Interview with Cheryl Ann Fulton
World-Class Harpist & Music Educator
Interview Summary
World-class harpist Cheryl Ann Fulton transitioned from underpaid live performances to profitable online courses and discovered that students valued creative fulfillment and community discussion more than technical instruction. Her key insight: your students may be hiring your course for a different "job" than you assume — listen for what actually resonates.
The Starving Artist Paradigm
Cheryl Ann Fulton is a Fulbright Scholar with three degrees, over 40 recordings, and a distinguished performing career spanning four decades. Despite this mastery, she found herself consistently undervalued financially. "The feedback I was getting from the world was, you're not worth it," she says. "But that's not acceptable and it's not true." The shift came when she reframed her relationship with business: "Business is about me finding a way to reach the people who can benefit from what I have to teach." Online courses became the vehicle for that reach — and proved far more financially sustainable than live performances or university teaching.
Business is about me finding a way to reach the people who can benefit from what I have to teach.
Let Students Drive the Curriculum
Cheryl's most popular courses are not what she expected. She started by teaching medieval modes and historical harp technique — her area of deepest expertise. But student demand pulled her toward "Tune Up Your Tone" — a course focused on sound quality and creative expression that attracted a broader audience. She achieved 100% attendance in that course, which she attributes to discussions: "The group got really involved. We had offshoots... the capacity to not just stay focused on the topic, but be able to have discussions that bring what you're teaching into life for everybody." The lesson: build what students actually want, not just what you know most about.
Building a Course Portfolio
Rather than one signature course, Cheryl built a portfolio: topic-based courses for broad audiences (creative expression, tone quality), technique courses for dedicated learners (historical harp methods, specific repertoire), and group lessons for ongoing revenue. This portfolio approach means different offerings serve different commitment levels and price points, creating multiple entry points into her teaching ecosystem. Pop-up workshops let her test new topics with minimal investment before committing to full course development.
I had 100% attendance in that course, which is amazing.
Cheryl's Action Steps
Cheryl recommends these 3 steps to improve your course planning:
Discover what job students are really hiring your course for
It may be creative fulfillment and community rather than technical skill. Pay attention to which topics generate the most discussion and enthusiasm, not just which topics you know best.
Start with low-effort pop-up workshops to test demand
Before building a full course, run a short workshop on the topic. Let student enthusiasm and requests guide what you build next — this saves months of creating content nobody wants.
Build a portfolio at different commitment levels
Offer topic courses for broad audiences, technique courses for dedicated learners, and group lessons for ongoing revenue. Multiple entry points create a sustainable teaching business.
About Cheryl Ann Fulton
World-Class Harpist & Music Educator
Cheryl Ann Fulton is a world-class harpist and pioneering expert in historical harps with a distinguished performing career since 1984. A Fulbright Scholar with three degrees from Indiana University, she has over 40 recordings and teaches online courses that have attracted students from around the world seeking both technical mastery and creative fulfillment.
Listen to the full episode
From Course Lab with Abe Crystal & Ari Iny on Mirasee FM