I felt anything but inconspicuous...a forty something
bedraggled woman in jeans laden with a huge red backpack...drawing a
white-coffin shaped box on very squeaky wheels behind me down the custom
passageway of the Los Angeles International Airport. I had already been
accosted by three separate and humourless customs officials, with suspicious
enquiries about the coffin's contents. Somehow the "oh, that's just my harp"
line had worked surprisingly well to disarm them... . During 5 weeks, I would
travel from San Diego to Seattle, visiting graduates of 3 different therapeutic
music programmes; and settings many of Hospice programmes and hospitals. My
first international backpacking trip in two decades, riding passenger trains up
the west coast of the U;, was to find provided challenges as well as joys, and
the discovery of sets of muscles I had forgotten about years ago!
I had graduated two years ago from the Music For Healing and Transition
Programme (MFHTP)- founded by Laurie Riley to train musicians to play in
nursing homes, hospitals and hospices. Now I was on a return trip to research
how several American programmes had developed and progressed in the field of
music medicine in the US as part of my preparation to develop a programme that
could work in my adopted country of Australia.
After a brief stop in LA, to catch my breath and visit Caroline Sykes,
ex-patriot Australian harpist, my first journey on Amtrack was to visit the
San Diego Hospice, the new home for the International Harp Therapy Programme.
Here Tina Turin, founder of the IHTP and the Hospice will form a symbiotic
relationship with mutual benefits-the IHTP gets classrooms, and research
funding; and the Hospice gains students fine-tuning their skills working with
patients in a supervised setting.
Then Sue Raimond, a pioneer in therapeutic music with animals , and I drove
out into the brown hills- high desert country surrounding San Diego- for and
hour or so to Mt. Laguna. I stayed the next few days as her guest in her cabin,
talking about music and healing and visiting Robinson's Harp Shop. Sue's work
with animals in a shelter, as well as with wolves in a Disney documentary was
fascinating, and she shared many ideas about animals and therapeutic music. It
was wonderful to see music as a positive bridge between the worlds of animals
and humankind.
Next San Luis Obispo., Northern California, and its model of therapeutic
hospice work utilising volunteer musicians. I stayed with Stephanie Chapman, coordinator of
The Soundboard, a MFHTP based e-mailing list.
I had set up nearly all my connections using this service to correspond with
therapeutic music workers and their programmes. The San Luis Obispo Programme
is in early stages, and hopes to one day have funding to train volunteers and
eventually offer payment. A highlight was being invited to a party... to find
that I was a guest of honour!
Once again I loaded myself, harp and backpack onto the train and headed
north to Eugene, Oregon to meet Lethea Ertz, graduate of both the MFHTP
and the IHTP, doctoral candidate, and storyteller , like myself.....a
powerhouse of energy at a time in life when some would think of retirement.
Her day starts with a run up and down stairs for 10 minutes, a green algae
drink, and a soak in a hot tub, all at 7am. Train potatoe that I was becoming, she was a hard woman to keep up
with! Lethea introduced me to a
local programme called ACCHORD that provides music in local hospitals. Musicians
provide music in waiting rooms, corridors, chemotherapy waiting rooms,
enhancing the environment with beautiful and calming music. She also set up a
meeting for me with a graduate of the Chalice Programme involved in
Compassionate Strings...two Chalice graduates who play to critically ill, and
dying patients. It was good to gain a deeper understanding of this programme
and its training.
Next I headed out into the interior of Oregon state...a three hour bus trip
to Bend Oregon. The Bend Hospital has funded training for two musicians with
the IHTP who now work regularly in a programme called GRACE. I soon found
myself press-ganged. Clutching one of the hospital's small harps I set off
through the hospital to play, along with Gail Coon, my host and IHTP graduate.
The hospital is seeking additional funds to pay its harp therapists, and Gail
is employed by the Palliative Care Unit for vigils with dying patients.
On to Seattle my birthplace, and family re-unions. During my Seattle stay, I
spent a morning at Bailey Bouchey House, a Hospice that cares for AIDS
sufferers. The music programme (including volunteer-training) is run by Barbara
Dunn, a music therapist. I followed her on her rounds and played some harp, as
well.
I watched as she skilfully drew a man out of his depression with drumming
(he was an ex-drummer). And I listened as she sang to an old man in comma as
his life slipped away...her clear voice filling the room with the song "At a
Distance", is etched into my memory as a truly sacred and beautiful moment in
time....
Then, a highlight of the trip...the four day Vashon Island Harp Camp
organised by Laurie Riley. This camp was the inspiration 3 years ago for
subsequent Harpers Retreats in Australia. Many players were graduates of
various therapeutic training programmes, employed in various hospitals in the
Northwest. One graduate, Stella Benson, is now employed in four different
Hospices and Hospitals. There was much to talk about, to learn and to
share...little time to sleep!
Then off to the Three Rivers Folk Festival - I was a guest artist with harp
and story-telling. My sister, Tracy Spring, and her newly- formed group of
three award winning women song-writers were featured. So too, was Laurie Riley,
I found to my delight. In between performances we took a last opportunity to
talk about my goals for a therapeutic music course in Australia. She was most
encouraging and inspiring... and I prize an autographed copy of her new
book!
What a whirlwind of 5 week!. I averaged two nights in each area, until
Seattle, and perhaps 2000 kilometres of train travel, with my trusty...and by now
dusty Camac.. I met inspiring people along the way, and gained new perspective
and excitement for what might develop in Australia in the field of Therapeutic
Music. Next trip? I'll oil those squeaky wheels on my harp travel case...and
carry a smaller pack. And hopefully have even more to share from new
developments in Australia!