How I teach

I teach via videoconference. This means no travel time and no parking hassles. You remain in the comfort of your own home where you can hydrate or vape as you please. I am able to see what I need in your hands and posture via the camera that’s already in your laptop, tablet, or phone. I can hear what I need to of your tone and phrasing through your device’s mic. I can move my own camera anywhere to demonstrate.

I only teach adults. I understand the particular challenges of learning a new skill after childhood. I understand the trap of thinking it is too late to start something new.

As an adult, you have the self-awareness to address your own progress. I customize your lessons around what you need. It is all about you. This is your choice and your money. You should be having fun. If you’re not reaching the goals that you set, or you’re not enjoying yourself, then we work together to make adjustments to what you’re playing, optimize your practicing, dissect motivation, or do something else.

What’s your worry?

  • Can’t meet regularly? We’ll schedule lessons as we go.

  • Too busy to practice? You can get by with 5 minutes at a time.

  • Can’t read music? I’ll teach you to play without reading.

  • Tone deaf? If you want to play, then you are musical. We can overturn your tone deafness, real or perceived.

  • Think you’ll be 50, 60, 70 years old before you are “any good?” You’ll learn the tunes you want to play from the start. Learning an instrument is like saving for retirement: it's better to start early, but it's never too late to start.

My philosophy is to teach you how to do what you want to do. I have no interest in imposing a particular method or demanding you acquire skills that you don’t need. Playing the harp should be something you enjoy. 

I also work to understand your learning style so that I can teach the way that is best for you. Knowing more about how you learn can help you in other areas of your life, too.

Testimonials

“Karen asked me what I wanted to learn outside of the traditional repertoire and did not tell me ‘No.’ when I asked to play Jazz. Instead, she gave me the tools to learn, starting at the basics and moving up. Even when the complexity of the instrument, score, or theory gets me frustrated, Karen never stops giving gentle but firm encouragement. Through her infinite patience and excellent tutelage, I finally feel like I can play and understand music with no small skill. And what's more: I enjoy it again.” —Alec

“Karen is observant. She offers, in real time, suggestions which help me understand the rationale and the needed technique. I never feel judged but I do feel challenged in trying new techniques. Her emails afterwards detailing suggestions with bracketing, nuance, music theory and more have helped me. I had almost lost hope in my ability to advance.” —Trish

“Karen Peterson had been the double-strung harp guru at Somerset for a couple years and she always stopped by my booth there to look at music. In 2019 I asked her if she would be willing to edit my arrangements. She eagerly agreed. Karen turned out to be an amazing teacher. Her comments were always positive, supportive and complimentary. Rather than telling me specifically what to do, she would tell me that what I had done was good, but to take it further and ‘rock it.’ This encouraged me to make changes and find better ways to make the arrangements work. The majority of her editing suggestions involved moving the notes I had written to a different hand or adjusting the fingerings. When she did suggest specific note or chord changes, they always made perfect sense and did not change the character of the arrangements, only enhanced them.” —Thom Dutton, A Dozen Doubles: Twelve Tunes by Turlough O’Carolan Arranged for double-Strung Harp➚

“Karen is one of those teachers that comes around once in a lifetime and makes such a positive impact. Sharing her knowledge is something I can tell excites her, and in turn, I was excited to learn from her. When you've achieved something, she is not shy to praise you. I always felt this praise came from a deeply genuine place and a ‘job well done’ always felt more rewarding. If there were ever moments of frustration on my end, Karen has this wonderful way of trying to find an analogy in this situation. She will reframe the information into something more that feels more curated to myself and my learning style.” —Sarah

“Karen takes a personal interest in every person that she works with. She is passionate about everything she does and goes above and beyond to coach people when she recognizes that they could use help. The skills and knowledge I learned from Karen have been the foundation which I use every day going on six years later.” —Niamh

“When you ask Karen for help, it’s not about the advice you receive, it’s about the sincere look of compassion and commitment in her eyes when she talks to you. You feel like you can let down your guard, ask questions and demonstrate your abilities.” —Eudi

“While working with Karen in a professional setting I found she has many qualities that are desirable and easily transferred to a teaching setting. She has unbounded enthusiasm and energy for whatever project she is on and genuine interest in her co-workers. Karen also knows her subject matter inside and out, providing confidence in her teaching or mentoring abilities.” —Hilary

“I've had the privilege of working with Karen and was always so impressed by her ability to not only do thoughtful, intelligent work, but also by her natural ability as a mentor... Karen is also such a fun person to work with, I can't imagine a better teacher in whatever field she's in.” —Ranee

“Whenever Karen presented her work, she was able to take the complex and abstract thinking behind her designs and explain it so people got it right away!” —Regina

“Karen brings an enthusiasm to teaching that is both genuine and infectious.  She has trained me in many subjects over the years, both professionally and personally, by coupling her expertise and passion into a potent educational cocktail.” —Andrew

“Karen's an inspiring mentor. Her joy of sharing comes through in everything she does!" —Kellie

Ready to contact me? There are also answers to the frequently asked questions.