Therapy Harp: Not Just For Weddings Anymore

PARSONS, Kan., March 31, 2010 – When we think of harp music, we usually think of soothing, relaxing airs – the kind of sophisticated, gentle music one might hear at a classical concert or maybe a wedding.

Bob McKinzie thinks it’s the perfect accompaniment to “Who let the dogs out?”

“I had been taking my classical harp to the hospital to play for patients, and I ordered a special therapy harp from Music Makers, a small company in Minnesota,” said Leslie McConnell, R.N., program coordinator of Labette Health’s Webster Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. “When it came, my husband brought it to the hospital and I opened the box right there in front of the patients. I said, ‘Who wants to give it a try?’

“Bob picked it right up. He was holding it like a guitar, and he started singing ‘Who let the dogs out?’ There were several other patients and therapists in the room, and we all about fell out of our chairs laughing,” she said.

McKinzie’s version of the song may never climb the pop charts, but it’s sweet music under the circumstances. A Parsons resident, he is recovering from a stroke in late February that left him partially paralyzed.

Unlike classical harps, the therapy harp is a small, handheld instrument with an enclosed soundbox. Called a Reverie Harp, it has a special tuning that makes it harmonious no matter what notes are stuck. According to the manufacturer, it is more a therapy tool for non-musicians than a musical instrument for musicians.

“I bought the Reverie harp because people always enjoy touching and playing my regular harp, but when they are in bed, it is very difficult to get it close enough to them,” McConnell said.

McConnell said she had been playing the harp for about 15 years, having fallen in love with the instrument when she heard one being played at a Tulsa shopping mall. A former hospice nurse, she has a special interest in music therapy and plays frequently in area hospices and nursing homes.

Although music therapy is not a regular part of Labette Health’s Webster Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, it is one of the activities the unit’s staff use to help patients who have suffered disabling injuries or illnesses. The unit, whose medical director is Dr. Beth Shelton, teams physical, occupational and speech therapists with rehabilitation nurses, social workers, psychologists and other medical professionals in a comfortable home-like setting. The unit’s goal is to help patients regain their highest possible level of function and independence.

Patients wear their own clothing, participate in at least three hours of therapy each day and take meals in a group setting. The unit includes a small kitchen and other common household equipment so that patients can reacquaint themselves with everyday tasks before returning to their own homes.

Leslie McConnell, R.N., listens as patient Bob McKinzie plays her therapy harp in Labette Health’s Webster Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit.

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