We come to rituals to commemorate a moment in time, an event, or a loved one: a birth, love, a death. Often music plays a part in these rituals. Harp music in particular can be a meaningful addition to any ceremony. My work playing music for several decades at rites of passage and ceremonies of all sorts has given me a unique perspective on the process of ritual.
I have played harp since 1990, and I have been studying music earlier than that. As a young Catholic child, I was introduced to many ceremonies of the church – for holidays, feast days, seasons of the year, and of course, various passages of human life: birth, graduation, marriage, anniversary, and death. Since then, I would guess I’ve played music for nearly 600 weddings, and 500 funerals, memorials, and vigils.
Often, when music is a part of a reverent ceremony, it is a service, rather than entertainment. For instance, when I worked for Providence Hospice as a complementary therapist, I played harp for clients whose life might be on the threshold of death at any minute. There are certain styles and sounds that are most effective at this time. Sometimes my client didn’t have any loved ones present, so the gift of music meant all the more to them.
Harp is an instrument synonymous with peace and love. Harp also soothes and heals, alleviating emotional grief, physical distress, anxiety, and exhaustion. As a harpist, I enjoy offering funeral music for clients who have lost a loved one. I’ve studied the musical styles and songs that work well in the situation of death, such as ambient music. I can also play music that fits your family’s individual requests.
I have written compositions for the intention of creating peace of mind and healing. This relaxing style of music, by nature, helps to alleviate grief, stress, and other emotions associated with coping with death. Also, I have arranged a collection of Hildegard von Bingen’s songs, who was a Medieval plant medicine healer, spiritual leader, artist, musician, and composer.
I am always glad to accommodate requests of the family as best as I can within the time frame of the event. For a traditional church memorial, I may be asked to play hymns, like “Into the Garden,” or “Amazing Grace,” as well as accompany a vocalist. For a modern request, I have played songs by Sting and Michael Jackson at a memorial, because those songs were favorites of the deceased. Cultural folk songs might also be another request if the person was an immigrant or felt close to their ethnic heritage.
Sometimes though, it is best to play non-familiar songs for the sake of a family’s grief, particularly if the cause of death was tragic. In this case, songs that serve more as background music are better, because they conjure up less of an emotional reaction at a time that might already be too difficult for loved ones to bear. When this is the situation, I play ambient non-familiar music to be as soothing as possible, as I would in a hospital or hospice – a skill I learned as Certified Therapeutic Musician.
Gravesite burials are something I enjoy playing harp for when I am able to, and when weather allows. I have a very small harp that I use in these moments, but I can also bring my 34 string folk harp in the summer months. For many funerals, I have played harp at both the indoor memorial, and graveside location back-to-back on the same day, a scenario that works well at a traditional funeral home with attached cemetery.
Plenty of people don’t want religious music at a funeral, and I have repertoire for them too. I am quite comfortable with traditional and non-traditional situations around death. I know how to seamlessly weave songs together if there is to be an event with little to no speaking.
I have been studying funeral music since 1995 when I played church organ at the funeral of a friend’s father, and I have been studying music much longer. Since 2012 I have studied and worked as a therapeutic musician, so that I can provide music as an in-person healing modality.
Places where I have experience and training to play harp music for death and dying:
Bedside vigil of someone actively passing on
Hospital and Hospice care
Group memorial ceremony (for funeral home or healthcare organization)
Individual memorial (in funeral home or columbarium)
Gravesite burial
Funeral home wake/visitation
Celebration of life
Combination of funeral home ceremony + gravesite relocation
The harp is a beautiful instrument. The harp is also an impractical instrument. I should know. I had to buy a smaller harp when I had my second child, just so I could fit my whole family in the car with my instrument at the same time! Of course I think it is worth it. The harp is ancient, dreamy, and relaxing. It calls to many musicians and non-musicians. For over thirty years I have been gravitated to it’s magical call.
For these overly-practical times, these ship-sinking-times, I want to watch escapist movies like La La Land. When the pandemic hit, and I was making Harp Escape videos a little more frequently, I wanted to pay tribute to the wonderful soundtrack Justin Hurwitz created for this romantic story that payed homage to the Golden Age of film.
City of Stars (from La La Land)
Harp Escape is a series of videos and recordings dedicated to relaxing and calming music. One of my biggest goals of Harp Escape is to bring a breath of relaxation into your environment. Because we are living in such an unusual time, stress levels can be high. It is difficult to plan, and life can be downright hopeless feeling some days. Therefore, it is essential for us to take breaks throughout the day and, as I like to say, floss your ears. For more Harp Escape videos and music, visit YouTube and Patreon.
