Bedside Harp® Now at Saint Clare’s
 Hospital in Denville, NJ
Program Notes 2
Administrators’ Corner
Upcoming Events
Ad Libitum
3
3
4
W e are thrilled to
announce that
Saint Clare’s Hospital,
throughout the hospi-
tal’s patient units and
common areas and
Hospital at Rahway,
in Rahway, NJ, The
Valley Hospital, in
Encore! 5 in Denville, NJ, will hope to launch our Ridgewood, NJ, and
become, on February first instructional Abington Memorial
THE BEDSIDE HARP™ REPORT 15, the sixth hospital to classes a few months Hospital, in Abing-
Edie Elkan, Founding Director host our full programs. later. ton, PA.
Diana V. Nolan, Editor Saint Clare’s Hospital, In addition to Saint
a member both of Saint Clare’s Hospital, 2009 JAN YTD
Neshaminy Medical Professional Center
4802 Neshaminy Boulevard, Suite 9 Clare’s Health System the four other hos- Number of patients
Bensalem, PA 19020 and of Catholic Health pitals that cur- in our host hospitals
who received live
(PA) 215-752-7599; (NJ) 609-273-0068 Initiatives, is located in rently host our full harp therapy ses-
619 619
Facsimile: 215-752-0529 Morris County, a programs are sions lasting five or
more minutes
county new to us at Robert Wood
Bedside Harp®. As we Johnson University Number of hours of
live harp therapy
have in all of our new Hospital Hamilton, delivered to pa-
Report

tients, their loved

host facilities, we will in Hamilton, NJ, ones, staff and
172.25 172.75
begin by playing pro- Robert Wood doctors at our host
hospitals
fessional hours Johnson University

New Mastery-Level Requirements

With the guiding belief
that if one calls oneself a
master, it is understood
that one has achieved a
great deal of knowledge
®
quirement because our
first level of certifica-
tion has always been
fairly comprehensive in
that area and because
offered as a two-day,
hands-on workshop:
Day One: Harp Ther-
apy as a Mind Body
Modality.

and experience in that
field of study, we have,
as of January 1, 2009,
enhanced that offering
to include three new
modules, Modules VII,
VIII and IX. Module VI,
the mastery internship
module, remains the
same.
Since our inception,
we have always re-
quired an additional
internship for the mas-
tery level, affording the
student an even deeper
experience of playing
the therapy harp in
healthcare. We also re-
THE
most mastery-level can-
didates moved directly
from the first level to
mastery level. In our
early years, this curricu-
lum made a great deal
of sense.
Happily, our field
continues to grow and
develop and with that
development, addi-
tional skills and
knowledge are in order
for mastery-level can-
didates. This led to the
creation of these new
modules, which we
anticipate students
finding comprehen-
Day Two: Harp Ther-
apy for Specialized
Populations.
In 2009, these work-
shops will be presented
on June 13 and 14. Reg-
istration deadline for this
two-day workshop is
May 15, 2009.
Module VIII, Con-
versations for Harp
Therapists on Ethics
will be presented
online as 12-week con-
versation in a private
chat room. This offering
will be presented once a
year from January
through March. Re-

quired additional read- sive, dynamic, and quirements for Module

ings and writings, as
well as a second practi-
cum project. There was
no additional music re-
very exciting, begin-
ning with the way they
will be presented.
Module VII will be
VIII involve the reading
of our main text, reflec-
tive postings (at least
Continued on page 2
Page 1
cÜÉzÜtÅ aÉàxá
Continued from page 1 research Hours Certified Harp Thera- Hours Certified Master Harp
two a week), online participation in proposal. pist Therapist
discussion topics, and one reflection Addition- 31 Module I (classroom) 123 Module VI (clinical)
paper. ally, the 12 Contact hours
This course, mentored by Edie El- require- 31 Module II (classroom) 17 Module VII (classroom)
kan, has already proven to be exceed- ments that
41 Module III (classroom) 24 Module VIII (online)
ingly dynamic, with the 13 members have al-
of the current class hashing out ethi- ways been 31 Module IV (classroom) 24 Module IX (online)
cal dilemmas and finding their own part of the 124 Module V (clinical)
comfort zones in handling difficult mastery 12 Contact hours
situations. Many members of the level of
270 TOTAL HOURS 200 TOTAL HOURS
group have expressed their wish for certification
us to make this course available to have been
everyone—not just harp therapists— updated as follows:
for the nature and scope it covers. Readings: 10 books, some re- his internship at one of our host facili-
Module IX, Conversations for Harp quired, and written reflections on ties; Hospital Intensive (HN) will be
Therapists on Research will also be each. Additional reading of research awarded if the student completes 50
presented online as a 12-week conver- studies. percent at one of our host facilities; the
sation in a private chat room and is also Journaling: The student’s personal designation of Internship Intensive (IN)
a 12-week online course. This module use of this tool will work as before. shall be awarded if student completes
will run from April through June. Re- Practicum project: As before, but 40 hours in two weeks at one of our
quirements involve reading a number now will include a music component host facilities.
of studies, analytical postings (at least Internship: 123 internship hours. And so, as of January 1, 2009, our
two a week) as well as frequent partici- As before, Hospital-Certified (HC) mastery level will involve a total of
pation in online discussions, and the designations will be awarded if the 470 hours of training as seen in the
creation and presentation of a sample student completes 80 percent of her/ table above.

Bedside Harp® Presents at the Annual Edie Delivers

Radiation Oncology Conference Good Vibes to
The 18th Annual Radiation Oncol- professionals from all over the RWJUHR’s Breast
ogy Conference for Nurses, Thera- United States. Fox Chase Cancer Cancer Survivors
pists and Dosimetrists, hosted by Center is an independent, non-
Fox Chase Cancer Center in Phila- profit institution formed in 1974 On January 7, Founding Director
delphia, PA has invited Bedside by the union of American On- Edie Elkan, presented “Good Vibes”
Harp®’s Founding Director, Edie cologic Hospital and the Institute to a small, but highly receptive
Elkan, to present a session “Bedside for Cancer Research. We are hon- group of breast cancer survivors at
Harp: What a Difference a Little ored to have been given this won- RWJUH at Rahway’s premier, full-
Harp Makes!” to participants on derful opportunity to let this com- service Fitness and Wellness Center
May 21, 2009. The conference is munity know about our field and in Scotch Plains, NJ. The group, led
expected to be attended by oncology the work that we do. by Mindy Cohen, was fascinated
with the Powerpoint presentation
and melted in their seats during the
A Very Merry Unbirthday Tea experiential portion. In a note to
To celebrate our recent move, Bedside Harp® will host our first, Very Merry Un- Edie, Ms. Cohen wrote, “Your
birthday Tea on Friday March 6th, from 10 AM to 4 PM. We’re still in the work is impressive and something
Neshaminy Medical Professional Center, but now we’re in Suites 3–4, giving us that must bring you and those you
more open space for our Library and Resource Center, our offices and even a real serve the complete joy you were
showroom! All are welcome, but if you are planning to come by that day, please referencing. On behalf of the
email shannon@bedsideharp.com. Play our beautiful new harps, melt into the group, I thank you so much for
sounds of our Tibetan singing bowls, bells and chimes, check out our newest CDs, your willingness to share your
browse through our eclectic collection of music and books, have a cup of tea, and great talents with us. It will help
enjoy some delicious unbirthday sweets. Hope to see you then! all of us live better.”
Page 2 THE BEDSIDE HARP® REPORT
Administrators’ Corner: A Conversation with Sharon Brown
Robert Wood Johnson University
Hospital (RWJUH) Hamilton, the
hospital for which Bedside Harp®
was initially created, has been host-
ing our programs since February
2002. Recently, Founding Director
Edie Elkan sat down with Sharon
Brown, Acting Vice President of
Nursing at RWJUH Hamilton to talk
about her experiences with our pro-
grams and our work.
Sharon began the conversation
by complimenting Edie for her inno-
vative and groundbreaking creation
of Bedside Harp. What was espe-
cially meaningful to her is our certi-
fication program’s strong educa-
tional foundation. Both our class-
room and clinical hours, Sharon
stated, “sets our program apart from
other programs of its kind.” She
noted that our training empowers
harp therapists to handle situations
they may encounter and helps them
collaborate with staff to create a
therapeutic environment.
Sharon sees many benefits to
the collaboration between the hospi-
tal and Bedside Harp. For one thing,
the harpists help set the tone for a
positive healing environment. And
for another, because harp therapy is
a new concept and a new field, it
provides opportunities for clinical
research. No other programs that
Sharon knows about work with hos-
pital Institutional Review Boards
(IRBs) to develop quality-based re-
search projects like the ones that
have been conducted in Hamilton.
During a 2003 study at the Cancer
Institute, Sharon says, “it was re-
markable to see the impact on pa-
tients and the healing process” of the
harp music.
“Bedside Harp also positively
impacted patient satisfaction at the
hospital,” Sharon noted. The hospital
takes pride in excellence in service,
measuring it in a variety of ways:
inpatient services, emergency room,
outpatient services and ambulatory
care. All of these areas have bene-
fited from our Bedside Harp pro-
gram. Sharon went on to say that
feedback from patients on the bene-
fits they receive from individual live
harp therapy sessions have always
been positive. In fact, upon admis-
sion, some patients even ask for harp
therapy. Sharon believes that the
benefits of harp music throughout
the hospital are not limited to pa-
tients, however, as our music has a
profound impact on doctors, nurses
and other staff as well.
Sharon recalls witnessing the
direct impact of harp therapy on a
patient who was newly diagnosed
and needed a procedure. Harp music
came through the hallways, creating
a cradle of sound. The harp therapist
never even entered the room, but
stood outside the door as she played.
Immedi-
ately, the
environ-
ment
changed,
the stress
levels low-
ered and
the patient
was able to
consider
and agree to the procedure. After
successful surgery and recovery, the
patient commented that everything
“completely changed when the harp
therapist played.” She was able to
de-stress, listen and decide.
This incident was just one of
many testaments to our work. Sharon
is proud of the RWJ Hamilton asso-
ciation with our innovative field and
the collaborative partnerships Bedside
Harp offers. She recognizes the
trained and competent harp therapists
who come to her facility and the criti-
cal role they play in healing patients
in a holistic way. Consumers continue
to request harp therapy, so the hospi-
tal continues to include this important
service.
Bedside Harp has produced a
DVD of interviews of our host hos-
pital administrators talking about
the differences our program and
work make in their facilities. For a
free copy of this DVD, please con-
tact shannon@bedsideharp.com.

hÑvÉÅ|Çz XäxÇàá
March 26–29 Module I, “To Soothe the Savage Breast,” Spring 2009, registration through BCCC.
May 14–17 Module II, “Glimpses Within,” Spring 2009, registration through BCCC.
May 21 Edie Elkan’s presentation “Bedside Harp: What a Difference a Little Harp Makes!” 18th Annual
Radiation Oncology Conference for Nurses, Therapists and Dosimetrists, Philadelphia, PA.
June 13–14 Module IX: Bedside Harp’s Harp Therapy Workshops, Bensalem, PA.
June 24–28 Module III: “Glimpses Within,” Spring 2009, registration through BCCC.
June 23–26 American Harp Society, 38th Annual Conference, Dearborn, MI.
July 9–12 Somerset Harp Festival, Alexandria, VA.
July 30–August 2 Module IV: “Creating Work for Yourself/Creating Yourself for Work,” Fall 2008 and Spring 2009
September 10–13 Module I: “To Soothe the Savage Breast,” Fall 2009.
October 15–18 Module II: “Glimpses Within,” Fall 2009.
November 18–22 Module III: “Working with the Depressed, the Seriously Ill and the Dying,” Fall 2009.

VOLUME 6, NUMBER 1 Page 3

Tw _|u|àâÅ Bedside Harp® Moments
The following narratives are ex-
cerpted from our interns’ and
professional harp therapists’
notes:
The patient seemed very ill—very
emaciated. She didn’t speak, but
looked at me very earnestly, almost
pleadingly. I noodled softly and
played “All Through the Night.” I
noodled some more. She seemed
visibly relaxed as I left. A visitor
said, “That’s the best medicine you
can give her” and seemed very
touched by the session.
***
I watched the patient’s body lan-
guage. He seemed very surprised to
see the harp—“Am I dreaming?” He
joked a bit, but it did seem he was
somewhat amazed to see a harp be-
ing played in the hospital. I decided
to play something that might be
comforting and familiar. I played
“Tennessee Waltz.” He was very
happy, sighed deeply and said, “Oh,
that’s ‘Tennessee Waltz,’ how
lovely.” Then he relaxed and closed
his eyes.
***
I approached a screaming little girl,
about 4 or 5. A doctor and an assis-
tant were working on her—giving
her stitches. She was screaming. I
played several children’s song. They
were just finishing the treatment.
She gradually stopped screaming
and actually started laughing as I
continued to play. The doctor, assis-
tant and mother all thanked me.
***
Visitor request (written in the book)
to play for this patient who is ac-
tively dying. The door was closed,
so I knocked, and the family mem-
bers (2) opened the door and waved
me in. The patient was a woman in
her 30–40s. She was asleep and had
a breathing tube in her nose. Her
mother was holding one of her
hands. I played modal improvisa-
tions in Pentatonic, very, very
Page 4
slowly, slowing at times to a pulse,
playing to her breath which slowed
slightly as she took deeper breaths.
Twice her eyes flickered open, then
closed. After awhile, another family
member came in to switch places
with the mother. The mother and the
other family nodded to me and whis-
pered their thanks, and I departed
after that.
***
A nurse stuck her head out from be-
hind a curtain where a patient was
sleeping. She said she was monitor-
ing his brain waves and noticed a
difference as I passed by. She asked
if I would play some more outside
his room. I couldn’t see patient as
the curtain was drawn. I noodled for
a couple of minutes, but then
stopped. She said even though the
patient was asleep his brain waves
changed positively. It had
“registered.” When I started playing
again, she saw the same change in
the brain waves and showed it to
another nurse who was with her.
***
Female patient, approximately 70
years old, invited in by husband.
Two sons also in the room. The hus-
band began singing “O Solo Mio” as
he realized I was at the door which I
began playing for him. When he fin-
ished the first few words, I continued
to noodle and he began talking to his
wife about the fact that the hospital
provides music, talking about sing-
ing at home. The patient began to
smile slightly as the husband teased
her and eventually came out with a
full blown smile. I continued to play
several songs for them, he continued
to sing, and she continued to smile. I
left her sitting up a bit straighter and
the whole family smiling.
***
Patient was a 35-year-old male, sit-
ting at the side of the bed, looking
well, telling me he was doing much
better. He told about seeing a harpist
on his admission, just after receiving
pain medication, and how the combi-
nation of the medicine and soft mu-
sic was just exactly right for him
and helped him drift off to sleep and
made his first few hours so much
easier. I continued to noodle as he
told me his story.
***
Orthopedic patient in some amount
of pain, from how her face was
scrunched up at the beginning of
session, began breathing more
deeply and smiling as I played for
her. “How wonderful,” she com-
mented. “I heard about the harps in
this hospital, and lucky me, now
I’ve actually experienced it!”
***
I noodled and then played nursery
rhymes. Two boys were being quite
rowdy as they were playing in the
children’s play area of the emer-
gency room. They became quiet as
they smiled and listened to the harp
music. The contrast in their behavior
was amazing. They danced with
each other and then returned to play-
ing at a quieter level.
***
Doctor at computer looked up when I
came around the corner, telling me
that the music sent chills up his spine.
When I jokingly asked if that was a
“good thing or a bad thing” he said,
“Oh, definitely a good thing. The mu-
sic is wonderful in the hospital.”
***
An elderly gentleman lying in bed
spoke to me as I played in the hall-
way (I was unable to enter the room
or really see him because of the in-
fection precaution sign). He told me
how wonderful the music was, that
it was making him tearful. I asked
him if he would like to hear any-
thing in particular, and he requested
some Irish music, so I played
“When Irish Eyes” and “Cockles
and Mussels” for him. When I fin-
ished, he expressed his gratitude but
was still sounding tearful. I asked if
there was something I could play to
cheer him up, but he said, no the
tears felt good and he was fine.
THE BEDSIDE HARP® REPORT
XÇvÉÜx4 Lydia Clark
The delicate tune of a music box, the
chime of handbells, and the lilting
sound of the harp have always ap-
pealed to Lydia Clark. The Bedside
Harp® instructional program at
Abington Memorial Hospital (AMH)
in Abington, PA offers her an oppor-
tunity to learn to play the harp and
treat herself to the music she loves.
Lydia works part time in a real
estate office. Her family is raised and
she takes care of a grandchild. Not
too long ago, on a trip to Bar Harbor,
ME she went into a store that sold
harps, dulcimers and other musical
instruments. She heard the harp mu-
sic playing in the store and it re-
minded her of her love of the harp
and piqued her interest in playing
herself.
Once she returned home, Lydia
went online and looked into harps
and harp music. From the Sylvia
Woods catalog she discovered that
purchasing a small harp was an ex-
pensive proposition for a hobby she
wasn’t sure she would succeed in. So
she didn’t buy a harp at that time.
But in the back of her mind she kept
hearing the harp music from wed-
dings she attended.
Then one day, she received a regu-
lar newsletter from AMH. The news-
letter contained an advertisement for
Bedside Harp’s instructional classes
offered at our host hospital. The ad-
vertisement indicated that no experi-
ence was necessary. Despite a few
clarinet and accordion lessons as a
child, Lydia did not have any real
musical experience. But in the spring
of 2008, she joined an instructional
class and has just begun her fourth
round of lessons.
In addition to her instructional
classes, this winter, Lydia has joined
the AMH harp circle led by Leslie
Stickley, where she plays with oth-
ers. The harp circle has presented
Lydia with a new challenge in terms
of learning the music in order to play
with the group. Many of the others
VOLUME 6, NUMBER 1
have some music back-
ground—guitar or another
instrument—and can transfer
this knowledge to the harp.
However, Lydia is still learning
to read music and how to apply
it to this instrument. She sur-
prised herself, though, by how
much is coming back to her
from her childhood days. She is
beginning to remember some
of the information she learned
about music itself.
Above all, Lydia enjoys
noodling on her harp. When
she does not need to follow a
musical structure, she can
enjoy the sound and feel her-
self relaxing. Another challenge for strings. When he sees her music, he
Lydia is playing a song at the tempo recognizes that they are notes on the
people are used to hearing it. She page. Lydia also notes that her dog
worries about being too slow. Her responds to the harp. When she
teacher, Nancy Beal, reminds her to plays, he lies down near her and
slow down, though, to get the notes seems to enjoy the sound.
before the tempo and to enjoy the For now, Lydia is content with the
sound of the harp without feeling instructional classes. She has not
pressured to “perform.” Nancy notes ruled out a possible certification pro-
that Lydia has made wonderful pro- gram, but sees a long road ahead
gress in classes and readily takes on before she is ready for certification.
new challenges, always looking for- Meanwhile, a group from her
ward to taking the next step. Lydia church—Breath of Dawn—has in-
also enjoys noodling and playing for vited her to join them. This group
her mother (89 years old) who lives visits nursing homes and private
with her. Her mother loves to hear homes bringing music to residents—
the music, is never critical and lis- mostly singing, but some instrumen-
tens patiently. tal. Lydia is interested in bringing
Another listener is Lydia’s three- the soothing harp sounds to these
year-old grandson. He reacts posi- people.
tively when she plays, talks about We are pleased to welcome Lydia
the harp and likes to pluck the to the Bedside Harp community.
SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADVERTISING
The Bedside Harp® Report distributed to all Bedside Harp® students and
graduates and other interested parties by email (free) or hard copy
($12/year). This quarterly newsletter is full of the latest information about
Bedside Harp programs and new developments in our field. We accept clas-
sified and display advertising; please call for rates and details. We reserve
the right to reject or cancel any advertisement that we deem unacceptable.
To subscribe or to advertise, send your ad and mailing information to
diana@bedsideharp.com. Bedside Harp, Neshaminy Medical Professional
Center, 4802 Neshaminy Boulevard, Suites 3–4, Bensalem, PA 19020.
Page 5

® tic use of the harp in healthcare. Committed to making a differ-
Neshaminy Medical Professional Center
4802 Neshaminy Boulevard, Suite 9
Bensalem, PA 19020
Phone (PA): 215-752-7599;
(NJ) 609-273-0068
Email: bedsideharp@aol.com
Our Mission and Core Values
The mission of Bedside Harp, LLC is to promote the therapeu-
ence in that setting, we play for patients, the worried well and
staff; teach staff and members of the community how to play
the therapy harp; provide harp therapy training and certifica-
tion; and participate in research projects. We exist to bring re-
lief, comfort and hope to patients, their families and all who
care for them. To achieve our mission, we are committed to:
E Excellence
P Professionalism
I Integrity
C Collaboration

Check out our

website!
www.bedsideharp.com

Thank you, Nina Kohl!

Neshaminy Medical Professional Center

4802 Neshaminy Boulevard, Suite 9
Bensalem, PA 19020
Phone (PA): 215-752-7599; (NJ) 609-273-0068
Email: bedsideharp@aol.com