Musical Reflections

While my harp therapy teacher’s mission is to have a “harp player in every hospital and hospice by 2020,” my vision includes: 

• Licensing harp CDs to health care systems for their closed-circuit TVs. This is a simple, cost-effective method to help hospital and hospice patients relax, feel peace and calm, and sleep. E-mail me if you want more information.
• In-service education of health care staff. Topics range from “Music and Healing” to “Music for Hospice” to “Self-Care for Health Care Providers.” Click here for more details about my presentations.
• CDs in hospital gift shops. Contact me for wholesale prices of my books and CDs.
• Playing at the bedside. For hospitals and hospices in the Twin Cities, I am available for these special bedside vigils. Contact me for pricing and availability. To find a therapeutic harpist in your geographical area, click here.

I’ve been doing this work full-time for the past 13 years and in that time, I’ve seen remarkable shifts in health care systems incorporating the ancient healing modality of harp therapy into the current evidence-based medical model. And we’ve only just begun … we are definitely living in exciting times!  This is my deep passion and I so appreciate your continued support to help make this a reality for those we are serving.

I recently completed coursework from the “Beyond Surgery Program.” After attending the 18 hours of required training, I am now a Surgery Coach Practitioner.

I am networking to locate three surgery patients that I can coach. Once I have completed this, as well as documenting these experiences, I will be a Certified Surgery Coach through the American Holistic Nurses Association.

The “Beyond Surgery Program” has its roots in the following modalities:

• Healing Touch
• Anxiety Release Technique^®
• HeartMath^®
• Breathing exercises and other stress reduction techniques
• Guided Imagery

And I’m excited about the possibilities of incorporating Harp Therapy and the BioMat as I work with patients who are undergoing surgery (or any medical procedure). I will keep you posted (through this blog) on my progress with this new, heart-felt work…

In mid-August, a group of harp therapists from the Midwest met in Cedar Falls, IA. We had a great time, but also got up-to-date information on the latest “happenings” from around the world.

This conference was special because both of my revered harp teachers were present! Gaylord Stauffer was my beginning harp teacher and he organized the conference; Christina Tourin, founder of the International Harp Therapy Program, has been a major influence and teacher in my harp therapy work. I am deeply grateful to both of them…

I presented a session on “Self Care for the Harp Therapy Practitioner.” It is a topic I’m very passionate about! With a few “tweeks,” I’ll be making this session available to other healthcare professionals. It’s so new that it’s not on my website yet, but watch for up-dates … coming soon!   In the meantime if you want more info, please e-mail me.

This weekend, several students and graduates of the International Harp Therapy Program (IHTP) will gather in Cedar Falls, Iowa for a conference. We will have several presentations on different topics, healthy food, time to connect … and oh yes, time to jam!  Having a room full of harps and harpists who love to play is so much fun and you can imagine the energy … as we raise the vibration, we feel like we can levitate right out of the hotel space!!

I will be speaking on self-care for harpists and I’m excited to share this topic with this group!  That said, I am also a bit nervous … I find it unnerving to speak in front of my peers. I guess I’ll have to “practice what I preach!” by breathing, centering in my heart and moving forward…

A great joy for me is to speak and play the harp. And this month, I am honored to connect with three different groups:

• April 12 – the St. Paul chapter of The Compassionate Friends monthly meeting. “Sounds of Healing: Using Music in the Grief Journey,” Beaver Lake Lutheran Church, 2280 Stillwater Ave., Maplewood, MN, 7 p.m.
• April 16 –  Minnesota Network of Hospice & Palliative Care annual conference. “Sounds of Healing: Music and the Caregiving Journey,” Airport Hilton Hotel, Minneapolis, MN, 10:45 a.m.
• April 28 – South Dakota Parkinson’s Association annual conference at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. 

Parkinson’s is “near and dear” to my heart – I lost an Uncle to Parkinson’s and my beloved Dad is currently journeying with it. Click here if you’d like more information about my presentation on this topic.

Do you need an in-service for your staff or a Healing Harp Concert at your location/conference? I love to share my message and music with groups. At each presentation, I bring:

• my harp.
• poignant moments, practical tips and peace.
• new ideas about using therapeutic music with intention.
• an inspirational message and immediate application.

If you are interested in having me conduct a presentation at your location, I welcome these opportunities. Click here for more information. I look forward to working together!

Of all my CDs, I get the most feedback on Calm as the Night. Since 70 million Americans have sleep difficulties, perhaps Calm as the Night can help … it is a non-pharmaceutical approach and is available as a CD or download.

My intern recently compiled a list of Sleep Centers from around the country. In the near future, I will be contacting them, sharing Calm as the Night as a resource. I am excited to connect with them and the possibilities of providing this CD to their patients/clients.

In May 2006, I began volunteering with Barb Schommer (Certified Healing Touch Practitioner/Instructor) at Woodwinds Health Campus in Woodbury, MN.

The Woodwinds’ Integrative Therapies department recently released a research summary of our work together, “The Impact of Healing Touch with Harp Therapy on Inpatient Acute Care Pain: A Retrospective Analysis.”

We are excited to announce very positive results! The complete report will be available soon … please contact me at tami@MusicalReflections.com if you would like a copy.

A Happy Thanksgiving message from Tami Briggs (Musical Reflections’ founder) –

Thanksgiving is a favorite time to reflect on all of the things I’m grateful for.  I love to think about five things everyday. And for the year, I’m deeply grateful for:

• Your continued support, as well as your feedback, ideas and encouragement.
• All of the patients and families who allow me into their lives at a most vulnerable time of illness.
• The healthcare staff at the numerous hospitals where I’ve had the opportunity to play for those they serve.
• The opportunity to speak and play in front of thousands at healthcare conferences, sharing the special message of music and healing.
• Sharing my music with thousands on my website, as well as through retail shops and stores – on CDs, downloads, DVDs and via the AMMM Machine.
• The hundreds of people who follow me on Twitter (@HarpForHealing) and the wonderful people I am following. It is a window into people’s lives all over the world. I would never have this opportunity to connect without these unique technical programs.
• Time to enjoy my parents this week, as well as prepare for the very busy month of December.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving!

I am honored to have the opportunity to speak and play all over the country. These are some of the many 2011 highlights:

• Care Providers, Minneapolis, MN, November 2011.
• Mayo Clinic’s Quest for Quality, Rochester, MN, October 2011.
• Iowa Hospice conference, Ames, IA, October 2011.
• International Parish Nursing Symposium, St. Louis, MO, September 2011.
• American Institute of Medical Education, Santa Fe, NM, August 2011.
• Avera Sacred Heart HealthCare System; Yankton, SD, July 2011.
• The Compassionate Friends national conference; Minneapolis, MN, July 2011.
• Health Ministries Association Summit; Chicago, IL, June 2011.
• Holistic Health and Healing Institute; Woodbury, MN, June 2011.
• Healing Harp Concert at Hope Presbyterian Church; Spicer, MN, June 2011.
• Care for the Caregiver; Eau Claire, WI, May 2011.
• Mayo Clinic Cancer Care Connections; Rochester, MN, April 2011.
• Association of Professional Chaplains national conference; Dallas, TX, March 2011.
• Integrative Therapies Retreat; St. Paul, MN, February 2011.
• Washington County Senior Workers; Stillwater, MN, January 2011.

I still have some availability in 2012 … I would be happy to present/play at your special event and I look forward to working together!

I always love to have time to review what has transpired over the past months, especially reflecting on my “gigs.”

One of my favorites happened in late May in honor of Nurses Week for the HealthEast Healthcare System. Dr. Jean Watson, founder of Watson Caring Science Institute, was the featured speaker and what an awesome experience to be in her lovely presence for three days … wow!  Her work on caring science touches me deeply. Even though she focuses on nursing (and I’m not a nurse), her heart-felt message is so applicable to all of us. I’m still processing everything she said … more on this as the insights continue to “come in.”

To give Dr. Watson a break, I was invited to do a presentation, “Entraining Peace and Engaging Presence.”  While I always love to speak, sometimes the sessions are really special … and this was one of them! After Dr. Watson had created such a loving, sacred space, my job was easy. Our messages are so congruent … music can be one important component to creating a healing, caring environment … what an honor to “share the stage” with her.