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Playing Harp at the Bedside

By Devora Schiff
I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the L-rd”. This line from musician Leonard Cohen’s “Halleluyah” is one that speaks to me directly as a harp therapist. Every one of us has a secret chord that just makes us melt when we hear it. My job is to find it. It could be a ditty from childhood or a melody we loved as an adult. It could be a show tune, religious, classical or ethnic music. I was blessed to meet Nina while she and her family could tell me she loved Sinatra, religious music and Irish music, especially “Danny Boy”. In our first harp therapy session I played much of the music she requested but when I played “Evening of Roses”, Nina melted. The secret chord was a minor chord. 
In my next harp therapy session with Nina, I played an Irish tune “Cockles and Mussels”. Her daughter told me there was a relationship between Nina and Molly Malone, the girl named in the melody. She smiled a beautiful smile when she heard that tune that was as bright as her beautifully decorated room.
Our next harp therapy session was to be our last. I walked into her room expecting just her daughter to be there but instead found the entire family. I may have been the 12th person in the room. Nina’s eyes were closed but I’m sure she knew she was surrounded in love. Her breathing was erratic even though she was on oxygen. The harp would be able to entrain her breathing from arrhythmic to rhythmic. I played Sinatra, religious tunes, as well as Irish melodies. Upon hearing “Danny Boy” her daughter was able to release some emotions. Then I played “Evening of Roses”. Her son recognized his mom’s breathing was now quite shallow. I played “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” which has an E minor and an A minor chord.  Positive I’m not but I think upon hearing that chord, Nina’s body relaxed its grip which freed her soul to easily and peacefully go over the rainbow.
Upon leaving I ran into Nina’s grandson who profusely thanked me for all I did for his grandmother and his family. I felt very blessed to have experienced Nina’s death. It wasn’t gory or sad. The words rich and easy, peaceful, royal and spiritual come to mind. “I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the L-rd”.  
 Halleluyah!
Devora Schiff, Harp Therapist, Stein Hospice
For more information on The Martin and Edith Stein Hospice contact us at 732-227-1212 or [email protected].  Stein Hospice serves families in Somerset, Middlesex, Union, and Warren Counties.
* Patients name has been changed to provide privacy