Taking a Step Back on Your Musical Journey
Newsletter 2026 April
What if you took a moment to reflect on how far you’ve come with your harp playing? ✨
A simple yet very powerful tip: create your own list of pieces.
Take a notebook (or a digital document) and write down:
The pieces you’ve learned
Their level (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
Your level of comfort: well mastered, in progress, or needs review
You can go even further by adding:
A wish list: pieces you dream of playing
An “on hold” list: pieces you’ve set aside, intentionally or not
This may seem like a small exercise, but it helps you clearly see your progress.
We often forget how much we’ve already learned… and yet, the journey is right there in front of us.
In fact, my students recently tried this exercise, and their feedback was truly touching:
Jeanne, realized that in just two years, she had learned far more than she thought — and felt a real sense of pride
Valérie, didn’t expect that in just a few months, she had already learned 5 or 6 pieces… even short ones, they are real small victories
Angélique, meanwhile, now shares her pieces with children and has started creating seasonal lists — a beautiful way to bring music into everyday life.
It’s also a great way to:
Regain motivation and clarity
Identify your strengths and areas for improvement
Make more intentional choices in your practice
Over time, this list becomes a true map of your musical journey.
Take this moment for yourself — you might be surprised by how much you’ve already accomplished.
Eve McTelenn - April 2026
"Down by the Salley Gardens" (Irish: Gort na Saileán) is a poem by William Butler Yeats published in
The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems in 1889. History : Yeats indicated in a note that it was "an attempt to reconstruct an old song from three lines imperfectly remembered by an old peasant woman in the village of Ballisodare, County Sligo, who often sings them to herself." The "old song" may have been the ballad "The Rambling Boys of Pleasure"
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« Au bord des jardins de Salley » (en irlandais : Gort na Saileán) est un poème de William Butler Yeats, publié dans
Les Pérégrinations d'Oisin et autres poèmes en 1889. Historique : Yeats a indiqué dans une note qu'il s'agissait d'« une tentative de reconstitution d'une vieille chanson à partir de trois vers dont une vieille paysanne du village de Ballisodare, dans le comté de Sligo, se souvenait imparfaitement et qu'elle fredonnait souvent ». Cette « vieille chanson » pourrait être la ballade « Les Garçons vagabonds du plaisir ».
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This sheet music is available as a video lesson in the Celtic Harp school section by subscription.
Cette partition est disponible en formation vidéo dans la partie Celtic Harp school sur abonnement
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Arranged for Lever Harp by Eve McTelenn
The PDF contains :
Background of the Piece
Original version without fingerings help
Eve Mctelenn’s Help Version with fingering suggestions.
Key of D - 27 Strings Harp & Beginner / Early Intermediate Friendly
All Versions - No lever changes. Length: 3/4 pages