Overcome confusion and understand music theory in a way that's practical and useful in your real harp playing
7-week program with Christy-Lyn
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Is this you?
You know that music theory is useful, but it feels so intimidating and out of reach
You’d love to improvise freely, but your limited knowledge of how music works is holding you back
When trying to play from chords or lead sheets, you feel at a loss about how everything fits together
You want to express yourself by arranging or composing your own music, but you aren’t sure what you need to know to start.
My story with music theory…
Christy-Lyn’s Story
When I was learning music as a child, I had to study music theory for exams. But honestly, my knowledge was skeletal. I was trying to memorize bits and pieces of information, but I had no idea how it all connected to the music I was actually playing.
For years music theory felt like something you’re ‘supposed’ to know, not something that could help me express myself better through music.
Years later, I decided I wanted to learn to play from chords.
I spent hours in my bedroom with chord sheets and recordings, trying to work out how everything fitted together. Little by little, something changed. Instead of seeing isolated pieces of information, I began to see patterns. I started to understand why the music worked the way it did.
Suddenly, music theory wasn’t about passing an exam anymore. It became a practical tool that helped me play from chords, understand lead sheets, improvise, arrange, and even compose my own music. It opened the door to possibilities I’d always assumed were for “other musicians.”
That’s why I’m so passionate about teaching music theory differently.
I don’t want you to memorise a list of confusing concepts. I want you to experience that same lightbult moment when everything starts to make sense, and music theory starts becoming one of the most useful tools in your musical journey.
Because once you understand how music works, a whole new world of creativity opens up.
I’m so excited for you to discover it too!
Here's what you need to know about Music Theory:
The 'Unlocking Music Theory' Framework
Learn the building blocks
Notes, scales, keys…
Understand how they fit together
Chords, chord progressions…
See how story is told through music
Tension and resolution, color, form…
If you don’t have the first step securely down, it’s impossible to make sense of the second step, and then the third.
- Playing from chords or lead sheets is so much easier once you understand how chords are built, common chord progressions, and how to play a song from chords in any key.
- Arranging a song for the harp makes so much more sense once you can easily figure out what key the song is in and what chords to choose from, and embellish from there.
- Composing your own music is so reachable once you know the elements that make a song feel interesting, beautiful and complete.
Introducing the 'Unlocking Music Theory' Program:
An 8-week LIVE guided program where you’ll learn all the fundamentals of music theory that are useful for growing and expressing yourself as a musician.
You will also have access to LIVE progress calls on 6 of the 8 weeks, run by Stephanie Claussen. She’s a wonderful harpist, arranger and teacher from Minnesota. Stephanie taught our Musicality for Harp program in April and her thoughtful, inspiring teaching made a huge impact.
Bonuses included in the program:
BONUS 1
The ‘Unlocking Music Theory’ E-Book:
Overcome confusion and understand music theory in a way that’s practical and useful in your real harp playing.
Downloadable PDF
You will receive a beautifully designed E-book, chapter by chapter each week, covering all the concepts that you learn in the live sessions. Print out each chapter after the week’s Zoom session so that you have everything you need to apply what you’ve learned during the week.
BONUS 2
The Circle of Fifths Made Understandable
Downloadable PDF
This chart evokes fear in so many musicians! Rather than being a confusing mystery, it will soon become a useful cheat-sheet. You’ll receive a simplified version of this useful chart with an explanation of what it means and how it can help you understand keys and related chords on the harp
BONUS 3
The Ultimate Keys and Levers Cheat Sheet for Harp
Downloadable PDF
Don’t have brain space to memorize which sharps or flats belong in which keys? This cheat sheet will give you an instant answer to the question “which levers must I engage?”, no matter whether your harp is tuned in C, F or Bb. No need to feel confused when you see sharps or flats at the beginning of your piece – you’ll have a quick and easy way to find out how to start playing without thinking too hard.
BONUS 4
Decode Any Piece Worksheet
Downloadable PDF
Wondering how you’ll pull together everything you’ll learn in the program and apply it to your pieces? This step-by-step worksheet will help you to analyze music for yourself, no matter whether it’s a well-known favorite or a piece you’ve never heard in your life. This is where all the pieces start to fall into place!
BONUS 5
Real Music Analysis Walkthrough
Downloadable PDF
Sometimes concepts don’t click until you see them being applied in front of your eyes. This bonus video will show Christy-Lyn analyzing one harp piece from start to finish, showing how all the concepts you’ve learned throughout the program come together in real music.
BONUS 6
Analysis Pieces Pack
Downloadable PDF
It takes time and practice to get good at any skill, and applying music theory to real pieces is no different. In this pack you’ll find a bundle of harp arrangements for you to analyze, so that you can get your eye in and feel equipped to apply what you’ve learned to every new piece you come across.
BONUS 7
The Foundations of Improvising and Playing from Chords
Downloadable Booklet
Interested in improvising or playing from chords, but feel held back by what you don’t know? This guide will take you through applying music theory to those skills. You’ll learn some of the main music theory concepts that allow free and creative expression, and what mistakes to avoid as you grow and experiment.
BONUS 8
From Theory to Arranging & Composing
Videos
How can you take music theory the next step and actually start arranging music you love for the harp? Or writing down the melodies that are in your head? This guide will give the starting point. Find out the theory you need to get comfortable with, and how to take the next steps on your journey.
BONUS 9
Access to the Unlocking Music Theory Community Group
Private Group
Journey with others on our private group by sharing your struggles, your wins and the questions you have along the way. This is where all the excitement and action happens!
BONUS 10
Lifetime Access
Refer back to the content again and again
Refer back to all the content in the program again and again, including replays of the live sessions which you can re-watch any time.
The traditional way of learning music theory relies on one-to-one lessons with a teacher over many weeks, usually to prepare for an exam. And while that can be fine with the right teacher, it can also be expensive, slow, and not focused on the kind of music theory that is practical and useful.
In Unlocking Music Theory we turn that paradigm on it’s head. Rather than rote learning for exam expectations, we’ll start with the end in mind, and learn exactly what’s needed to equip you for creative expression in your real harp playing.
If Stephanie and I taught this same material privately, or sold all the resources separately, the cost would add up very quickly. That’s what the value breakdown below shows.
But because we’re teaching this online in a group setting, we can make it much more accessible, while still giving you thoughtful teaching, resources and examples. And you also get something private lessons don’t always offer: the encouragement of learning alongside other harpists who are working through the same questions and lightbulb moments as you.
That’s why this format is so wonderful: it gives you the structure and guidance that’s needed, while making this kind of learning possible for more people.
What you'll get in Unlocking Music Theory:
8 weeks of Pre-Recorded Training Videos with Christy-Lyn ($1340 value)
9 hours of Live Progress Calls with Stephanie ($1080 value)
Bonus 1: The ‘Unlocking Music Theory’ E-Book ($60 value)
Bonus 2: The Circle of Fifths Made Understandable ($20 value)
Bonus 3: The Ultimate Keys and Levers Cheat Sheet ($10 value)
Bonus 4: Decode Any Piece Worksheet ($15 value)
Bonus 5: Real Music Analysis Walkthrough ($40 value)
Bonus 6: Analysis Pieces Pack ($24 value)
Bonus 7: The Foundations of Improvising and Playing from Chords ($15 value)
Bonus 8: From Theory to Arranging & Composing ($15 value)
Bonus 9: Access to the Unlocking Music Theory Classmates Group ($20 value)
Bonus 10: Lifetime Access to all training materials
Your price today: $420 (84% less)
✅ Who this program IS for:
- If you’ve completed Unlocking Sheet Music and want to understand the next level beyond the notes on the page – or if you are already familiar with the following concepts:
- Reading notes on the treble and bass clefs
- Understanding basic rhythm values, rests, measures, and time signatures
- Knowing how sharps, flats, and naturals work
- Following basic music notation, symbols, and markings in a piece of harp music
- If you’d like to learn about Playing from Chords, Playing from Lead Sheets, Arranging or Composing in the future – Unlocking Music Theory will be a pre-requisite for those programs
- If you’re early-intermediate level and up, and would just like to deepen your enjoyment of music or have something to talk about with other musicians!
❌ Who this program is NOT for:
- If you’re a beginner, please wait before you join this program – it’s really worth solidifying your harp technique and overcoming any hurdles you have in your playing before branching out
- If you aren’t fluent in reading sheet music – Unlocking Sheet Music is the first step before Unlocking Music Theory. Many harp players have had great success with turning their sheet music reading around and finally feeling comfortable with playing and reading at the same time.
If you need help choosing a program more appropriate to your current stage, please email us at [email protected]
You’re not alone!
Guarantee
Try the program, risk-free! If you feel you haven’t got the instruction needed to help you to gain a foundational understanding of music theory, we’ll give you a full refund! We truly want you to experience success and if you aren’t satisfied, we aren’t either. More Info
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlocking Music Theory will run from July 22 – Sept 16, 2026 (9 weeks)
🌏 See the first session in your time zone here
There will be weekly Live Zoom sessions on Wednesdays at 2-3pm EDT
Replays are available immediately after each session so you can keep up with the class
No problem! All the sessions will be recorded so you can watch them in your own time.
You’ll also have access to the Unlocking Sheet Music Classmates group where you can ask further questions and interact with other students.
Each week there will be a 90 minute live session where you’ll learn the bulk of the content. You’ll get the most out of the program if you also dedicate 20 minutes of practice time a day, 6 days a week
This program is for students who are comfortable playing Early-Intermediate pieces and up, who feel confident in their basic playing technique and are ready to branch out. If you’re still playing late-beginner but excited to go further, we highly recommend taking Early-Intermediate Foundations first. It will help you to become proficient as a harp player, which is a really great grounding to have before you take on a new challenge.
AND you should have either already completed Unlocking Sheet Music, or have a good grasp of the following concepts:
- Reading notes on the treble and bass clefs
- Understanding basic rhythm values, rests, measures, and time signatures
- Knowing how sharps, flats, and naturals work
- Following basic music notation, symbols, and markings in a piece of harp music
If you aren’t yet fluent with sheet music reading, we recommend joining the next class of Unlocking Sheet Music – it’s such an empowering experience to be able to read and play fluently at the same time!
If you’re unsure whether this program is right for you, visit our Program Season 3 page where we compare the 3 programs currently on offer.
You’ll have lifetime access to the program, so that you can come back and recap whenever you need!
On this sales page, you’ll see several places where you can click “Use My Credits”, displaying your current credit balance. When you click that button it will automatically exchange your credits for a coupon of their value and apply it at checkout. If there’s any remaining balance, you can simply pay it as usual during the checkout process.
Of course! Please contact us at [email protected] and our student support team will help you with your purchase.
This program will be offered once a year. The dates of the next offering are still to be confirmed.
If you are unsure whether this is the right time to take Unlocking Music Theory, you can consider Early Intermediate Foundations which is currently on offer. See the programs compared to each other on our Program Season 3 page.
