Today we’d like to introduce you to Leila Ariel.
Hi Leila, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started out learning the piano in junior high where I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. For me, that instrument created a perfect starting point for reading music and understanding music theory. However, even though I enjoyed playing the piano, it was just required homework for me. It wasn’t until I saw a woman playing the harp at a restaurant that I frequented with my parents that I started to become interested in the harp. I soon became friends with the harpist and began taking lessons from her. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the harp was my true instrument and I dropped the piano to focus solely on the harp. After a couple of years, I was ready to begin playing gigs around town. My first paid venue was an art opening and that was followed by many events such as weddings, tea parties, and even playing at the restaurant where I first met my harp teacher. I eventually started playing larger venues such as the Arizona Renaissance Festival and the holiday light festival at the Desert Botanical Garden. I moved to the San Diego area and started working a regular desk job during the week and playing the harp at events on the weekends. I realized that I had a desire to do something more with my music than playing for entertainment and came across the International Harp Therapy Program (IHTP) through Harp Therapy International in 2015. The IHTP teaches harp players to use their music to bring comfort and healing to individuals through bedside playing and interactive work. Since graduating from the program in 2016, I have been primarily playing in nursing homes using my music to soothe, reduce stress, and connect with the residents.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Yes, I do feel like my journey to playing the harp therapeutically has been a pretty smooth road. I was fortunate to find the IHTP which operates mostly online. When it came time to do the practicum part of the training, I was able to do it at an IHTP seminar right here in San Diego. And when I was ready for the internship the program director, Christina Tourin, let me know there was an opening at the care center at a wonderful nursing home in La Jolla. I am still playing there after five years and love working with the people there. My journey has been a fortunate one and I believe that is confirmation that I am doing just what I’m meant to do.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My specialty is in using my harp music to connect with each individual and to play just what they need to hear to bring them comfort in that moment. When I am able to do that, they carry that peace through their day, elevating their mood and allowing healing to take place. Therapeutic harp music can help release emotional pain, improve short-term memory and attention span, increase social interaction, and reduce stress. It is not simply a bedside concert, I use my training and experience to be fully present in the moment for each person. The resonant tones of the harp as well as the personal connection and the songs help bring them comfort in times of physical, emotional and spiritual stress.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
If you are considering going into this field of work, I would recommend giving a lot of thought to your feelings about death, dying and loss. They are natural parts of life that we are culturally taught to avoid and push to the fringes. Working with people in nursing homes will bring you close to these often uncomfortable times. Any harp therapy program will offer study into the psychology of death and dying as part of their curriculum. Take that opportunity to really go deep with your feelings on those topics.
Contact Info:
- Email: leilaharpist@gmail.com
- Website: leilaharpist.com
Image Credits
Flo Li Photography, Mark Mauthner Photography
