What would YOU do if you could connect more with people thru music?

Harpist Margi Miller recently took my new “Sing & Play Harp: 3-Chord Magic” Class and sent us this video and the story behind it, showing how this one class opened up joyful, deep new level of connection with the Alzheimers patients she works with. 

Margi put what she learned in the class immediately into play – and this video shows what happened.

Margi tells the story of how this breakthrough happened:

I find myself out with my harp at least 5 times a week, whether it be playing for patients in their last hours at hospice houses, providing soothing music in the halls of the local hospital, or singing along with patients at memory care centers or assisted living places.

Had I not taken courses from DHC and learned how to bring the music to connect with folks, I would still be sitting at home trying to perfect my arpeggios and learn challenging music. What a difference it has made for me to learn that “simple is enough” and that looking into the face of a person is so much more important than making sure my fingers play complicated chords.

What you’ll see in this videos is me playing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” for some Alzheimer patients after learning the 3-Chord Magic so I was able to better engage my audience.

 In “Strings of Passion” I learned to deconstruct the tune – and in “Sing & Play Harp: 3-Chord Magic” I learned to  use just three fingers of each hand on my double strung Eve harp.

“I was on a mission to stop looking down at my strings”

I was on a mission to stop looking down at my strings so that I could still play, sing, move around and be face to face with the people I play for.

At first I thought it could never be done, and that harpists always just watched their strings and seldom ever sang.  Because of this class I was convinced that is not always the case.

I was exhilarated to find that I could do all these things at once, but I had to practice them multiple times. It reminded me of learning a new language and repeating and repeating and feeling really foolish because the simplest song was that hard.

At first, I wanted to give up and use cheat sheets taped to my harp. I had to convince myself that muscle memory is a real thing.

This has impacted other parts of my life as well. Now I find myself looking into other people’s eyes while listening to them, really listening and not trying to think of what wonderful thing I will say back to them.

My personal “Aha” moment was that simple actually sounds fine on a harp.

One thing I’d love people to think about when they watch this video is that the people I play for in Memory homes are some of the most deserving folks in the world. If I can make them feel good about themselves through music, then all of this practice is worth it.

To connect with Margi, for bookings and find out more about her many different kinds of performances visit her website: www.EveningOfRoses.org.

If you play the harp … 

Jump into “Sing & Play Harp: 3 Chord Magic”.  It’s availalbe right now to take at your own pace … and change the way YOU connect with your harp, the music, your audience – and yourself!