NICU and Yoga

What do those two things have in common? Just that they are the two newest places that I am playing in the hospital(s) now!

(Picture from The Junior League of Waco, Inc.)

I chose this picture because it closely resembled the environment and experience I had for my first couple of times playing in the NICU. Just to be clear, I have NEVER played at a hospital in Texas (yet).

What BABIES like: I have come to the opinion that babies like consistent music. If I make drastic changes in the key, tempo, and even volume...the babies would cry or their monitors would go off. If I would STOP abruptly, their monitors would go off. So the trick is to gently fade (with rolling arpeggios) so that I could leave them in blissful peace. That is until I'm strapping up the harp and hit a huge garbage can or something. 

The individual in the photo almost looks like the volunteer who asked me to stop by before leaving one day. She was holding and feeding a baby. She stated, "It wasn't until you started playing that I could finally get this baby to eat something" and I leveled-up in harp therapy that day. 

YOGA: playing for yoga at the Vet hospital has been fun and is different than playing therapeutically, because I feel I am playing for a sort of dance. I actually did play for ONE FULL HOUR of yoga (and that was a big mistake because my stamina was not ready for that after already playing for 2 hours prior). Tips: Play consistently during movements. Use techniques like going from lower register to higher register for positions that unfold or involve stretching. My favorite, of course, was playing for the relax segment at the end (it's also my favorite in Yoga besides the Child's Pose). I just plucked one note here or there creating a simple melody, if that. I felt it coincided perfectly.

And it always helps to get compliments from the teacher and students. I must admit, I have been taking the last 15 minutes of class, kicking off my shoes and joining them for some much needed stretching after doing harp therapy for the day. It takes away all sorts of uncomforts. I love it!

Live Music for Vets Soothes PTSD

Article from LA TIMES: "Live Music at Fresno's VA Hospital Makes a Big Difference"

A local harpist just sent this article to me and it talks about how VA patient's in waiting rooms enjoy the live music and makes them less stressed and at ease when going in for their appointments.

Today was my first day playing for the Mental Health floor at the VA hospital and it was received so wonderfully by the patient's coming and going to their appointments and by the staff. People came out of their offices to hear the music and thanked me so much for providing this wonderful service.

One patient was finished with his appointment for the day and took some time to stand by me and chat a while. Right away, I felt an interesting connection with this guy. He was upset and fed-up with his "treatment" and I sympathized. He said, "I need more of this (pointing to my music) and less of that (meaning his therapy sessions)" I laughed and said I knew what he meant. He talked about how he started to feel like one of the masses, and that he is doing his own research with his condition and that some doctor's are not responsive to patient's who take this into their own hands. We discussed how music therapy needs to be brought back into traditional forms of treatment, and less pill-pushing.

Even though I provide a peaceful service, I tend to notice that I light a fire under people sometimes. I tend to get them to think of change, and repressed emotions surface. I have to laugh at the amount of times that I just randomly run into someone, have a discussion, and then something bubbling under the surface appears. People have gotten angry, have cried, have realized not-so-pretty things about themselves, or realizing that they need to change something in their lives. I'm a mover and a shaker!

Anyway, back to this guy, his therapist walked by and then he spent the next 10 minutes ranting about what we were previously talking about and I think it was necessary for him to get it off his chest (though I do think his therapist was like "where is this coming from?")

Not 5 minutes later, and another guy does the same to his therapist! So I hope I was providing peaceful treatment...or at least acknowledgement from these patient's that they're fed-up with certain methods of treatment that are run into the ground, or are sick of feeling like another one in the herd.

I sympathize with this because I have also had years of mental health treatment and I understand the frustration. Some therapists were gold, most were just "doing their job" and I never really felt understood individually and they were eager to get me on some sort of meds and out the door. After getting to know myself for quite a while and my patterns, I also did my own research and self-help into specific matters.

The director of my school program (Christina Tourin) has a new series of playing harp in group settings. Like a harp therapy group. I think this type of thing would do wonders for these patients.

New Year Checking In!

 (Gilbert Williams "Moon Song")

Just checking in for the New Year, yes I'm still alive and finally practicing after the holidays. I finished my Christmas harp CD and gave some away to family and friends. They really enjoyed it. My next goal is to complete a CD filled with most of the songs I play in the hospital for harp therapy. I currently use soundcloud.com so that some of my music is available for friends, family, and the public to download for free. Here is the link http://soundcloud.com/harpstringsandwings

In other news that isn't official yet, I may be starting at another hospital that holds more future opportunities for me. I still want to keep at my current hospital because I will have the opportunity for playing for new mommies and their babies! Something I've always wanted to do and try.

In the meantime, I've put together an exercise bike, I need to take down the tree and lights. 

Hope everyone is starting off their New Year with some music and peace.

Toledo Zoo Lights

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

 An angel playing a pretend prelude on a prelude harp with a prelude demeanor.

Halloween came and it went, and unfortunately, I didn't get to wear my costume to the adult party this year. So I decided to dress up for Halloween night and pass out candy. I even got a couple boys returning and asking my husband "Where is your daughter...you know, the angel? We didn't come for candy again, we just wanted to see her"

Haha! Kid stalkers!
Yeah, my poor hubs. Feels rather old-ish from that encounter.

I had a dream Wednesday night that I was in a waiting room at a hospital and it was filled with sick kids, kids with cancer, kids that were crying and in pain. I was observing them. I wasn't a harpist in my dream or providing therapy, and it broke my heart because I could not stand seeing them in pain.

Well, Thursday, I'm volunteering and setting up and looking for a chair (I am always looking for a chair now that I broke that little stool!) I grabbed a chair next to a family and the young Mother was holding her son, who did not have hair and was probably awaiting a procedure. He was fast asleep. He was probably 5 years old.

Anyway, he started to cry shortly after I started to play. I quickly remembered how we were taught to find the tone of the patient's cry or moan and match it. This helps to establish that "WE HEAR YOU!" and it is acknowledgment from us on their behalf that they are scared, in pain, or just wanting to be heard. I managed to find the tone (which was E minor) and played the basic chord, sometimes switching and harmonizing. They proceeded to carry the child past me and I kept playing those notes. He then went into the treatment room. The mother came out and I asked her if he was ok and she mentioned something about him falling asleep again...rather quickly.

I have no idea if my chords and tone-matching were working for him, but it was kind of strange with how that connected with my dream only the night before and also provided me an opportunity to practice my technique we learned at school.

Internship ahoy!

I thought I would post about my first couple of days playing harp at a prominent hospital. This hospital does not have a residential harpist (aka PAID harpist) yet. I hope to find some type of funding or a grant to help establish playing the harp there, so that the hospital can be just like the other hospitals...with a paid harpist. No hospital left behind!

But for now, I am a volunteer and working on completing my required 80 hours of internship in a hospital setting. So here are a couple things I've learned so far:

• Wow, it's pretty exhausting. I feel like I'm a ball of energy being drained slowly throughout the day. I need to learn to properly shield and center myself.
• I will not accept candy from strangers hovering over the harp.
• There seems to be a rebellious string in the upper octaves. I got a standing ovation for tuning in front of a patient. Why perform, when I can just tune!
• Take your free lunch voucher, every time. Even if the chicken salad sandwich has a bone in it.
• I'm already getting tired of my "regular" music I play by memory and I'm only on day 2. Better add in some new tunes stat!
• Wished I would have thought of something better to say than "nice hat" to a patient with no hair today. Oh well.

This is just a couple things that happen in one day. I played for 3 hours straight and I probably should have napped on a patient's bed in between relocating to another floor or waiting room (just kidding). 

Something happened today, that emotionally affected me already! A girl my age (30's) was coming out from her appointment and walked right past her husband. He realized this, was a bit stunned, and went after her. I watched as she broke down and cried in the hallway. I could only imagine the news she just received regarding her condition. :(

Again, I'm realizing that it's important to observe these incidents and provide appropriate music, or no music.