At the very beginning of the year, I enrolled in a harp therapy program. This means I am learning to play the harp, and to offer my emotional and spiritual presence, in a way that “soothes the savage breast” (William Congreve, 1697) of someone suffering in a hospital or hospice. Music is scientifically proven to confer numerous benefits to human beings, from lowering blood pressure to improving memory and motor issues. As a harp therapist, I would serve as part of a holistic healthcare team.
It is endlessly remarkable to me how disparate thoughts or elements of life can snap together harmoniously, all at once.
To supplement my learning, I have been listening to the audiobook I Heard There Was a Secret Chord, by Daniel J. Levitin. I am about halfway through, where the author talks about expressing ineffable feelings and ideas through music and surrendering yourself to emotion.
This afternoon, I felt a random urge to play the piano. I have been so focused on the harp that I have not touched my piano, or even my flute, for at least two months. I was craving Yiruma’s “River Flows in You,” which I have in a book of Eloquent Songs for Solo Piano. I actually bought this book solely for that piece and never played anything else from it.
After playing the Yiruma, I skimmed through the other pages and landed on “Primavera,” by Ludovico Einaudi. It starts with the left hand alone, and I tried it—halfheartedly, skeptically. The composition looked so basic that I feared it might be dull. But when I added the right hand, I was immediately hooked. The piece was still easy, but there was something uniquely enchanting and beautiful in that very easiness. An alarm on my phone rang, signaling the time to pick up my son from his after-school club, but I kept going. I was almost done, and anyway, I always set my alarms on the early side. I had to see the music through.
Later at night, I looked up and listened to Einaudi’s own recording of “Primavera.” Then I noticed “Nuvole Bianche” listed among his works. The title rang a bell, so I listened to that, too.
And surrendered myself to emotion, to a depth I hadn’t reached in a long time.
As powerful as the music was, part of me was also thinking about how (relatively) (technically) easy it was. It eroded, at least partially, a wall of fear that had built itself up in my mind around the prospect of playing live harp music at the bedside. The thing is, there is no sheet music in harp therapy. You need to be highly attuned to your patient, flowing from one song or improvisation to the next as befits their mood or status. You can’t be staring at markings on paper. Besides, it is simply impractical to lug around a music stand along with your harp as you roam from one room or hallway to the next. I have been low-key stressing over how on earth I was going to improvise enough sophisticated, interesting music for potentially two to four hours at a stretch. But Einaudi showed me today that music really doesn’t need to be technically dazzling to be interesting or beautiful. He employs a fair amount of repetition, but it works.
Harp therapy itself was another thing that fell into my lap in a way that felt like kismet. In December, I saw an instrument for sale online that was described as a “therapy harp.” Googling the term, I came across many discussions of harp therapy, therapeutic music, and music therapy (which is a separate concept). I thought, This could be my calling. I have always wanted to do something meaningful with my life and talents. I have wondered for many years, especially when unhappy with my tech job, if I ought to go back to school to be a doctor or physician assistant. At the same time, I have been wanting to explore more in music, like songwriting and/or digital music production. Harp therapy combined these dreams in a way I never imagined.
The learning journey is spiritual as well as musical, and we students are encouraged to keep a journal as we go. I figured, as a blogger of 20+ years (!!!), I may as well post my entries publicly here. Hope you found this interesting, because there is surely more to come.
lunarsine 