Today I went to hospice as I normally do on Tuesdays. While I was playing in the living room I could see the patient in the room to my left “conducting” the music as I played which I thought was wonderful. I went in to check if there was anything specific I could play for him but he just wanted me to continue. Later when I was getting ready to leave the social worker asked me to come in and play something special for him. I decided to take my harp in and not my sheet music or stand. For someone like me that is usually very wedded to having paper in front of me this was a bold step. I’ve become quite good at improvising but I like that safety net of paper. I played for him for about ten minutes just noodling (as we harpists call it) around on the harp. It was a very satisfy time and I felt a nice connection with the patient and my harp. Sometimes it is good to branch out beyond your safety zone!
Beth A. Stockdell, Harpist & Artist
Journeys in Creativity