Joshua Leeds Psychoacoustics Sound Healing	Barbara Crowe Music Therapy	Stella Benson Therapeutic Music	Christina Tourin Therapeutic Harp	Jennifer Hollis Music-Thanatology	Sarajane Williams Vibroacoustic Harp	Don Campbell Aesthetics Audio Systems
			Cynthia Price-Glynn Gentle Muses	Kate Munger Threshold Choir

TherapeuticMusician.com

MusicTherapy.org

SoundAndMusicAlliance.org

MusicThanatologyAssociationInternational

Vibroacousticharp.com

AesthesticAudioSystems.com

GentleMuses.org

ThresholdChoir.org

Convergence of Modalities Worldwide

By Christina Tourin

The focus of the International Harp Therapy Program (IHTP), Music Thanatology Association International (MTAI), leaders of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), National Standards Board for Therapeutic Musicians (NSBTM), and the Sound and Music Alliance (SAMA) has been to educate all those working therapeutically with music to the understanding of each modality of training and offering.

In February 2011, the on-line class of the IHTP had the exciting opportunity to hear Barbara Crowe, Music Therapy Director at Arizona State University and past president of the National Music Therapy Association- AMTA, Joshua Leeds, psychoacoustics and board member of SAMA; Jennifer Hollis,  president of MTAI; Stella Benson, board member of NSBTM; Sarajane Williams of the vibroacoustic harp training program; and myself, Christina Tourin, director of IHTP, NSBTM and SAMA founding board member and music therapist.

These questions were put forth for discussion:

What is the training and certification process for your modality?

What is the scope of practice and pay scale for your modality?

What is the history leading to your development?

How do you see we can educate administrators of healthcare facilities and
graduates working in the field to understand the differences and build a comprehensive therapeutic music program uniting all those with
unique and specialized trainings?

How would one determine a pay scale so that one another is not undercut but at the same time recognized for the amount of training they have achieved?

The recordings above include very informative  key points that everyone in the therapeutic music field should hear. The outcomes are fascinating leading to suggestions of entrepreneurial organizations that may be responsible for achieving the goals of unification in the field.

In the spirit of educating those in the field, the Music Thanatology Association International held their annual conference in Ogden, Utah and I was asked to be a featured speaker on speaking about therapeutic harp as we teach it in the IHTP and about my training as a music therapist. There I met with 60 lovely music-thanatologists and reunited with friends from the past. I also met Peter Roberts who has become a legend in Australia as the only music-thanatologist in their country and was featured on their national television station.

MTAI - Music Thanatology Association International Members

So, over the winter months we put together a CONVERGENCE in Australia featuring Peter Roberts on music-thanatology, Michael Johnson on music therapy, Mary Doumany on the Zen of the harp and myself on Therapeutic Harp. We had 58 attendees from every corner of Australia and from New Zealand. The first day of the conference focused on information and workshops while the second day was a hands-on experience learning a sacred song by Peter and improvisation techniques by myself.

Australian Convergence Attendees

After Australia, I went to Brazil where I met up with Claudia Miranda, who I met at the World Harp Congress in Dublin, Ireland. She is spear heading the therapeutic harp movement in Brazil as well as studying Music Therapy. I was busy with many presentations for doctors, nurses, complimentary departments of the hospital and a special trip to the Planetree hospital in Sao Paulo.

Hospital Presentation in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Our next Conference was San Diego, California the end of May. Serving as our Regional Conferences for CEUs for the IHTP program, we are also focusing on the topic of Convergence.

Here is a picture of the organizers. Presenters included Ann Dowdy on Music-Thanatology, Dr. Amy Lynn Kanner on Therapeutic Music, Christina Tourin on Heartmath® and Convergence; Deborah Noland, RN; Jennifer Taylor, Susan Zevenbergen; Dana Mosser; and Linda Hill Phoenix.

Attendees to the San Diego Convergence

On July 9-10, we had another Convergence Conference in Burlington, Vermont followed by our Resonance Module.   Our presenters were Jeff Volk on Cymatics, Molly Scott on Creative Resonance, Margie Bekoff on Immunology and working with folks with Alzheimer’s, Judith Hitt on Resonant Tone, Kathryn Kuba-Dandurand on Volunteers, Christina Tourin on Convergence,  Martha Gallagher. Organizers were Bambi Niles and Judi Byron.

presenters and Organizers at the Burlington, VT Convergence

Burlington, VT Convergence Attendees

July 31^st, we held the Canadian Therapeutic Harp Conference in Vancouver, B.C. following the World Harp Congress.

Anita Lechied speaks on unification of Therapeutic Harpists, Music Therapists, Vibroacoustic Harp Therapists and Music Volunteers in Canada. A new Association is established in Canada.

Special Needs Children and VibroAccoustic Harp Therapy – Laurence Marie, Moncton, New Brunswick

Laurence talked about her work from the perspective of “What is willing to meet me;  the key to the autistic child’s world”  and described an interesting VAHT case study.  She also shared her experiences with with Healing Harp Circles, Guided Meditations with Harp , and HarpArTherapy.    Laurence is self-employed in Moncton, N.B.

Harps by Hearts:  Harp Circles for Cancer Patients – Bev Ross, Edmonton, Alberta

Bev works as a therapeutic harp practitioner at the University of Alberta Hospital (adult acute care) and the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton.  Since 2007 she has facilitated harp circles at the Cross in a program that is constantly evolving.  The session highlighted the challenges and rewards of offering harp to this patient group, considering the elements that make a harp circle “therapeutic”, and looked at some avenues for funding.

Keynote Address – Harp Therapy and Heart Math – Christina Tourin, founder of the International Harp Therapy Program, Mt. Laguna, California presented how the mind and heart are connected.  With the aid of a biofeedback program, witness how the Five Qualities of Individualized music can take one out of the tense and frenzied red zone and enter into a calm and relaxed green zone.  See what happens when  the breathing tempo, the mood, the resonant tone, the genre of music desired and how certain intervals can make all the difference in helping a person to find that soothing place.

Long Term Care and Kinesiology – Debi Mackay, Barrie, Ontario

This year is a busy year to spread the word of Converging and educating about what the various modalities consist of and how we can all work together.

In August, the 13^th and 14^th, we will again hold another Convergence Conference in Werkhoven, Netherlands for our European community of harp players. This will be followed by a training module.

INFO HERE

October 5^th and 6^th will find us in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for our SouthEastern Convergence conference. This takes place the 2 days before the Southeastern Folk Harp Weekend in nearby Asheville.

INFO HERE

October 30^th wraps up our last CEU and Convergence Conference for this year in Derbyshire, UK in conjunction with the Derbyshire Harp Festival, sponsored by Helen Naylor of the Little Welsh shop.

INFO HERE

Together, learning the terminology and understanding how we can unite, we will make a strong presence in the field of Sound and Music healing.

“Our world of senses is the world of effects. What

works in each being produces an image in others just as

plucking a string produces sound. Each being is a harpist

on someone else’s strings and at the same time a harp for

someone else’s fingers.”

—Robert Hamerling, poet, 1830-1889