Ian Hepburn – Ontario

harpist . improviser . teacher

All of the seasons. I love them all. My favourite month is November – it’s grayness and spareness is refreshing and enlivening. – Ian

Confession
Unlike the incredible harpists included in this Collection of the Angelic, I am a fraud. A fake. I couldn’t pass a Grade One Harp exam if my life depended on it. While I did complete my Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy diplomas with the Royal Conservatory of Music, I have not, and never will, subject myself to such stress and evaluation. In spite of that utter failure of achievement, I will say the harp is the centre of my existence. It is my purpose in life. It is my greatest joy.

My little story:

Phase One
I first heard the Celtic harp many years ago while studying handweaving in Victoria, B.C. The teacher played Alan Stivell’s Renaissance of the Celtic Harp non-stop. Marv Pont Kellec and Eliz Iza became the soundtrack of my life. The years passed. My next brush with the harp came with my infatuation with Canadian singer-harpist Loreena McKennitt. In response, I formed a band, Imaginary Heaven. I ‘played’ the harp from the keyboard using samples. When the band was about to make its second little recording, I decided it was unseemly to ‘fake’ the harp and bought a 36-string harp kit from Music Makers in the U.S. Self-taught, I committed every technical sin possible. I am no better 30+ years later and, being a true Gemini, am not the slightest bit concerned. The band went on to record three CDs (Gentle is My Weather, Dressed in Gentle Days and Christmas Comes in Darkness), toured Canada, performed at some of Canada’s premier venues including the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Harbourfront in Toronto, countless festivals and appeared on Much Music (2 videos), CBC Radio and CJOH TV. We had international distribution and (hard to believe) sold more CDs in Japan and Germany than in Canada. And then, the ugliness of the ‘music biz’ hit home. Our distributor robbed us blind. We took him to court and won but that took the wind out of my sails. And so I asked, “What was music before it became a commodity?”

Phase Two
The eventual answer to the question was to play harp in the Hawkesbury & District General Hospital. The chief-of-staff referred to the playing as my ‘corridor concerts’. I put my harp on a cart and wheeled about – playing wherever I wished. This continued for ten years until one day, I was given the opportunity to attend a conference on the uses of harp in hospital, hospice and Long Term Care residences. The 5-day conference, held in Salt Lake City, U.S.A., was sponsored by Lyon & Healy. One of the workshops I attended was an introduction to “Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy” (VAHT). At first, sceptical of what I saw, a personal demonstration converted me to the incredible value of this energy therapy … and set me off on PHASE TWO.

Phase Two – Part One
Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy is an energy therapy which uses the vibration of each note/frequency on the harp to stimulate and ‘un-block’ imbalance in the bodymind. The pluck of each string, causes the vibration to travel through an amplifier, to special transducer speakers fastened to the underside of a massage table or similar set- up. The vibration is experienced in a variety of ways by the patient. Prior to a therapy session, the patient is asked for their ‘goal/hope’ for the session. To that end, they are guided through a 1-9 pain assessment of the various parts of the body. The assessment is used, post-session, to gauge the overall effects and as a point of reference for any follow-up. Once the information is gathered, the patient lies on the message table while the VAHT practitioner plays each string and asks the patient two questions: 1. Do you feel the vibration? 2. If so, where do you feel it? The responses are recorded on a chart containing all the frequencies. This becomes the ‘musical score’ for the VAHT session. The VAHT practitioner employs a number of playing styles, usually improvised, to achieve the outcome of that particular session – which usually lasts 30-40 minutes.

Of course, there are countless details omitted in this explanation, but it gives an over-view of how VAHT is delivered. VAHT is an energy therapy similar to acupuncture, reflexology, therapeutic massage, etc. It is particularly useful for those unable to endure physical contact (such as fibromyalgia) as there is no actual contact with the patient’s body.

When I returned from the conference, I related my experience – raved, in fact – to the chief-of-staff. This set the wheels in motion to create a protocol resulting in the introduction of VAHT into the services of Hawkesbury General. This was necessary as, at the time, no hospital in North American offered VAHT to patients. And so, it began.

Phase Two – Part Two
Harp in the school – Convinced of the efficacy of Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy to affect positive benefits, I offered this healing modality to two area elementary schools to help with their work with students experiencing a variety of learning and behavioural issues. In one case, the school board Director of Education visited the school at which I am the music teacher and experienced VAHT for herself. She declared, “I wish we could have you at all of our schools”. Harp and VAHT further evolved into a programme I developed which the schools call ‘Tai Chi’. It mixes a modified form of Tai Chi along with ‘mindfulness’ and ‘harp meditation’. This is done school-wide once a week.

Phase Two – Part Three
Harp in the school extended – As my work in schools progressed, I became aware that one of the big difficulties for teachers and kids in classrooms is the ‘transition’ from the energy of the outdoor playground or gym class, to the needed calmness in the classroom.

Again, the harp entered the picture. I wrote a series of five 2-minute pieces featuring simple directions for breathing while listening to calming harp music written and recorded at 60 bpm. The recording, “The Two-Minute Mindfulness Bell” was put on CD and distributed to area elementary schools where it was broadcast one, two or three times a day throughout the school over the PA system. It was given for free and heard by 30,000 school children in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.

Phase Two – Part Three
Harp in the hospital – For a variety of legal and bureaucratic reasons, Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy was discontinued at Hawkesbury General Hospital.

For the past two years, I have played harp at Hawkesbury General Hospital three days a week in four units: * Complex Continuing Care, * Medical-Surgery, * Palliative Care and * Transition Care – a locked ward for patients no longer able to live on their own and awaiting transfer to a Long Term Care or retirement residence. Many patients suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s.

In each of these units, and for a variety of reasons, the harp is deeply felt and appreciated – as much by the medical staff as by the patients and their families. A new service is to play harp for MAID (Medical Assistance in Dying) procedures. This is done only by request and is of great solace to the patient receiving MAID and to their loved ones.

An average week in the life of my harp: looks like this
* three days a week at the hospital, * two days a week at school – teaching music to kids 4-12 years old (recorder, xylophone, ukulele, harp, djembe and singing) and using the harp one-to-one with kids 4-12 years old . The main issue being anxiety and lack of focus. The harp works wonders. On Saturdays, I play at long-term care residences with a drummer. Monday to Friday after school, I teach privately at home.

From time to time
I play at a number of events – weddings, funerals, special occasions, and solo concerts. My favourite performance opportunity is to play with my dear friend and Shakuhachi master, Debbie Danbrook. I do not know of two instruments with greater affinity than harp and Shakuhachi (Shakuhachi is an end-blown bamboo flute – beloved by Zen monks and Debbie). I am at my best when playing with this incredible instrument. I might mention my little side-trip into several years of studying Indian Sitar and Tabla. It blew my mind and made me look at scales and rhythm in a radically diaerent way.

And soon
I will embark on the hand-pan. If you don’t know what it is, look it up. It will be an incredible addition to my sonic adventures.

Before I go
I referred to my life as a hand-weaver. I have loved weaving since I was a teenager. At one point, I showed my work in solo and group exhibitions and sold my work across Canada. My approach to colour is the same as my approach to improvisation on the harp: Pick one colour/note …. and ask “What colour/note should go with that?”. And so on……. A cautionary tale: Colour is the main feature of my work. (I avoid complicated patterns and weaving techniques – way way too much work). I submitted my weaving in various competitions, placing First in most of them. One day, an adjudicator suggested I study Colour Theory, as espoused by Anni Albers of the Bauhaus movement. I did. I followed the rules for several months and became totally tied-up (literally) in knots … to the point where I could no longer weave. After a time in colour-PTSD therapy, I forgot about Anni and went about my usual approach to colour improvisation. The same thing happened with piano and harp ….. but that’s another story.

Favourite season
I love them all. My favourite month is November – it’s grayness and spareness is refreshing and enlivening.

Favourite colour
In Grade 4, I was totally in love with Turquoise – to the point where I remained behind as the class went out for recess and ate every single turquoise Crayola crayon available. When the kids returned, I threw-up the entire mess but defiantly defended my innocence. These days, I love the colour purple but avoid it on the menu.