Special Topic:

By now, many New Year’s resolutions have been made and broken and on these long, cold, winter days and nights, you might just be needing something to cheer you and to warm you. Unfortunately, people turn to so many unhealthy things to cheer them and warm them; I’m thinking particularly of alcohol and fattening “comfort” foods. But how about music? Oftentimes its playing in the background but we’re not really paying that much attention to it.

In past issues I have written about the use of music for many physical, emotional, relational and spiritual situations. Let me mention what I consider to be the “top ten” easiest and most powerful situations in which to use music. Some will apply to your situation, others won’t. Take what you like and leave the rest!

1. Music with pregnancy and newborns
2. Music for stress and depression
3. Music for anxiety and panic attacks
4. Music for grief and loss
5. Music for pain management (chronic and acute)
6. Music with Autistic or Developmentally Delayed Children
7. Music for test-taking (i.e. SAT, ACT, GRE, etc.)
8. Music with Surgery
9. Music with Alzheimer’s patients
10. Music with cancer and chemotherapy

Using music in these various situations can bring not only physical relief but tremendous emotional comfort. When we listen to the music that we love (whatever that might be) it not only calms and soothes us, it has many documented physiological effects such as the release of endorphins, serotonin, and other neurochemicals that cause us to get a feeling of well-being. It also actually boosts the immune system…a very good thing! Of course each situation is a little bit different and that is why I like to do individual sessions with people before explaining how it will work with that individual. Everyone is different in their musical tastes and experiences and that must always be taken into consideration. From now on, I am going to make myself available to do telephone consultations with people. If you’re interested, call 502-895-7688 and leave your number, I will call you back. Or e-mail me at chantdoc@healingmusicenterprises.com I will work with you to set a reasonable fee. Those in the Louisville, KY area can set up a face to face sessions if you’d like.

My goal and my dream is to make this information and this healing path available to all who want and need it.

Dr. Alice H. Cash
President, Healing Music Enterprises
"Tune Your Life with Music!"
3219 Marion Court
Louisville, Kentucky 40206
www.HealingMusicEnterprises.com
502/895-7688 (phone) 502/896-7277 (fax)
502/419-1698 (mobile)

A harp is defined as a musical instrument in which strings, sounded by plucking, run between a neck and a sound box. The strings run perpendicular to the sound box, instead of parallel, as on a guitar.

Types : "Harps are made in three basic shapes: arched harps, in which the neck and body form a bowlike curve; angular harps, in which neck and body form at least a right angle; and frame harps, in which a third piece, the forepillar, is placed opposite the angle between the neck and body, forming a triangle, to brace them against the tension of the strings. The modern orchestral harp is a large frame harp having 46 strings (six and one-half octaves, with 7 strings per octave); the bass strings made of covered wire and the treble strings of gut or nylon.

Early History "Arched harps, the most ancient of all harps, were known in Sumer and Egypt between about 3000 and 2000 BC, and angular harps appeared somewhat later. Angular harps were prominent in medieval Arabic and Persian music and were played as late as the 19th century in Persia. Frame harps, almost exclusively European, appeared by the 9th century and developed in two versions, one used in Ireland and Scotland, and one on the Continent. The Irish harp, like its Scottish counterpart, was a powerful instrument with a broad, deep sound box hewn from one block of wood; a thick, strong neck; and a heavy, curved forepillar."

Why is the harp so powerful as an instrument for healing? There are many theories on this. One theory maintains that because the harp is held close to the heart while it is being played, healing energy that emanates from the heart of the player can more readily enter the body and spirit of the person who is ill. (see www.heartmath.org for interesting ideas about healing through the heart.)

Kathryn Mannyng, on her website www.mannyngharp.com, has this to say:

“Harps have been around since people have been using a bow and arrow. The harp has it's own instrument family, plectrum instruments, which includes harpsichords. The Celtic harp, Irish harp or Clarsach is one of the precursors to the modern concert harp. They share the harp sound, general playing technique, and string setup. There are even different names for the players. Celtic or folk harp players are Harpers. Concert harp players are harpists.

The harp is the only instrument that can be tuned in a mathematically "pure" fashion within itself so that all the harmonics come out when it is in tune. Through the phenomenon of entrainment, you yourself would naturally become in tune with yourself. Harmonics vibrate in proportionate sympathy with each other and their effect would be similar in the body when the sound vibrates the different layers of density of tissue and bone. The range of a harp is also great enough so that when it is played, the harmonic series comes out into our minds and bodies. The Celtic harp is closer to what one would think of as an angels harp. It has no pedals to complicate, interfere and bog down the sound and thoughts of the performer and listeners.

Some of the ancient uses of the Celtic Harp were laughing, crying, sleeping and balladry. All of these are, in my opinion, healing activities. If you cannot laugh, cry or sleep, there is something wrong. You are in a state of "dis-ease." Balladry took the general form of the broadside, or the custom of the traveling musician going from place to place relating the news of the day.

Piano music The piano is a hybrid of a drum (another very ancient instrument) and a harp. Thus, it is as basic and effective as the above mentioned instruments. It also has the added benefit of being fully chromatic, thus hitting all your "chords" so to speak.

A word about intent......Music is healing if it is played with healing intent. Intention is an important distinction when seeking an effect. You might want just to relax, to learn, to be entertained, or mesmerized.

If you are interested in buying a small harp, please go to http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/hmestore1.html , then click on "Apollo's Axes". I’ll be happy to advise you if you’d like.

At the conclusion of every workshop and presentation that I give, I hand out an evaluation to determine what people liked the best and what ideas they will use first. This month I have three new sets of evaluations for my readers to enjoy in the Testimonials section of the HME web site at: www.healingmusicenterprises.com/testimonials.html

For those in the KY, IN, OH, and TN area, I am available to come to your town or city for civic meetings, after-dinner speeches, workshops and inservices. I can work clinically with patients or educationally with staff. Current dates include late March in the Tampa, Florida area and June 20-24 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I will be a plenary speaker at an International Wellness Conference at Lake Louise.

I offer regular week-end classes at Healing Music Enterprises here in Louisville on Music with Pregnancy, Music with Surgery, and Music with Alzheimer’s Patients. To get in one of these classes, call 502-895-7688. The cost is $50.00 for a two-hour class of 6-8 people.

There are many sections and pages on my site www.HealingMusicEnterprises.com. To find what you want, put your cursor in the upper left-hand corner until the slide-out menu appears. Or go directly to the Site map page, for a full page directory at http://www.healingmusicenterprises.com/sitemap.html From there you can find the archived e-zines, articles and interviews with me, media clips from when I was on “The TODAY Show,” “Feelin’Great,” and “Sightings,” and much much more. I now have a Shoppe that sells my book, tapes, and CD, plus books and CD’s from other authors such as my mentor Don Campbell.

As always, I invite you to continue sending in your questions about health and healing using music. Best wishes to you for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!