A baby relaxed during a respiratory procedure. A child with a brain tumor responded for the first time following surgery to harp music. A mother responds, “Please, one more song for my daughter. She needs the music; she just had a chemo treatment.”

Scores of patients, family members, and medical staff have remarked about the palpable change in atmosphere which occurs when the therapeutic harp is brought into “best practices” at multiple healthcare settings.

From a single harpist providing therapeutic music during end-of-life transitions, The Harp Foundation (THF) has expanded its therapeutic harp programs to other health and educational institutions throughout Maricopa County.

Currently, THF serves patients, children and infants who are critically ill and medically fragile through its Angel Song program at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Mercy-Gilbert Medical Center, and Banner Del E. Webb Hospital and Medical Center.

The Angel Song program consists of specially-trained therapeutic harp practitioners committed to providing live harp music at the patient’s bedside to provide calming as well as reduction in pain, medications, increased stabilization of vital signs, reduction in average length of stay and improved quality of life.

The primary objective of THF is to provide quality, appropriately designed, therapeutic harp programs which can be replicated and adapted for multiple medical and clinical care settings while at the same time lessening healthcare costs for both the patient and the medical community. In order for this integrative program model to be successfully introduced to the medical community throughout Maricopa County, clinical studies must be performed to medically support improved patient outcomes.

Through a collaborative effort and funding by the Victoria Lund Foundation, THF’s pilot study has been approved at St. Joseph’s Hospital and will commence in early Fall 2009. The purpose of this study is to examine effects of live harp music on total sedation use in infants (2-12 months of age) post-Glenn procedure. This is a less invasive procedure used for a variety of heart concerns and is a simple rerouting of vessels to help the baby get through the earlier months until the heart and child matures to endure more complex surgeries later.

Previous research has indicated that music may be helpful for restoring patients to normal function (e.g. heart rate and rhythm) post cardiac surgery for both adults and neonates. Harp music specifically has been reputed to have soothing effects on the autonomic nervous system, to be helping in pain management, and in assisting patients and their families in hospice care to experience more peaceful transitions. Harp music, however, has not been specifically tested for outcomes related to post-surgical recovery. Under the guidance of Dr. Linda Larkey and Dr. Brigham Willis, the study will test the effects of a single session of live harp music on total sedation use after a common cardiac surgery in infants, the Glenn procedure, hypothesizing that infants receiving the harp music intervention will require less total sedation than those in the no-intervention control condition. If testing this non-invasive supportive intervention for infants post surgery shows promise, such an intervention may provide an option for a more gentle recovery experience for several surgeries, heart related or not. Primary outcomes to be assessed will be total sedation use as measured by a total mg/kg used for sedation and pain.

Data from this study will provide the necessary clinical linkage to the qualitative documentation demonstrating the effectiveness of live therapeutic harp music in a medical setting.

Our first NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) baby at Good Samaritan Hospital, November 2001.If you are interested in additional research on the documented effects of live harp music in a medical setting, click here.

We are excited to announce monthly concerts at offices of corporations and sponsors to support and grow our membership.
SB1437, a bill currently before the Arizona Legislature relates to music therapists to further monitor the role of music therapists and their licensure in Arizona. We are currently monitoring the progress of this bill to understand how this bill might relate to our work at the Harp Foundation.

Concert Celebrating Community

Saturday, May 4, 2013
1:30pm-4:30pm
Beatitudes Campus Church of Beatitudes
1650 W. Glendale (Luther Life Center)
555 W. Glendale Avenue
Admission at the door: $12 (single); $20 (for two); freewill offering Campus residents

FOR INFORMATION: www.Lhpiano.com; (602) 330-9574; jbuekers@theharpfoundation.org (602) 717-7001
Rev. Joyce Buekers, Founder, The Harp Foundation and Dr. Lynne Haeseler, LHEvents

A concert which unifies all elements into an integrative experience—words from community leaders, therapeutic harps, piano, drumming, singing and audience.

The time will come, when with elation, you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror, and each will smile at the other’s welcome and say, sit here. (Walcott)

Support The Harp Foundation on Arizona Gives Day!!!

Click, donate, join the excitement! (we are putting together our news)

Jocelyn Obermeyer plays in a concert at Sun City Grand Club March 1st.
Alla Yashneva plays at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center several times a week.
Jocelyn Obermeyer plays at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center several times a week.

R E C E N T
Adrienne Bridgewater, Jacqi Musselman and Joyce Buekers joined a group of talented musicians to present Mysterium, a contemplative concert, under the direction of Lynne Haeseler February 24th.

Joyce Buekers and Len Young visit several supporters in Sun City Grand and Sun City West to play for tea.