Ode on "My Town"
I had a valuable experience in a University of Sheffield Music Composition course, and created a slow air to commissioned lyrics by (the tremendously talented) Matt Black, called "My Town." While I composed this song, I thought a lot about creating something that would be very useful with my patients, as a therapeutic musician playing harp at the bedside. I wanted to be able to manipulate parts of the song to use for various patient scenarios, and created this song accordingly. It's written in D major, with a riff improvisation using the related pentatonic scale, and a refrain that uses a few minor chords. I can use these elements as building blocks to arrange and rearrange to suit the needs of my patient.
After lots of positive feedback (Thank You all for the encouragement!) I manipulated the song further, creating a number of versions for various patient scenarios. I've incorporated my song, now called "Home," into my book, The HOME Recordings: Strategies for Certified Therapeutic Musicians, available Fall 2023 through Apple Books.
"This is an amazing compilation that EVERY therapeutic musician should have, read, and refer to."
-Christina Tourin, CTM-CTHP/Music Therapist
Founder/Director
International Harp Therapy Program
Available in print and e-book versions, Fall 2023