Senior Communities · Rehabilitation · Hospitals · New Jersey
Harp and piano for senior communities, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals across New Jersey. Lively group concerts in the activity room, and bedside visits for residents who can’t come out.
Who this is for
That’s a song from 1942, and most of your residents know it. Some of them danced to it.
Going room to room, what I notice is how much people are still carrying. The ones who used to be in the middle of everything. The ones whose families live too far away to visit as often as anyone would like. The ones who would love the company and don’t quite know how to ask for it.
Nobody needs fixing and nobody needs to perform. Mostly people need something to look forward to, and someone who is glad to be there.
That’s what the music is for.
The two services
A full concert on the pedal or folk harp — or at the piano, if you’d rather have a sing-along — built around music your residents actually grew up with. Sinatra, big band, Broadway, hymns, and standards from the 1930s through the 1960s. Not background music and not a sing-along nobody joins. Something with enough life in it to reach people who have stopped responding to quieter programming.
Residents sing along. Some who haven’t spoken all day.
For residents who are bed-bound, in isolation, in hospice care, or simply too frail to come out. A few minutes of live music at the bedside, one person at a time. No participation needed, nothing asked of them.
A few minutes that belong entirely to them.
Both in one visit
Most facilities book the concert and the room-to-room visits together. The concert reaches everyone who can come out. The bedside visits reach everyone who can’t.
Why this works
I’m a board-certified music therapist, licensed in New Jersey, and I’ve been a professional harpist since 2000. Most of that career has been spent in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, hospice care, and nursing homes.
That matters for a practical reason. I’m comfortable in a room where nobody claps. I know how to play for someone who can’t tell me they’re listening, and I know they usually are. I don’t need an audience to respond in order to do good work, and I’ve never once been thrown by a difficult room.
I also arrive early, set up on my own, need no power or equipment, and pack up without help. You don’t have to be there.
What I bring
What directors say
Patty is absolutely wonderful with the residents. For years, her music therapy sessions have been a highlight of the week for them. They love the music, and her dedication and gentle approach bring so much happiness to our facility. We are so incredibly grateful to have had Patty with us.
Patty Turse has been playing the Harp for our residents for many years. She is very talented and plays beautiful music during our residents during their physical therapy sessions. She has also played for our long term care residents. The residents have all told me how soothing and relaxing it is to hear her play. I highly recommend her for your facility. You will not be disappointed.
Patricia Turse has been a blessing to our residents. We’ve healed through her music with joy and gratitude. Her visits uplift our residents and encourage them not to give up. Her music heals the soul and touches many lives at Care Connection Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center.
From a fellow music therapist
Patty Turse’s harp playing is beautiful. We’ve been hiring her at Fellowship for many, many years to provide in-room visits with her traveling harp as well as living room concerts for groups of residents. The reviews are always wonderful, the music sounds gorgeous. Patty is a pro, very few people are qualified to do what she does. Highly recommend!
Programs
Sinatra, Ella, Gershwin, Porter. The songs they danced to.
Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and the music of the 1940s.
Rodgers and Hammerstein, classic film themes, songs everyone half-remembers.
Familiar hymns across traditions, appropriate for chapel services and interfaith settings.
Christmas and Hanukkah, spring, patriotic programs for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
The traditional harp repertoire, for gentler settings and bedside work.
Requests welcome. If a resident has a song, I’ll learn it.
Listen
Not every room wants a harp. Some afternoons call for something everybody can sing along to, and I’m just as happy at the piano or with a guitar.
The lively end — the songs residents tend to know, and the ones they sing along to.
The quieter end — what I play at a bedside, and in rooms that want the volume down.
How it works
Call or email with what you’re looking for. You’ll hear back the same day with availability and a clear rate. No proposals, no back and forth.
Group concert, room-to-room visits, or both in one visit. Tell me about your residents and I’ll build the program around them.
Residents singing along. Families noticing on visiting day. And one item on your calendar you never have to manage again.
Rates
| Service | Rate |
|---|---|
| Group Concert (45–60 min) | $150 |
| Room-to-Room Visits (per hour, 12–15 residents) | $125 |
| Concert + Room Visits (full afternoon) | $250 |
| Recurring monthly or quarterly | Reduced rate |
Travel included within 30 miles of Branchburg. Beyond that, quoted individually.
Questions
About six feet by six feet and a level surface for the pedal harp. The lap harp needs nothing at all. No power, no sound system, no help carrying anything.
Yes, and it’s some of the most rewarding work I do. Familiar music from the 1930s through the 1950s reaches people that conversation can’t. I’ve seen residents sing every word of a song they haven’t heard in decades.
Yes. That’s much of what the room-to-room visits are for. Nothing is asked of the resident, and family members are welcome to stay.
I’m board certified and licensed in New Jersey as a music therapist. For most facilities I’m booked and billed as entertainment or activity programming, which is usually the simplest arrangement. If your facility needs something different, let’s talk about it.
Yes, and most facilities do. Monthly or quarterly bookings get a reduced rate and let residents anticipate it, which is half the benefit.
Throughout central and northern New Jersey. Farther by arrangement.
Let’s find a date
You’ll hear back the same day with availability and a clear rate.
Serving senior communities, rehabilitation centers, and hospitals throughout New Jersey.