Nicole E. Anderson
Certified Therapeutic Musician
Mental Health & Mindfulness Practitioner
Harp & Nature
"A feeling of comfort can be achieved if our rhythms
synchronized with those of the environment."
-Yoshifumi Miyazaki
​
In her therapeutic music studies, Nicole became fascinated with the notion of resonance frequencies: purposely playing specific notes to emit vibrations of a certain frequency for healing purposes. She read books that described playing music to mimic the vibrations of the Earth. A nature-lover since childhood, Nicole was personally aware of the immense benefits that outdoor time can have on the body. Seeing great potential in pairing the harp with nature, Nicole's next step after graduating was to dive into research on Nature Therapy, or the practice of nature exposure for mental health care. The scientific evidence is plenty, and Nicole noted just how many health benefits overlap with those of harp therapy:
​
✔Instilling feelings of well-being and relaxation
✔Aiding in sleep
✔Relieving stress
✔Enhancing the five senses
✔Increasing feelings of connection to others
✔Reducing blood pressure and heart rate
✔Helping the muscles to relax
Nicole's harp and nature venture
​
In 2019, Nicole took her harp into nature, blending the vibrational sounds of the harp with the surrounding environmental resonance. This was the first of 26 outings that became the Hiking Harpist project. Nicole took her harp on nature and hiking trails all across the East Coast, from Acadia National Park in northern Maine to the Everglades in southern Florida. She played soothing music for passersby and vlogged her experience on the (now archived) Hiking Harpist YouTube channel. She also visited farms to play for the animals.
​
Incredible boosts to wellbeing and calm were achieved on these hikes, and Nicole thanks everyone who supported the project, both on the trails and online.
Nicole's recommendations for learning about mindfulness in nature
Nicole is available to lead harp and nature excursions. Email her to learn more.
