Reverie Harp – a ‘musical massage’
Registered Music Therapist Keryn Squires, discusses the use of the Reverie Harp in hospices
and other medical settings. (Te Omanga recently had a 2nd Reverie Harp donated to them)
Reverie Harp – a ‘musical massage’
Registered Music Therapist Keryn Squires, discusses the use of the Reverie Harp in hospices and other medical settings. (Te Omanga recently had a 2nd Reverie Harp donated to them)
With no or very little musical experience, a professional worker may find this beautiful instrument a practical and valuable resource.
Designed and invented by Australian music thanatologist Peter Roberts in collaboration with two instrument makers in Stillwater USA, the
Reverie Harp has become a very useful tool for Music Therapists, those in Spiritual
Care, Nursing Home Care-givers and other Therapeutic Professionals in many
modalities.
It is also found in the family home for personal heart and soul care as well.
Children love it!
"I am a practicing Music Therapist at two hospices in New Zealand who have Reverie Harps.
I am not trained in the use of playing this instrument but the Reverie Harp
sounds soothingly pleasant to the ear no matter how I play it.
The instrument
has a warm, full rich harmonising sound and is beautifully and skillfully
crafted.
I am also able to easily tune it by ear.
I personally find holding and playing a Reverie Harp a very calming and peaceful experience.
What is it about this instrument that makes it so inviting for use in medical settings?
- the Reverie Harp is small, the shape is comfortable
to hold, it is lightweight.
- it can sit comfortably on a lap whether the player
is sitting or lying down.
- you can feel the vibrations through the wood.
- the pentatonic tuning means that anything played
on it sounds beautiful, soothing.
- there is no wrong way to play it. It is played intuitively.
- it is designed for heart and soul care and is
particularly helpful for anyone grieving, in crisis or traumatised for any reason
at all.
How can the Reverie Harp assist people?
- The soft harmonising sounds and vibration of the
instrument may calm people who are not responding to other calming techniques.
- when language is no longer an effective way to
reach someone, the music my reach them and connect them lovingly to themselves
and others present.
- people who have developmental or cognitive
difficulties, are able to play the Reverie Harp with or without assistance.
- Scientific studies of Peter Roberts work by
Deakon University, Melbourne Australia
(three published studies) show when live thereaputic harp music is played it affects; - Higher blood oxygen saturations
- Stabalising of blood pressure
- Calming, relaxing state of being on all levels
- Higher blood oxygen saturations
Margaret Stephens, who is a contracted Therapeutic Harp Practitioner at the
Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon, offers people 'musical massages' with
the Reverie Harp.
She says people like the vibrations of the instrument when it is placed on
their body.
Ann Bergstrom, Chaplain, says “I’m finding that when I bring the Reverie Harp in to a ‘one to one’ visit...it’s another vehicle to open up a person’s heart.”
Last
week, a patient I worked with was using the Reverie Harp in her hospice room
every day.
A message was sent to me later that week by another staff member:
“’D’
died on Friday and the whole family, especially her son in law, played the harp
to her in the evenings, which she loved.”
I am reminded of a quote from Francis Bacon in The Advancement Of Learning:
“The poets did well to conjoin music and medicine...because the office of medicine is but to tune the curious harp of man's body and reduce it to harmony.”
Reverie Harp brings our human body / being to harmony. On all levels.
It is my pleasure to write this testimony for Gwynna Whiteowl,
Grief Doula and Founder of Anam Cara Care Centre Reverie Harp Heart & Soul
Healing.
Gwynna is introducing this new paradigm of heart & soul care into every
community throughout NZ to effect
positive change in every area as human beings we suffer crisis, trauma, loss
and grief.
One of the goals is to have Reverie Harp
available in every Hospice of Aoteroa which I fully support based upon my
professional experience.
Gwynna is the NZ Agent for RobertsMusicAU who fully supports her mission to ‘make a change’ in how we support people suffering for what ever reason in our communities.
If you are reading this testimonial I encourage you to attend a public meeting of introduction to ACCC and Reverie Harp Heart & Soul Healing being held around New Zealand to learn the history and the future of this unique instrument and how you may be able to enrich your practice and care of people in your field of healing."
Kind regards,
Keryn Squires
Music Therapist
Te Omanga Hospice
Te Whare Manaaki Tangata
136 Woburn Road
PO Box 30 814 Lower Hutt
Phone: 04 569 7921
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.teomanga.org.nz
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