musicteacher #bookstagram Sunday marked a day of calm before the storm and some strong practice on pieces new and old for upcoming opportunities! It was also time to start a fun standalone that’s been staring at me from my shelf for several months. Needed the caffeine and by the end of the day my little portable cup had earned its worth! Also, the Chester’s Easiest Piano Course has become my absolute favorite to use with young beginners! While reading took a bit of a back seat compared to work, so far Secrets, spells and chocolate is a demonstration of how young adult books don’t have to be juvenile or overly simplistic because I really care about these 14 year olds getting into magical cooking school. A lovely day of making progress in my book, starting a new at home piano student and some rest in the park! Finished one book and started another during this day of practice, meeting with friends and my third personal training session. I’ve really been loving seeing how strong I truly am and testing my abilities! After a long day of piano students what could be a better remedy than push ups and lifting 22.5kg on the bench? 😂 Really surprising myself with how far I can push myself each time I go to the gym. Prudence Marsh is not a nobody anymore is proving to be quite an entertaining read, as good as its predecessor, Violet Thistlewaite is not a villain anymore. Quite an interesting day as a student went on a school trip I wasn’t informed of, resulting in my planned schedule being as useful as a spoon is to cut steak. However, at the end of the day all pupils were taught, and I came home happy and exhausted! Was very grateful for the NetGalley app on my phone so I could read my advanced copy during the bizarrely long lunch break as I waited for the student to return from the trip. An early morning at the gym kicked off a harp filled day with both practice and my lovely harp student. This also marked the start of teaching a family of three who heard about me through a local recommendation. This is a huge milestone to me as it shows that both pupils a by @harp_queen
Memories from August with @thegeorgiangroup ! This was my first Georgian event, and it was so incredibly fun to meet new friends and provide the musical backdrop for some fun and games in the evening. Keep swiping to see just what kind of fun we got up to 👀 More photos will soon be on my website! Photo credit goes to Carla Salvatore @carlasalvatorestudio Thank you for such stunning shots! by @harp_queen
Fiddling with the exact format of this again! I actually think this way looks much cleaner, but if anyone has opinions let me know in the comments! This week actually had some decent practice time combined with new adventures and teaching. Practice day! Stayed home and practiced before curling up to finish my book. Really loved the plot and how it wraps up the loose ends while clearing a path for the sequel! Long teaching day with 13 budding pianists! Began Steelborn, a pick from one of my subscription boxes, and it’s a bit of a slow start Visited a student whose area is always teeming with kitties! This little fella watched as I walked by. Now at 25% of Steelborn and it’s getting interesting! Visited RCM for the first time since graduating to give documentation for a very exciting opportunity I’ll hopefully be able to share more about soon! This book is getting quite the adventure this week on all these transit systems Another Thursday, another break in the park between lessons. Fingers crossed this slot can fill in soon! Finally have made it to half way Squirrel stopped by to enjoy listening the piano lessons! In the home stretch now of Steelborn. The plot has really picked up since the introductory chapters. A harp focused day of practice, one lesson and some application submissions to new projects! The slow start of this book hid just how invested I would become in the characters, plot and world by the end! So ready for book 2! by @harp_queen
Getting back into the rhythm of teaching also means getting back to regularly posting on social media! I’ve changed the name, but each week I’ll still share where my books have traveled to with me. This week was exciting with orchestra rehearsals, a concert and the second full week of teaching! Having just finished Reap & Sow by Charlotte B Plumb today, I can say it’s an absolutely fantastic new adult fantasy romance with Fae trickster bargains, though Fae are demons in this world, and main characters who are each flawed, but in ways that they can only heal together. #teacherlıfe #musicianlife #bookstagram #reader by @harp_queen
Another @odysseyorchestra concert complete! This marks my third September concert, and it was quite an intense kick off to this year of musical adventures. Who would’ve thought I’d be saying I prefer Strauss… but the day has come where Berg has shown me yes… it can be worse for my pedaling feet. Really grateful to @meganhharp for joining as we counted and laughed our way through Berg’s rarely played 3 orchestral excerpts and Strauss’ Alpine Symphony 🪉 Thank goodness for the horns and their cues! by @harp_queen
Learned this for an evening of dancing and parlour games with London’s Georgian Group! It was so much fun to share this and other nostalgic tunes throughout the evening, and I’m happy to say most guests agreed that the 1995 Pride & Prejudice series is their favorite version. #harpist #harp #harpistsofinstagram #prideandprejudice by @harp_queen
One last summer adventure with @marten.thorian yesterday taking a ride around Hyde Park! by @harp_queen
7 year post-BUTI reunion!! @lily_primus thank you for visiting London so I could show you some of my favorite places! Had so much fun catching up and exploring, even if our feet are now throbbing from all the steps. So excited for all that you’ve achieved and that you’ll continue to accomplish 🪉🎶🎶 by @harp_queen

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