PDF Version Printer-Friendly Version
Vital Signs
Harp Plucks Heartstrings
Play me another good tune. I'm 73 and I know them all," a smiling patient says to volunteer harpist Margaret Stephens. Stephens (below), a certified harp practitioner, plays a small, 23- string Celtic harp for patients and their families two days a week at Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center. "I feel really privileged to have a little peep into people's lives and to be able to give something to them," she says. "It's soothing--there's something about the physics of sound of a plucked harp string that's a very pure tone." Stephens's repertoire ranges from operatic arias to Irish ballads to country-and-western tunes. She creates an individualized "cradle of sound"--for example, gradually slowing down the tempo to help reduce a patient's breathing rate or choosing pitches and keys that resonate with the listener. "When the music starts," says Deborah Steele, coordinator of patient services, "it's as if a new environment is created, a bubble of protection and healing." See http://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/fall06/html/vs_harp_we.php for some about Stephens and her harp. M.C.W. 'The text of this article will be posted soon. Check back in a week or so.
If you'd like to offer feedback about this article, we'd welcome getting your comments at DartMed@Dartmouth.edu.
This article may not be reproduced or reposted without permission. To inquire about permission, contact DartMed@Dartmouth.edu.