Learn to Play Irish Tunes for Harp Therapy
Irish tunes☘️are the perfect (enchanting!) music for therapeutic harp.
I created this self-paced course to share everything I’ve learned about Irish tunes’ healing magic and beauty!
“The most interesting, engaging, and motivating music course I’ve seen.” (Bernadette Meyers, artist, author, and Irish Tunes for Harp Therapy first reader)
Included in this course
- Learn four complete tunes in simple arrangements uniquely suited to harp therapy
- Learn Irish harp basics
- Learn about modes and modal ethos for therapy harp
- Understand the four Irish modes and how to play them
- Explore improv possibilities with each mode and tune
- Learn left-hand ideas and work with unaccompanied melody
- Explore and practice therapy harp meditation techniques
- Read about the story and history of each tune
- Discover and practice breathing techniques with each tune
This video collab with Breeze Pics is an example of therapeutic techniques and tunes I teach in this course.
Many ways of learning
- Simple notation and chords for each tune
- Meditation videos so you can experience the tunes as a client
- Directed listening to help you learn naturally
- Close-up video demonstration of tunes
Is this course for you?
- You are interested in harp therapy
- You want to add to your harp therapy knowledge
- You play the harp
- You play another instrument and would love to play harp
- You can read simple music
- You are comfortable learning (slowly!) by ear
- You would love to expand your repertoire of therapeutic music
- You want to learn about the healing magic and beauty of slow Irish tunes!
Learn more here ☟
Watch this video for a conversation about Harp Therapy and to see aspects of my Harp Therapy practice in action.
Questions? Contact me here
More about me
I am a Certified Healthcare Musician, Certified Breath Coach, and Certified Meditation Coach.
My degree in Religious Studies incorporated specialized work in communication and awareness, teaching me to reach people where they are in many circumstances.
I play Irish harp and sing the Irish airs my Nana sang, I studied classical music (piano, voice, violin, and theory) with the Royal Conservatory of Music, and, as a child, I had the privilege of attending a professional choir and orchestra school.
I teach harp, singing, piano, and music theory, always with an emphasis on therapeutic music applications. I specialize in slow Irish tunes for harp, offering harp therapy sessions for private clients, yoga classes, community art-making, meditation, and other gatherings.
Questions? Contact me here
What people say about my work
People who experience my Harp Therapy sessions often share their response and tell me stories of how my music affects and changes them. I learn from every comment, and I created this course to share with you all that I have learned.
“This course is simply wonderful. It is the most interesting, engaging and motivating music course that I’ve seen.
Your historical notes bring context to the study and you have translated something of your soul through the personal, anecdotal stories.
Your teaching comes across as encouraging and empowering. The content is challenging because it’s clear that you have a great depth of knowledge about your topic, but it’s not overwhelming.”
Bernadette Meyers, Fine Art Photographer, Harp Therapy student, and Irish Tunes for Harp Therapy first reader
“She did a good job of reflecting moods of the meditations and exercises, very spontaneous, creative, freeflow and it supported what I was doing with the people in the workshop. I can rely on Mary to reflect the moods of meditations and exercises with spontaneous creativity. She truly supports the participants and the work I am doing.” Melissa Boothroyd, RMT
“Her strength is in her knowledge of music and understanding of its effect on listeners, her strong awareness of the Story Time group’s state of mind, and her ability to deliver an appropriate atmosphere and mood to her audience. The children’s mood becomes calm and focused during her singing and harp playing.” Anne Longe., BEd., Public Library Children’s Programming Supervisor
“Mary plays the harp beautifully. She has a focused and gentle way about her which is unassuming, allowing the recipient to take in the music in an undistracted way, and to easily enter a relaxed state. Participants were calmer, more tranquil, and mindfully in the moment when she played. She facilitates healing for the listener/patient and takes what she does seriously. She clearly cares deeply about the wellbeing of those she treats with her music, and is dedicated and passionate about it.” Jesse Singer, MSW
“Mary is very in tune with her environment and easily matches the flow of music with the yoga movements. This truly lets the clients have a true releasing experience in mind, body, and spirit.” Kayla Chafe, Certified Fitness and Yoga Instructor
Questions? Contact me here
Irish Tunes for Harp Therapy Syllabus
Welcome Video
Who I am—What I do—The experience
Foundation (section one) Introduction Video
Why Irish Tunes?
Why I chose these four tunes
Meditation Video Respite Moment (Out on the Ocean-Tune #3)—Play-along Tips (rhythm—mode—first note—basic chords)
The Importance of Stories
Meditation Video Respite Moment (Gander in the Pratie Hole-Tune #3)—Play-along Tips (rhythm—mode—first note—basic chords)
Story Lessons from Melvin the Therapy Dog
Meditation Video Respite Moment (Gander Improv-Tune #3)—Play-along Tips (rhythm— mode—first note—basic chords)
The Importance (or not!) of Tune Names
Irish Style Video
Meditation Video Respite Moment (Pig Improv-Tune #1)—Play-along Tips (rhythm—mode—first note—basic chords)
Jig Rhythm
A closer look at Irish rhythm
Meditation Video Respite Moment (The Price of My Pig-Tune #1)—Play-along Tips (rhythm— mode—first note—basic chords)
Written notation, keys, and modes
A classical fix?
Writing chord names
Meditation Video Respite Moment (Ocean Improv-Tune #3)—Play-along Tips (rhythm— mode—first note—basic chords)
Accompaniment
What chords should I use? Should I even use chords?
Key and mode left-hand suggestions
Modes Video
The idea of modal ethos
Modes now and then
Western system of modes
Looking for in-depth exploration?
Meditation Video Respite Moment (A Fig for a Kiss-Tune #4)—Play-along Tips (rhythm— mode—first note—basic chords)
What about Irish Modes?
Meditation Video Respite Moment (Fig Improv-Tune #4)—Play-along Tips (rhythm— mode—first note—basic chords)
What are the four Irish modes?
Breathwork Video
Breathe in 4/4—calming your nerves
Breathing with the harp
Why nose breathing?
Meditation metronome—another way of breathing
Metronome breath video—walking to the beat—your internal metronome heartbeat—your musical, responsive metronome—breathe like a singer
Tools
Musescore—Blank manuscript paper—Notation notebook—Regular notebook—Metronome—Recording device—Writing Tools—online harp help
Bibliography
Complete bibliography includes books, journal articles, websites, and interviews
The Tunes (section two)
The Price of My Pig * Gander in the Pratie Hole * Out on the Ocean * A Fig for a Kiss
Each tune includes
Introduction Video
Tune Story—learning about the background, origin, and associations of the tune
Practice—apply your learning
Meditation Video of the tune and commentary on its use in therapeutic music
Improv demonstration
Levers, Mode, Rhythm, Phrasing—theory and practice of the technical aspects of the tune
Tune notation
Breathwork techniques for the unique characteristics of each tune
Mode history, theory, and ethos
In Context—therapeutic applications for this tune