Playing from the Heart
I loved playing piano as a child, and later discovered an intuitive gift for composing music, when a friend went to live in the wild on the Malvern Hills, and lent me his digital piano. This turned out to be a life-changing gift! I found myself playing my own melodies, naturally.
In 2020, I was invited by pianist and sound producer Tim Ellerbe from Detroit, USA, to offer my music on Insight Timer meditation app and become an Insight Timer teacher. I have composed and released over 50 tracks on there, including piano, harp and ambient music, and also guided meditations.
Here is the link to my Insight Timer profile; you can listen on the website or download the app for free: Clare Roslington on Insight Timer Meditation App
My single In the Flow is a relaxing harp piece inspired by the sea.
Here is the link to listen, on all streaming platforms:
https://songwhip.com/clareroslington/in-the-flow
Harp Therapy
When I was given a Christina Triplett therapy harp, I was deeply touched by the absolute beauty of the vibrational tones and the sensation of playing. It brings me pure joy to play in nature, in the forest and fields, or by the sea. I am passionate about sound healing and the therapeutic effect of relaxing, peaceful music. I have five Celtic harps that are suitable for different settings.
I play Celtic harp regularly in retirement and care homes and also for the West Wight Timebank Dementia Group.
This is my soothing harp rendition of Gymnopedié No.1 by Erik Satie:
I trained in harp therapy with therapeutic harpist Tami Briggs (who has played in hospices and hospitals for many years in USA, founded the Healing Harps group, and contributes to the global peace community in many ways). In her book Grace Notes, she wrote this definition of harp therapy: “the use of live harp music by a certified harp therapy practitioner to effect positive changes in emotional, physical, mental and/or spiritual functioning of individuals with health problems.”
I was drawn to the training as I wished to have deeper awareness of the healing power of the harp to be able to help others relax and experience peace, solace and comfort. I discovered how the vibrational energy of the harp calms the nervous system, alleviates some physical symptoms, as well as soothing the mind and spirit. Harp therapy involves the practice of inclusive attention, observing and responding musically to the client’s individual needs in the moment, and entrainment, whereby the harpist subtly shifts elements of the music in order to bring the patient along with the music into a more desired state: whether that be a change of mood or a physical change such as slowing breathing patterns.
To contact me about playing harp for an event, at a care home, or for a private Harp Therapy session (in person on the Isle of Wight or online via video call), please call on 07711948176
Email: clareroslington@icloud.com
A Wedding Harpist
In April 2023 I played harp for my friends Marian and Jeff at their lovely marriage ceremony, during the signing of the register.
I played harp twice on my own wedding day! It was a beautiful, heartwarming occasion in early September 2022. I played at our reception in my parents’ gorgeous garden, and that evening, played at the concert my dear friend and singer Deborah Rose had organised a few months before, not yet knowing it was our wedding day! She was our bridesmaid and sang at the ceremony in Freshwater Methodist Church. I played my own original harp music at the concert in St Agnes Church, Freshwater Bay. A local singer, Beth Brookfield, also performed with Deborah Rose, as well as her own songs.
I recorded a harp piece just after our wedding day. It’s called A Celebration of Love.
You can listen to this harpsong here:
In June 2022, I co-created with lovely souls from Pure Source Creations, playing therapy harp at The Enchanted Manor in Niton, Isle of Wight.
In the Healing Fields
In the healing fields I play for you. In the healing fields I pray for you. As these harp melodies float softly like a cloud around you, bathing you in sound, light and beauty, I glance up. Through the waves of gentle music, I gaze at the tenderness shining through you. I see your secret tears, your deepest longing and sadness that lie beneath the holding-it-all-together surface. I feel your sensitive, caring nature. I sense your joy, your playfulness, your deep compassion. I see the pure beauty of your loving heart.
In this eternal moment, I know the silent song of your soul, the pure love that you truly are.
(Written by Clare Roslington after playing harp at a wake in Yarmouth, July 2022)
This is Spanish Reverie, an evocative piece with a Spanish air that I composed after discovering this new sound in a different key, whilst jamming with my dad John Roslington on guitar. (His Youtube channel is called seefarers) He is a wonderful guitarist, and always inspires me with his vast, eclectic experience of music. We always explored many genres when I was young, and now enjoy going to hear the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra regularly.
A poem I wrote at a peaceful gård we stayed at during our journey to Sweden this summer by train:
Paradise Moments in Sweden
A pair of blue swallows dance,
Swooping low over the ground in the morning light
The haunting cry of a great buzzard echoes through the vast, encircling forest,
And across the sloping clover meadow
Stillness awakes
Smiling, gentle stillness
A soft wind begins to rustle through leaves
Of cherry, apple and pear trees
Peace arises in my grateful heart
As I lean against this sturdy tree, older than me
In this sweet Swedish paradise
In the Swedish Forest
I played this harp improv in the forest next to the family home in Sweden. I was delighted to see a red squirrel climb a silver birch, and notice the beauty of this magical place, surrounded by ancient rocks, tall trees and blueberry bushes on a quiet morning.
The following year, I played my Derwent Adventurer harp by the stream near the lake in Sweden. This improvisation emerged from these serene moments, called Flowing Waters:
In this video I play Peace Prayer on a Native American flute. On my Insight Timer profile, there are several longer flute pieces, also with the sound of sea waves, and birdsong.
A Prayer For the New Dawn is an evocative prayer I wrote. A Cocoon of Peace is now one of my most well loved ambient pieces on Insight Timer, which accompanies my voice in this meditation.
Collaborations
I collaborated with pianist and sound producer Tim Ellerbe from Detroit, USA, soon after he welcomed me into the Insight Timer community as a teacher. We did three collaborations with my poetry and his piano music. This is Melodies of Light:
My friend, brilliant artist and classical dance teacher Kate Wrigglesworth records beautiful dance improvisations regularly for a French dance company called ‘Les Impromptues.’ We have made six dance and music videos, with my harp and ambient music; you can find them on my Youtube channel as well as on Les Impromptues.
This is her dancing in the forest to my harp piece, By the Brook.
This co-creation with Kate shows her dance in a wintry forest, moving in tune to my harp piece Angel Garden, with extra sparkles! This is a very popular collaboration of ours on Les Impromptues page.
After reading one of her profound books, Canadian Insight Timer meditation teacher and spiritual author Judith Campbell and I co-created a meditation called Healing Comfort for Grief and Loss, her guiding words with my moving ambient piano and string piece Journey of Surrender.
You can listen to this soothing meditation journey here, on Judith’s Insight Timer profile:
Healing Comfort For Grief & Loss
The following video is a guided poetry meditation co-created with pianist Ragnhild Maria Mao, with my poetry and nature photography. The audio version is also published on Ragnhild’s Insight Timer profile. I read my poem Breathe In Love, accompanied by her gifted, serene intuitive piano playing. We met through Insight Timer as she is also a published musician on the app, and we met up in her home town Gnesta, Sweden, whilst I was visiting family. We enjoyed my travel harp and serenity together at her favourite nature spot by a stream. Later, back at home, we collaborated on this meditation:
Stream of Light is a magical piece that I composed on piano, whilst swaying Aqua koshi chimes with the other hand. It is published on Insight Timer App. Click here to play the song. This piece is my most popular composition. I played this intuitively after a peaceful healing session I gave.
May you find serenity and joy through music and prayer.
