Music as Medicine                    

Three Mothers Requesting Live Harp Music for Their Hospitalized Children      

I’m employed as a harpist at a children’s hospital where I perform in areas like the waiting room next to the emergency room, wards near the nurses' stations, and even individual rooms if invited by patients or family members.  I also play for premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.     I started as a volunteer musician at the hospital ten years ago as part of a community service project. With my music I entertain, distract, and relax parents, patients, and employees, as part of the Healing Arts Program, which allows me to experience the occasional unforgettable event, such as what happened the afternoon I played for a teenager in a coma.  It was the first in a series of events where three parents requested live music for their hospitalized children.