Live harp music is special! Its elegance enlivens any celebration.

It can gently calm the anxious or the ill. (For Passive Harp Therapy, please scroll down.)

Celtic harps, also called lever or non-pedal harps, are more compact than concert harps. They make the magic of live harp music available as never before.

The Celtic harp creates a welcoming milieu that instantly makes each guest feel special. It subtly helps hosts to relax and enjoy their own event.

My extensive repertoire of Celtic, classical, classic pop, and seasonal selections creates an elegant ambience for

• Art show openings;
• Receptions;
• Weddings (sacred, other lovely traditional music, & Celtic aires)

and other festive occasions in the Pioneer Valley.

My amplifier is unobtrusive. Or my harp can use your sound system. Either way, you hear only the harp.

You may reach me at 413.256.6129 to discuss your event and to book live harp music for it.

"Passive Harp Therapy" is a compassionate use of the harp to relieve anxiety and respiratory distress, promote relaxation, etc., with no need for a patient's participation or conscious response.

Hospitals, hospices, and other medical facilities worldwide increasingly offer passive harp therapy. 

Celtic harps are ideal for this. The musician can readily bring the harp wherever it may be needed.

Medical staff and families also appreciate the harp!

As a Certified Music Practitioner, trained by the Music for Healing and Transition Program (www.mhtp.org), I have provided passive harp therapy since 2000.

My patients have ranged from newborns and children in intensive care, through cancer and Alzheimer's/dementia residents, to the actively dying.

While playing, I have frequently observed patients'

• Breathing become deeper, more regular, and less labored; 
• Anxiety and blood pressure decrease;
• Oxygen saturation increase;
• Facial and other muscles relax; and
• Perception of pain apparently decrease.

Patients need not be awake or responsive for such results.

Passive harp therapy is remarkably effective, in my experience, to reduce "sundowning" and echolating among Alzheimer's residents, even in groups of more than a dozen.

It can also help to increase such residents' responsiveness and sociability. This makes family visits, as well as interactions with staff and other residents, more enjoyable.

To discuss passive harp therapy for an individual or a group, you may reach me at 413.256.6129.

I of course keep all patient and family information confidential!

Another compassionate use of the Celtic harp is for funeral home calling hours and memorial services.

A memorial service may commemorate the life of an individual, or of hospital or hospice patients served during a given timespan.

I play beautiful sacred or non-religious selections as requested.

The harp's rich vibrations seem to provide real support for families, friends, and medical staff at a difficult time.

As one Easthampton listener observed, "The harp created a mood of peace and calm."

You may usually hear my harp on the first Thursday of each month, from 5 - 7 p.m., at the Burnett Gallery on the 2nd floor of the Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst, Massachusetts.

That's during downtown Amherst's monthly First Thursday Gallery Walk (5 - 8 p.m.) Come and explore all the new Amherst art shows then!

In February 2008, however, I'll play at the Burnett on Saturday, February 2 (Ground Hog Day) from 2 - 4 p.m., for the artists' own reception, and during the First Thursday Gallery Walk, February 7, from 7 - 8 p.m.

This month I'll also don my long kilt to play Scots selections at the Bobbie Burns Sunday, January 20, for the 10 a.m. service at the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Northfield, MA. This is a first for me! I am looking forward to it.

You may call me at 413.256.6129 to arrange for elegant or compassionate harp music.

It will be magical!

Warmest regards, Sarah McKee

Celtic Harp *  Sarah McKee * Amherst, MA * 413.256.6129