Kathleen Blackwell-Plank, MSW, CTM-CCM the founder of Heartsease Harp Music, is a player of the lever harp, therapeutic musician, violinist, artist, and prolific arranger of music for harp, voices, and other instruments. She is certified through the Harp for Healing Program and has over twenty-five years’ experience in the hospice setting. Her creative music arranging has grown out of the need for simple, beautiful harp music for use in therapeutic and liturgical settings. However, her versatile arrangements offer pure enjoyment in any setting.

 She has a fascination with world music from a variety of cultures, countries, and time periods. Many pieces are grounded in traditional Western tonality, but others make use of modes, Middle Eastern scales, and pentatonic scales. Her arrangements highlight the beauty of the harp's tonal colors while remaining true to the style of various musical cultures. Through in-depth research she brings to light some less commonly heard folk tunes. Thumbnail sketches illuminate historical factors and enrich the musician's understanding of the pieces.

Kathleen's recent works have been deeply influenced by her love of nature, gardening, birds and pollinators.  She is committed to stewardship of the environment and her creative imagination is inspired by nature.

Blackwell-Plank’s downloadable digital sheet music includes thirty-five publications of 92 folk tunes from around the world and three original compositions. Publications are available through:

 Melody’s Traditional Music

 https://folkharp.com/?s=Kathleen+Blackwell-Plank&post_type=product&type_aws=true,

Sylvia Woods Harp Center

https://www.harpcenter.com/category/harp-music-books-kathleen-blackwell-plank and

Harp Column

 https://harpcolumn.com/music/all-music/categories/artists/kathleen-blackwell-plank/. 

 Each piece is beautifully arranged for late beginner/intermediate pedal or lever harp. Example video recordings of the harp arrangements are provided utilizing Blackwell-Plank’s nature photography and art at https://www.heartseasevisualart.com/ or at www.YouTube@KathleenBlackwell-Plank.

Gretchen Monson, host of the Melody Makers Podcast series, brings you episode seven for 2025. Kathleen Blackwell-Plank’s work blends the artistry of a symphony violinist with the empathy of a hospice social worker and the skill of an award-winning therapeutic musician—creating a distinctive voice in harp music.  Enjoy! 

Song of the Wren is a multi-media exhibition project presenting a unified body of work creating connections with nature through music, watercolor paintings and video recordings and will cultivate new exhibition venues and audiences.

This new collection of downloadable sheet music is unique in that it includes illustrations with a few of my watercolor art works.  The music in the video recordings is coupled with my Wren Series watercolor paintings for which I have received an Artist Support Grant from the Arts and Science Council, a supporting organization of the Foundation for the Carolinas.  

Listen to recordings of the four movements below.

This new collection of downloadable sheet music is unique in that it includes illustrations with a few of my watercolor art works.  Kathleen Blackwell-Plank has arranged this lively dance tune from Ireland for lever or pedal harp.  It is the first movement of  Song of the Wren: A Celtic Suite.  It uses the special harp technique of prés de la table in marked passages.  Plucking the string near the sound board changes to sonority of the harp creating interest.  In this video her music is coupled with her watercolor paintings. 

Kathleen Blackwell-Plank collected the traditional Breton folk tune, The Wren.  The An Dro is a circle or line dance in 4/4 meter.  This arrangement in E minor is the second movement of Blackwell-Plank's collection "Song of the Wren: A Celtic Suite." The feisty little bird, the wren is featured in folk songs from across the Celtic traditions. The suite includes songs from Brittany, Ireland and the Shetland Isles of Scotland.  In this video, the music is accompanied by Blackwell-Plank's watercolor paintings of wrens. 

This lovely Shetland lullaby arranged by Kathleen Blackwell-Plank is unusual because of its 4/4 meter. Many lullabies are in triple meter to suggest rocking or lulling a child to sleep.  This lullaby uses repeated melodic patterns and alternating between the A minor and F chords to create a rocking feeling.  In this video the music is combined with Kathleen's watercolor paintings depicting both male and female wrens raising broods.  The male may build up to three nests and the female chooses the one she thinks is best.  Wren's are primarily insectivores and it may require thousands of caterpillars, spiders, and worms to raise a brood.  Young fledglings are vulnerable when they leave the nest, spending the first days hiding on the ground and building the strength of their wings. Parents continue to shepherd the fledglings, continuing to feed then and then call to follow as their flight skills increase. .  

The final movement of Kathleen Blackwell-Plank's Song of the Wren: A Celtic Suite is Wren's Escape an Irish polka in G major.  The introduction uses the sons xylo technique  where indicated and marked by the dotted lines.  The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers of the left hand are placed against the base of the G, F#, and E strings where they emerge from the soundboard.  The right hand then plucks the notes in the middle of the string.  The left hand remains in place throughout the passage.  Due to the lively melody, the left hand uses simple, long chords.