Heartfelt Harmonies began by working to help reduce a child’s pre-op anxiety and support recovery by providing easy access to calming music and headphones.
“Why can somebody who doesn’t recognize anyone around them sit down at a piano and play beautifully or remember the words to songs and sing along? There is an emotional power, an underpinning of who we are as human beings, that exists in this realm of music.”
Renee Fleming
About the Original Mission
Based on founder’s Kiersten own heart disease diagnosis and experience across multiple hospitalizations, Heartfelt Harmonies donates therapeutic music kits to pediatric hospitals across the United States to help support recovery and reduce stress.
Science has proven, through multiple studies, that music not only eases the mental component of recovery but it can also improve a patient’s physical recovery. “In controlled clinical trials of people having colonoscopies, cardiac angiography, and knee surgery, those who listened to music before their procedure had reduced anxiety and a reduced need for sedatives. Those who listened to music in the operating room reported less discomfort during their procedure. Hearing music in the recovery room lowered the use of opioid painkillers.” (Harvard Health Publishing)
My mission is to use this science in real life to help children in hospitals everywhere. I provide easy access to music by donating sets of earbuds and a card with a Spotify code linking to a customized playlist of relaxing music. These items provide easy access to music that can aid recovery, calm nerves, and improve a patient’s well-being.
Studies have found that listening to music before surgery can reduce anxiety, and post-surgery may ease pain and the need for pain medication. Many hospitals recommend music as an additional clinical tool to augment the external rehabilitation process.
Help me by providing a donation that will support our mission and aid children in hospitals everywhere by supporting and aiding their journey to recovery.
View the cards included in the kits below!
Check out the calming playlist on Spotify!
Look at how I have fulfilled my mission by donating baggies to hospitals across the country!
“Music can change the world.”
— Ludwig van Beethoven
University of Vermont Children’s Hospital
1/2/2022 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped a contribution to University of Vermont Children’s Hospital. At the UVM Children’s Hospital first rate care is provided by approachable, caring, and knowledgeable physicians. UVM Children’s is a children’s hospital within an adult community hospital housing 22 pediatric beds. It also houses a Neonatal transition suite for babies who are working toward transitioning home from the NICU. We also have a handful of designated beds in our PICU. Thank you to Ms. Ashley M. for her help organizing this donation!
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital
2/1/2022 - UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco is consistently ranked among the nation's best children's hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. With hundreds of doctors from more than 50 medical specialties, their staff delivers expertise that covers virtually all pediatric conditions, including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders and traumatic injuries, as well as expertise in organ transplants and the care of critically ill newborns. They’re one of only a few hospitals in the nation equipped to treat rare and serious illnesses in children.
Nemour’s Children’s Hospital in Delaware
1/10/2022 - Nemour’s Children’s Hospital in Delaware has received a Heartfelt Harmonies contribution! Nemour’s is home to Delaware’s only pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center and is considered one of the safest hospitals in the country. The hospital focuses on family-centered care and is ranked as one of the best pediatric hospitals by US News. Thank you to Ms. Cerulli for helping to organize this donation!
Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children
12/23/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped it’s second contribution to Hawaii! I am so excited to say that 100 music therapy kits were received. A special thank you to a few members Teen Leadership Council of Ms. Evans at Morris Knolls for their help with packaging around 150 kits! I am so thankful for their help and was so honored to share my story with them!
Members of the Teen Leadership Council at Morris Knolls High School packaging HH kits!
Avera McKennan Children’s Hospital
5/10/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has send another donation! This one went to Avera Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD! With 110+ beds devoted solely to the care of infants, children and adolescents, Avera Children’s includes a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), pediatric intensive care unit, and the region and city’s only specialized child and adolescent units at the Avera Behavioral Health Center. Avera Children’s Hospital’s colorful, kid-friendly and family-centered environment helps patients and families! Thank you to Ms. Perkinson for her help with organising this donation!
Children’s Mercy
5/6/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped another contribution to Children's Mercy in Kansas! At Children’s Mercy, they believe love will create a healthier world for kids. Love inspires them to offer more leading specialties, to research game-changing innovations, and to provide only the most compassionate, comprehensive care. Children's Mercy is a leading independent children's health organization dedicated to holistic care, translational research, breakthrough innovation, and educating the next generation of caregivers. Thank you to Mr. Rosenboom for accepting this donation!
Montana Children’s Hospital
6/2/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped a contribution to Montana Children's Hospital! This hospital provides services that traditionally kids and families had to travel out of state to get. Montana Children’s isn’t just a health care facility, it is a place where children can feel at home, feel at ease, and feel cared for — in an environment made just for them. They aim to elevate and transform pediatric healthcare delivery for children and their families improving health and providing peace of mind. Thank you to Ms. Rickard!
Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital
5/7/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has contributed another shipment of healing H.H. kits! Primary Children's Hospital is a not-for-profit, free-standing children's hospital providing quality healthcare for children with complex illnesses and injuries from across the United States.For more than 95 years, they have been helping children, families, and communities across the western United States. Our simple philosophy of The Child First and Always, informs every decision they make, and how they care for patients and families. Thank you to Ms. Casey for helping to organize this donation!
Children’s Hospital New Orleans
5/4/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has completed a donation to Children's Hospital New Orleans! Children’s Hospital New Orleans is a 222-bed, not-for-profit pediatric medical center offering a complete range of healthcare services for children from birth to 21 years. With over 40 pediatric specialties and more than 400 physicians, Children's Hospital is the first and largest full-service hospital exclusively for children in Louisiana and the Gulf South. In 2019, Children's Hospital cared for children from all 64 parishes in Louisiana, 43 states, and nine countries! Their expert team provided more than 141,000 primary care visits, 106,000 specialty care visits, 52,250 ER visits, and performed 8,950 surgeries. Thank you to Ms. Bell for accepting this donation!
Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women & Children
5/5/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped it first donation out of the continental US! Kapiolani is Hawaii's only designated pediatric center. It boasts the only emergency room with specialists trained in pediatric emergency medicine, the only Adolescent Unit for the treatment of teens and the only intensive care unit to treat critically-ill children. Kapiolani is also home to Hawaii's first fully integrated minimally invasive surgical suites, which translate to less pain and a quicker recovery for our patients. In addition, Kapiolani Children's Specialty Center provides comprehensive care for children with complex medical conditions from developmental and behavioral difficulties to neurological and genetic disorders. Our multidisciplinary teams comprise physician specialists, nurses, therapists and other health providers that specialize in treating children. Thank you to Ms. Naula for her help with accepting this donation!
Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
4/30/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped a contribution to CHaD! As New Hampshire's only children's hospital, the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock (CHaD) provides an extended system of care that offers advanced pediatric services. CHaD is committed to providing compassionate care, family resources and advocacy for children and their families. Thank you to Ms. Marsh for helping to organize and accept this donation!
Children’s of Mississippi
5/3/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped it largest contribution yet to Children’s of Mississippi! Containing just under 100 kits! Children’s of Mississippi Hospital began in 1996 as Batson Children’s Hospital. It now includes two patient care towers and the state’s only pediatric ER. Over 150 pediatricians and pediatric specialists in more than 30 medical specialties work together to determine the best treatment for each child. Thank you to Mr. Mains for helping to coordinate this donation!
Riley Children’s Health
4/28/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped a contribution to Riley Children's Health! They are Indiana’s largest and pediatric system, with over 50 locations across the state. As one of the nation’s leading healthcare networks specifically for children, their multidisciplinary team of pediatric primary care and specialists can deliver and coordinate healthcare for every child. Riley Children's Health delivers something that can’t be found anywhere else in Indiana. They have the only pediatric research hospital in the state and are ranked among the top hospitals in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. Thank you to the Riley Cheer Guild for organizing and accepting this donation! Thank you to our donors whose generosity makes this possible!
Renown Children’s Hospital
4/29/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped its 10th contribution! Thank you to our donors who make this possible! Renown Health is Reno’s only locally-governed, not-for-profit healthcare network. As a not-for-profit healthcare network, all of their earnings are reinvested into programs, people and equipment to better serve our community. Their purpose is to serve the needs of our patients and our communities! Thank you to Ms. Best for helping to organise this donation!
Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital
4/26/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped another contribution! Mary Bridge Children's Hospital provides specialized pediatric care, equipment and facilities that aren't available in most communities. Their family-centered care philosophy is the cornerstone of all that they do and their entire network of clinics and programs provides services and accommodations for families in a child-friendly environment — a place where kids get better quicker. When kids need care, Mary Bridge is there! Thank you to Ms. League for coordinating this donation!
Norton Children’s Hospital
4/27/2021 - Norton Children's Hospital is our seventh donation! Thank you to Ms. Watkins for coordinating this donation! For more than a century, Norton Children’s Hospital and its predecessor hospitals have cared for the children of Kentucky and Southern Indiana without regard to their families’ ability to pay. Norton Children’s Hospital is Kentucky’s only full-service, free-standing pediatric care facility dedicated exclusively to caring for children and is an advocate for the health and well-being of all children. The 300-bed hospital serves as the primary pediatric teaching facility for the University of Louisville School of Medicine.
University of North Carolina Children’s Hospital
4/23/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped a contribution to UNC Children’s! They deliver world-class, family centered, care to over 120,000 children, from all 100 counties throughout North Carolina and beyond, each year. The hospital normally serves around 12,000 inpatients annually, their patients range in age from birth – 18 years old, and there are currently have 160 inpatient beds there. They also have a State-accredited school within the hospital, a pediatric emergency room (serving around 14,000 patients annually) and the Triangle’s only Level I pediatric trauma center. Thank you to Ms. Batts for accepting this donation!
Children’s National Hospital
4/22/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped it’s 5th donation! Children's National Hospital is ranked the number 1 pediatric hospital in the DC-MD-VA region and one of the top 10 pediatric hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Last year, we saw more than 219,000 children from the nation’s capital, Maryland and Virginia as well as from across the country and around the world. Thank you Volunteer Services at Children's National Hospital for coordinating the donation! Thank you to our donors too!
A picture of our most recent contributions before they were shipped!
Prisma Health Children’s Hospital
4/21/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has shipped it's fourth donation! Thank you to Ms. Kelly at Prisma Health Children's Hospital for helping to coordinate the donation! Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and the largest healthcare system in South Carolina, serving more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Their goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care. Their experienced doctors, representing more than 35 pediatric specialties, offer comprehensive whole-child care for patients and their families.Thank you to our donors who are helping so many children with their generosity!
Baystate Children’s Hospital
4/20/2021 - Thanks to all of our donors Heartfelt Harmonies has been able to ship it's third donation! Baystate Children's Hospital in Massachusetts will be receiving this donation! Baystate Children's Hospital (BCH), a 110-bed and 57-bassinette hospital located within Baystate Medical Center, is the only accredited full-service children’s hospital in western Massachusetts and provides primary and advanced medical care to babies, children, and adolescents and their families. Thank you to Ms. Hagerman who helped to organize this donation!
Nemours Children’s Specialty Care
4/19/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies has officially shipped it's second donation! We are working on many more and will be sending them soon! Nemours Children's Specialty Care in Jacksonville Florida will be distributing the kits to their Hematology/Oncology Outpatient division. In Jacksonville, Nemours works with Wolfson Children’s Hospital, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, UF Health/Shands Hospital and Mayo Clinic Florida to provide life-changing care for kids, newborns to age 18, with common and complex conditions. A special thanks to Ms. Craver!
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
2/21/2021 - Heartfelt Harmonies shipped its first donation to CHOP. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is the nation's first hospital devoted exclusively to the care of children. They focus on delivering safe, high-quality, family-centered care, the hospital has fostered medical discoveries and innovations that have improved pediatric healthcare and saved countless children’s lives. Today, families facing complex conditions come to CHOP from all over the world, and their compassionate care and innovation has repeatedly earned them a spot on the U.S. News & World Report's Honor Roll of the nation's best children's hospitals. I hope to donate more soon to help even more patients and families! A special thanks to Ms. Rodriguez!
Watch Heartfelt Harmonies package a donation!
Just the facts.
Surgery Patients Hear Benefits of Music Therapy Loud and Clear
By: CNN - Carina Storrs
Music can Help Recovery from Surgery
By: BBC
How Music can Help you Heal
By: Harvard Health - Beverly Merz