I am a professional harpist with over 10 years experience delivering music sessions in children’s wards, special schools, children’s hospices and health facilities all performed on a 29 string Celtic harp.
I am also resident harpist at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.
This project will provide a series of live harp concerts and harp music workshops in children’s and adult hospices around the country to provide wellbeing through music for patients receiving end of life care and their families. The project will be fully funded so there will be no costs to any of the hospices involved.
The project is subject to funding and will run from Autumn/Winter 2017 for a year.
Children and young person music sessions
Through my work at GOSH I have developed a distinct, interactive concert programme for children and young people that includes:
- Original harp arrangements of nursery rhymes, TV themes, pop and Disney songs interspersed with classical interludes.
- A child led approach, adapting each session to best suit the needs of the group, individual or family on the day.
- A variety of interactive music games for toddlers and children of varying abilities.
- Guiding children to create their own songs on the harp.
- A unique combination of soothing harp music and interactive musical play to promote well-being through music for parents and children alike.
I deliver large and small group concerts, as well as one to one sessions and the children’s hospice sessions will comprise of:
- a group concert in a play room/ day room available to all children able to attend, families, visitors and staff.
- followed by individual sessions for those unable to leave their rooms and also for anyone wishing to have a longer go at making their own music on the harp.
Music clips
Below are two original harp arrangements of popular nursery rhymes.
In 2016 I ran a collaborative composition project at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, where children from a variety of wards contributed to an original piece of harp music. Children were each recorded improvising on the harp as I played a guide bass line. The songs were then mixed together into a single piece. The recordings were taken at bedsides in wards and ages of the children involved ranged from 18 months to 15 years old. The piece can be heard below:
Background and experience
I am based in Surrey and work predominately in the South East, however this project will include hospices all over England.
My arts in health experience includes:
- Longstanding resident harpist at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital.
- Harpist in residence at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital.
- Resident musician on the Breathe Arts Health Research regular music program for St Guys and St Thomas Hospitals, London.
- Longstanding member of the Music in Hospitals charity.
- Leading training sessions for Royal College of Music students on how to approach hospital ward sessions.
- Non health bookings range from St James’ Palace to Glastonbury Festival.
Harp For Hospitals 