[Lisa Harper]

Hi Laura, I also have a really busy life and it took a while (like a couple years) to figure out what I needed to make progress, even if slowly. So you are ahead of the game! For me it was 1) figuring out the style I wanted to study; 2) finding accountability; and 3) finding a jam so I could play with others. Surprisingly, the jam I recently joined is not the style I chose to work on — but it’s been such great fun. Despite being so busy, I had to give myself permission to do both. Many skills transferred! In the end, playing with others accomplishes all three, though I’ve found it valuable to study with expert help in a group class setting. This was possible remotely so I could take classes over zoom after work.
Lisa

[Lisa Harper]

Do you ever listen to Rachel Barton Pine? She seems to be amazingly versatile — even dipping into metallica, I think. Really great question and I’m also interested in hearing perspectives. I got interested in Mark O’Connor and learning about his teaching methods for this very reason. I wish there were courses offered online versus singleton instructors in this space. Honestly, I’ve started shifting away from fiddle towards Mandolin simply because it seems easier to bridge classical with other traditions. Or maybe for other less consciously understood reasons. Love to hear what you learn!

[Lisa Harper]

For whatever reason, David Benedict uses Discord to complement his Patreon site. I’m more familiar with Slack since a lot of tech companies use it. I’ve used free groups to facilitate communication in graduate classes that I teach.
Lisa

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