Oli Braithwaite of Stars & Catz on the Power of Music

Oli Braithwaite, founder Stars & Catz

If you ever need scientific ammunition to lend support to your conviction that music has power to improve peoples' lives, look no further. Oli Braithwaite, founder of Stars & Catz, has assembled more than 200 research papers on the power of music to bring hope and healing. Listening to music and learning to play an instrument have many other benefits. Music improves our mood, improves our memory, reduces anxiety, distracts us from pain, lowers blood pressure, and much, much more. 

Earlier this month Oli Braithwaite, after stumbling upon my interview with Henry Wiens about the power of music to heal and give hope, reached out to ask if I might put a link from that page to his web page featuring the aforementioned research papers. When I saw the page I wanted to do more than a link. An interview with Braithwaite seemed in order. 

Stars & Catz is much more than a repository for music research. In fact, that's just a side alley. Connecting students and teachers is a bigger part of his vision. When all has been boiled down to its essence, the message is clear. Music ought to be part of all our lives, for the sake of our mental, physical and spiritual health.

EN: You are something of an evangelist for the power of music. How did this come about for you?

Oli Braithwaite: As a musician, music teacher and then the author of the articles on Stars & Catz, I have always found music to be a powerful and essential part of life and an end in itself. But what came to my attention as I researched and wrote on ever widening music topics is that the scientific community is publishing a steady stream of studies supporting various benefits of music beyond the experience of the art itself, and that these benefits are significant.

Since I’m also interested in the mind and the human condition in general, I was naturally curious about these additional benefits. When I tried to find a single, central place that summarized and categorized all (or at least many) of the most important music related studies, it became clear that no such page existed on the internet. I knew the value that such a page would have for the wider music education community, teachers and students, so I undertook to put it together and publish it on Stars & Catz. That’s how our page on the benefits of music and music education, with over 200 studies, came into being.

EN: When did you begin Stars & Catz, and what is the story behind the name?

OB: The name is a bit weird, right? We wanted something a bit different because there are so many generic names around. How it came about was that we originally started in 2010 with only two instruments, guitar and piano. So students had the opportunity to become a ‘guitar star’ or a jazzy ‘piano cat’, hence Stars & Catz. When we expanded beyond those two instruments, we decided that being a star or a jazzy cat still applied, so we kept it.

EN: How does Stars & Catz fulfill its mission to help people realize their music dreams?

OB: We achieve this with three core pillars:

1. A free suite of music tools including, for example, this online metronome

2. Our learning hub articles, mostly catering for beginners in various instruments and singing

3. A teacher matching service to find either a local or online music teacher

EN: What prompted you to begin assembling all these research reports on the impact of music?

OB: As mentioned above, I realized that a comprehensive collection was missing from the web and knew how valuable it would be for music teachers, students and just anyone writing about the benefits of music. I also knew we’d be able to do justice to it, so we rolled up our sleeves and set aside the time (many weeks) needed to do the job properly. We also intend to update the page annually, if there’s enough interest in it.

EN: The list of benefits from music is impressive. What are the most surprising to people?

OB: Great question. The general reaction to the page as a whole is ‘wow’ and then people tend to

comment on the sheer weight of evidence and the wide range of benefits derived from listening or playing music. Most people, aside from music teachers, simply aren’t aware of the power of music on the human mind and body. I don’t tend to get specific feedback on which benefit was most surprising though. For me, it was definitely music’s ability to boost the immune system that was most surprising.

EN: Anything else you would like to add?

OB: If anything is clear from the body of scientific work on the benefits of music, it’s that it really doesn’t matter what age you are, learning a musical instrument or singing is a wonderful and potentially very beneficial thing to undertake on many levels.

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Key Links

About Stars & Catz

The Benefits of Music & Music Education (200+ Studies)
242 Music Quotes to Share & Inspire

Quiet Heart Comfort  

Armory Arts & Music Center

Copyright 2021 Stars & Catz PTY LTD 

Henry Wiens Talks About the Power of Music as an Agent of Healing and Hope

I've always liked good titles, whether of films, music, art or poems. One of my favorite book titles is Jacques Ellul's Hope in Time of Abandonment. Ellul argues that hope is one of the great needs of our time.

That kernel of thought was the first thing that came to mind when I heard about an event that Yamaha recording artist Henry Wiens was going to be part of titled Restoring Hope: Community Healing Service. In 2003 the career pianist consciously began directing his music toward people suffering from grief, stress or chronic pain. He had learned the power of music to comfort and heal.

EN: You said you and a trombone player were doing a special program or service for someone who died as a result of gun violence. Can you share a little about the event and how it came about? 

Henry Wiens: Several churches are coming together for a Community Healing Service to support victims of trauma. Folks will have an opportunity to express their grief in a worship setting and to experience healing through music and words spoken. There will be activities for adults and kids. Refreshments and resources will be available after the service.

An African-American woman in our community experienced trauma when her teen-age son was shot and injured to the point of permanent disability. She started a non-profit organization and asked if our church would host an event involving several other African-American churches on the north side of Pittsburgh.

Our pastor took a lead role and I volunteered to organize music for the event. Part of this has involved my composing a "blues lament" for piano, trombone and percussion based on 2 spirituals. A photographer friend is creating a slide show based on the recording I provided. So this "lament" will also have a visual dimension.

The service will continue with the presentation of ashes, similar to Ash Wednesday, and a candle-lighting time of remembrance for victims of urban violence. Readings, scripture and communion will follow.

EN: When and how did you first realize the power of music as an agent of healing?

HW: I think our mutual friend (Dr.) Dwenda Gjerdingden was one of the first people to bring this to my attention at Bethel Temple. She told me after a church service that a solo I played had a powerful, emotionally healing effect.

The Quiet Heart Story video includes several stories that heightened my awareness, leading to the formation of Quiet Heart Music.

EN: What is the mission of Quiet Heart Music?

HW: To honor the memory of loved ones' lives with personalized gifts of music and to comfort family members. When given by nursing homes, these gifts also provide a lasting reminder of the faithful, loving care provided by their staff and volunteers. But no matter who does the giving - individuals, churches, businesses, etc. - music is uniquely capable of expressing the transcendent beauty of a human life. Personalized CDs exist to honor the completion of life's journey. Many choose the following message for the accompanying card: "Loved ones' lives are like a song, every note rare and precious. We feel blest to have heard the music and shared in their life."

EN: Can you tell us about your new website and what you are trying to achieve?

HW: Although I was very pleased with the lovely graphics on my old site, it looked cluttered on a mobile device. In the process of de-cluttering the site, it became simple, clean and more user friendly on all platforms. My hope is that a broad spectrum of people will discover this meaningful, inexpensive alternative to sending flowers to their friends, co-workers and employees who have lost loved ones. I know this will happen if people visit the site, listen to the music and read testimonials like this: "I was so pleased to find your web site that enabled me to give something meaningful. Flowers are beautiful, but last only days. Music lives on like the spirit & gives peace to the soul."

EN: There are quite a few advocates for music therapy. Do you have connections with any of these people?

HW: The "Music and Memory Program" has probably gotten the most attention and it’s well deserved. Their moving documentary “Alive Inside” has had a huge impact on the long term care community. But no, I'm not personally connected in any way.

EN: Have you followed the research in this area in recent years? It seems that science is verifying what you have known intuitively all along. What are the biggest things you have heard or learned these past five years?

HW: Regarding research, the music itself is central & essential to this program's impact. Many thousands of gift recipients have listened to these CDs and have been comforted and encouraged during a difficult time in their lives. Current research supports the extensive anecdotal feedback I have received since 2003. Consider this excerpt from"Treatment of bereavement through music therapy":

"Both qualitative and quantitative studies have been completed and both have provided evidence to support music therapy in the use of bereavement treatment. One study that evaluated a number of treatment approaches found that only music therapy had significant positive outcomes where the others showed little improvement in participants." --Rosner, Kruse & Hagl, 2010

EN: Has the decline in popularity of CDs affected the relevance of your program?

HW: Although that decline is undeniable, they’re still selling well over a hundred million per year. “CDs are far from dead, and I don’t believe they will be any time soon,” said Zack Zarrillo of Synergy Artist MGMT and Bad Timing Records. Mainstream CD buyers LIKE the familiarity of the CD and value physical ownership.

 That said, I’m also attempting to bridge the generational digital divide.

Free Download Cards are included with each CD so that gift recipients to share a digital copy of their gift of music with other friends and loved ones. Many recipients, regardless of age, have younger relatives who will appreciate this feature, so it's a way to multiply the effect of your gift of music. The iTunes value of each CD download is $9.95.

My music is also available via iTunes, Amazon, Apple Music, Spotify, etc. It’s exciting to see detailed sales reports each month that reflect listeners from around the globe.

Spotify or Apple Music: You can use apps to stream my music in your facility for the benefit of residents receiving palliative care or to calm others who are agitated. You can also download MP3s on Amazon or iTunes.

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For more, visit and bookmark the Quiet Heart Music website.

RELATED LINKS
200+ Studies on the Benefits of Music and Music Education

A 2013 Interview with Henry Wiens
The Power of Music to Reduce Stress
The Comforting Power of Music
Why Are CDs Still A Thing

An Interview with Henry Wiens of Quiet Heart Music

After years of receiving letters and calls from grateful listeners, Yamaha recording artist Henry Wiens recognized the significant healing power of his music and began to distribute his CDs to nursing homes, hospices and hospitals across the nation. This year Quiet Heart Music completed its tenth year of operation as a small business.

EN: Rank for me the sales of your seven CDs for the most recent year.

Henry Wiens:
A) Quiet Classics
B) Wind Beneath My Wings
C) Eagles Wings
D) Quiet Heart
E) Quiet Valor and Precious Memories about equal
F) Silent Night - last for obvious reasons.

EN: What is it that makes Quiet Classics so popular?

HW: I think Quiet Classics has enduring, strong appeal because of the strength of the melodies written by master composers. These great songs inspired me to write some especially creative arrangements. I viewed the music through a meditative lens that enabled me to simplify the themes that were most peaceful and calming. The result was music that is easily accessible to everyone, regardless of their previous knowledge of classical music.

EN: You studied music theory and composition at the University of Minnesota with internationally acclaimed composers, Dr. Paul Fetler and Dr. Dominick Argento, winner of the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Music. What were some of the lessons you took away from having studied with these masters?

HW: Dr. Fetler taught me the principles of counterpoint as exemplified in the work of J.S. Bach. He showed us how every single note was deliberately placed and chosen by the master composer. I learned that excellent music is crafted with extreme care. Of course all the care in the world is no substitute for the genius that provides the raw material - the substance. I was privileged to experience awe in his classroom upon hearing music he had just exposited.

I studied orchestration and advanced theory with Dr. Argento. He "red-lined" my fledgling compositions and was quick to point out anything he considered to be excessive or florid. He was also a stickler for specifics. For example, he required that we remember the diameters of the various timpani found in an orchestra. But when it comes to composing and arranging, the guiding principle I learned from him was that "less is more".

EN: You undoubtedly had many people tell you how moved they were by your music over the years. What prompted you to start Quiet Heart Music?

HW: The idea of QHM formed in my mind because of multiple circumstances that were woven together over several years. First, I experienced the loss of my father from Alzheimers and my closest friend from cancer at the age of 45 soon afterwards. During this time, I had recorded "The Quiet Heart" CD for an independent record label called ColorSong, based in St. Paul, MN. As ColorSong marketed this CD nationally in the '90s, I received an astonishing number of letters from strangers who wanted to thank me for helping them through a time of grief and/or chronic pain. As this feedback accumulated and as I dealt with my own grief, I began to understand the deep healing power of music. I also became increasingly motivated to create and record more music that would help hurting people. That led to the next question: "How can I get this music into their hands?" This meant I needed to become an entrepreneur.

EN: Being an entrepreneur is something very different from being a musician. Did you get some guidance along the way or has it been “learn as you go?”

HW: Learning to be an entrepreneur has been a trial and error process. I've often joked about writing a book about what NOT to do. I've also learned by exhibiting at many conferences and questioning the attendees and other vendors. There have also been some experienced leaders (in long term care) who have helped me network within and beyond their own organizations. Special thanks in that regard to Allan Swartz, "The Connector Guy". I have called him with questions on many occasions and he is always extremely helpful!

EN: All the testimonials you receive must be gratifying. Are there one or two that especially touched you?

HW: I've gotten some very moving and rewarding feedback over the years. One mother who lost 3 teenage daughters to a car accident on the eve of her son's wedding (on icy roads near Willmar, MN) sent me a thank you note about 6 months later, saying that she and her husband listened to "The Quiet Heart" every night to help them go to sleep. Another mother wrote me years after her son committed suicide, saying that she still listened to my music daily and found comfort.

Last, I am amazed at feedback from people who talk about my music's enduring quality. This almost sounds like a left-handed compliment, but they often say something like "no matter how many times I listen to your CDs, I never get SICK of them". I'd like to believe that this relates to both the non-trivial substance and craftsmanship of the arrangements. As I previously noted, a guiding principle in my playing is that "less is more." Every note should have a reason for being what it is, where it is, and how it's played. Truly "music speaks a language that is deep, touching us in places words can never reach".

Quiet Heart Music now offers a free “Download Card” when a gift card is purchased with a CD. The cards were created for people purchasing personalized (usually "Memorial") CDs with sympathy cards, though other kinds of messaging is available. The Download Card can then be given to any family member or friend who uses the internet to download music. By following the instructions printed on the back of the card one can obtain a free digital copy of the same CD. The card is an easy way to share this gift of music.

Quiet Heart Music Celebrates Ten Years In Business

Yesterday on the radio I heard an interview with someone who made music for people with Alzheimers or in their declining years. The interviewee made some interesting statements about the healing power of music, but his approach was different from what I usually read in one particular way. He said that he was in the business of creating music that had no attachments to memories of earlier years. That is, it was all original with no connection to memories, though still designed to comfort.

Because of my longtime friendship with Yamaha Recording Artist Henry Wiens, I wasn’t sure how to take this. In  my 2007 interview with Henry I asked why music has such power to reach so deeply into peoples’ hearts. He replied:

Music is like beauty for the ears and mind. The answer to why people are moved by beauty is rooted in what it means to be human. For me, creating and listening to music is linked to expressing love for everything that is beautiful about life. As a listener, I respond to what I "read between the lines"; as a composer-performer, I try to express that love & beauty to others. Any power that music may have to touch others is rooted in the authenticity and depth of the artist's expression.

As people experience music throughout their lives, they build up associations with that music which reinforce each other. Hearing a familiar melody will bring past experiences to life. For example, hearing a song that you danced to when you were 18 and in love will probably elicit some of those good feelings even decades later. Hearing a song that was sung in church while you were held on your mother's lap may bring comfort the rest of your life.

Joan Baez

It may be that the person I heard on the radio is right in some instances, but I’m going to imagine that when we Baby Boomers are in nursing homes or hospice care we’re more likely to be transported to fond memories and beautiful landscapes when we hear "Bridge Over Troubled Water" or "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" than when we hear something unfamiliar. Maybe I’m wrong but I’m guessing that three decades from now our souls will continue to resonate with Bach, the Beatles and "Wind Beneath My Wings."

Ten years ago Henry started a business called Quiet Heart Music based on the widespread response to his CDs as a source of comfort. His primary customers were nursing homes, hospice and funeral homes that purchased personalized CDs, but he’s not averse to individuals purchasing his music. This week he gave his website a facelift and if you’re in need of comfort or a quiet background as you write or draw, I can attest that Henry’s music offers a soothing accompaniment to nearly any activity.

There 's another feature of this kind of "comfort music" that's worth noting. According to many sources the music is not only like a soul-balm for the dying or grieving, but for the caregiver as well. Sherri Snelling's post in this Alheimer's Association blog is titled Music as Therapy: A Five-Note Plan For Caregiver Calm. Snelling explains, "Music as therapy is not just for your loved one. We know caregivers encounter increased stress over caring for a loved one — in fact caregivers who reported their health was impacted by caring for a loved one cite stress as their No. 1 challenge." She goes on to note that our reaction to music is actually physiological in that listening to music releases the hormone melatonin which reduces aggression and depression and can help us sleep.

No wonder we feel so good when we're listening to the music. Let's dance!

Centerville All Stars

Healing the Hurting Through Music

Music has long been understood to have power to comfort distress, to deliver us from the solitude of our sufferings. In the Old Testament, David the shepherd boy was brought before King Saul to play the harp, thereby relieving the king from his depression. Three thousand years later, we have CD players and radios. In whatever form it is delivered, the simple beauty of music is a therapeutic wonder.

To the hurting soul every bitter moment is an eternity. As the music unfolds, we are comforted.

Who can understand it, this miracle that music brings? For many at life’s end, whether ill or simply bed-ridden, time slows to a crawl. In fact, with little to look forward to, there really is nothing but time. The hours stand still, especially when magnified by pain. Time is impossibly slow for those who hurt or grieve.

One musician who understands music’s power is Henry Wiens, a Midwest pianist, Yamaha recording artist and founder of Quiet Heart Music. After years of receiving letters and calls from grateful listeners coping with grief, chronic pain, and stress, Wiens recognized that his music had significant healing potential and began to distribute his CDs to nursing homes, hospices and hospitals across the nation.

My wife and I first met Henry and his wife Lisa when we all lived in the Twin Cities back in the early eighties. Both are sensitive, thoughtful people with good hearts.

Earlier this year I asked Henry why music has such power. He replied as follows:

Music is like beauty for the ears and mind. The answer to why people are moved by beauty is rooted in what it means to be human. For me, creating and listening to music is linked to expressing love for everything that is beautiful about life. As a listener, I respond to what I "read between the lines"; as a composer-performer, I try to express that love & beauty to others. Any power that music may have to touch others is rooted in the authenticity and depth of the artist's expression.

As people experience music throughout their lives, they build up associations with that music which reinforce each other. Hearing a familiar melody will bring past experiences to life. For example, hearing a song that you danced to when you were 18 and in love will probably elicit some of those good feelings even decades later. Hearing a song that was sung in church while you were held on your mother's lap may bring comfort the rest of your life.

This summer, Quiet Heart Music was featured The Director magazine, a publication for NADONA, the National Association Directors Of Nursing Administration. You can read The Power of Music to Comfort and Heal here.

Beauty for the Ears and Mind

Henry Wiens, a Midwest pianist, recording artist and founder of Quiet Heart Music, is not “just another piano player.” After years of receiving letters and calls from grateful listeners coping with grief, chronic pain, and stress, Henry recognized that his music had significant healing potential and began to distribute his CDs to nursing homes, hospices and hospitals across the nation. For more information about Quiet Heart Music, visit http://www.quietheartmusic.com/

An interview with Yamaha recording artist Henry Wiens.

Ennyman: Why does music have such power to reach so deeply into peoples' hearts?
Henry: Music is like beauty for the ears and mind. The answer to why people are moved by beauty is rooted in what it means to be human. For me, creating and listening to music is linked to expressing love for everything that is beautiful about life. As a listener, I respond to what I "read between the lines"; as a composer-performer, I try to express that love & beauty to others. Any power that music may have to touch others is rooted in the authenticity and depth of the artist's expression.

As people experience music throughout their lives, they build up associations with that music which reinforce each other. Hearing a familiar melody will bring past experiences to life. For example, hearing a song that you danced to when you were 18 and in love will probably elicit some of those good feelings even decades later. Hearing a song that was sung in church while you were held on your mother's lap may bring comfort the rest of your life.

Ennyman: When did you first realize that your music had power to alleviate suffering and/or bring healing to hurting people?
Henry: My parents took me to sing at the local nursing home with others from our little country church, from the time I was about 9 years old. I saw elderly people who couldn't even speak trying to sing along with songs from their childhood. I saw that their souls were stirred, their faith strengthened and their joys rekindled. Starting around the age of 12, I began playing a pump organ at the "home" with this group led by my preacher father.

In the middle & late 90's, I got an amazing number of letters from people around the U.S. who had purchased my 1st CD, "The Quiet Heart", which was then distributed by a now-defunct record label called ColorSong, based in St. Paul. Some of them told how their loved one's passing was eased by my music. Some hospices called me for additional copies for their patient rooms. Most often, though, the letters told about listening to this CD over a period of months or even years after a bereavement. They wanted to thank me for the gift of music that had helped them through their darkest days, weeks, and months. The # of these letters reached critical mass around 1998, and led me to focus on music that heals. These letters also resonated with my own grief, having lost my father in 1994 and my closest friend in 1997.

Ennyman: Are there things you do consciously to make your music more effective in bringing comfort?
Henry: I try to choose songs that are already meaningful to people. I could compose original solo piano music in a soothing style, and I may do that someday. But because this music is wordless, I want to harness the meaning and significance these songs already have in the listener's life.

As I have written elsewhere, I consciously try to create a space to experience the feelings of loss. I do this by playing in a way that is deliberately unhurried. I believe this slower paced music helps to facilitate a deeper, reflective state of mind where memories of a loved can be savored. Some may think that the grieving should listen to music that is happy and distracting. There may be a time and a place for that, but I think there is generally too much hurry and distraction, and not enough opportunity to experience the memories that eventually bring healing.

Ennyman: How did you first become interested in music? What inspired you to take up a career in music?
Henry: I grew up in a home where my mother and older sister played the piano at home and in church. Our family would sing hymns around the piano. When I was 11, my mother said I should take piano lessons. I was reluctant to start, but enjoyed it almost immediately. I had a flair for improvisation, so much that my piano teacher told me -- after about a year of lessons -- that I would be a jazz pianist someday. Since my dad was the preacher and my mother was the choir director, I became the official pianist of our little church in 7th grade -- the 1st of many unpaid positions!! The simple hymns and gospel songs we sang week after week became fertile soil for improvisation. I had countless opportunities to play the same songs different ways, which was a lot of fun, compared with playing those boring notes on the page.

When I was 12, I heard a southern gospel group from Tampa, Florida, called the Rebels Quartet. Their pianist, "Little Jimmy Taylor" really fired my imagination with his playing. I made a point of meeting him after the concert -- a very rare event in our isolated Upper Michigan community. I told him I wanted to play just like him when I grew up.

When I was 15, I won 2nd prize in a local talent contest and got to shake hands with Miss Teen America and a couple of Green Bay Packers. Guess which impressed me more? Anyway, that kind of positive reinforcement motivated me to practice that much more.

While in my early 20s, I was very involved as an accompanist at a church in my college town. One night after choir practice the pastor's wife asked me "Have you ever thought of playing piano with performing groups that travel full-time"? Something clicked inside when I heard that and I soon decided to pursue such an opportunity. This led to living on a bus with a gospel quartet for 3 years, performing across the country in churches, nursing homes, schools, jails, etc. This led me back to college to study music theory and composition which equipped me to work for many years as a producer and arranger of many recordings for a wide-variety of artists. I also arranged hundreds of songs for publishing, mainly church related. And all of this goes back to that pastor's wife's comment after choir practice!

Ennyman: Who are your sources of inspiration?
Henry: On a personal level, I would have to say my loving father, who died in 1994, my 97 yr. old mother who still sends me daily e-mail, my wife of 36 years, Dr. Lisa Wiens, and our 4 daughters. Our pastor, Ken Johnson. Many dear friends. The late Tom Fitch, music minister at Park Ave. church, was very inspiring, right up till the end of his battle with cancer at the age of 45.

Andrae Crouch has been a huge influence musically and spiritually. I have always loved a lot of black gospel music. This "gospel" flavor is discernible on certain songs from my new CD, "Wind Beneath My Wings"; particularly, check out “Bridge Over Troubled Waters.”

Fernando Ortega's music is very beautiful, sensitive, creative, reflective. I love his Hymns & Meditations project. This is closer to what I'm doing today with music that heals.

Ennyman: You seem to enjoy being improvisational. How would you compare improv to coloring outside of the lines?
Henry: Improvising is the heart and soul of what I do. A painter works to communicate his unique way of seeing -- "Here's how I see it". When I make something new out of a familiar song, I'm saying: "This is how I hear it". Great painters go far beyond the literal re-creation of what is seen. After all, anyone can take a picture -- though a gifted photographer can take us beyond literal images, too.

Just playing the notes on the page is comparable to coloring inside the lines or paint by number. If I'm looking at notes, the written music merely reminds me of the literal melody; it serves as a point of reference for improvisation.

Ennyman: Everyone has certain motivations . (such as teaching, selling, helping.) What are your personal motivations that make you feel most fulfilled when you are doing them?
Henry: In the first place, creating the music is its own reward. Listening to a CD that represents months of improvising and pruning musical ideas is mostly a joy. (perfection is elusive!) The feeling is, "Wow, that really is beautiful!" But the greatest reward comes later when you learn that other people are also moved & inspired by the music; then I know they have felt and heard something like I hoped they would hear. I have a strong desire to encourage and help other people, especially those with grief and pain. I hope this music embodies love & mercy.

Ennyman: If you had not gone this direction with your life, what would you be dong now?
Henry: I would most likely be teaching math in a high school or college. I was certified to do that in 1973 in the state of Michigan.

Music Brings Comfort and Healing

Music is one of the more fantastic gifts of God. It lifts the soul on wings to ethereal inner spaces. Nothing more effectively breaks life’s monotonous hold on us, transporting us to the portals of paradise. How do musicians and composers do it? From nothing & emptiness they bring forth combinations of sounds, melodies, themes, so pregnant with feeling it seems an inexplicable mystery. Rainbows of sound, trembling with life, causing our hearts to break open with rapture, or sweet sorrow. ~June 30, 1993

Whether providing comfort for grief, inspiration for action, relief from stress, or alleviating pain, music pierces the core of our beings like nothing else. If you or someone you know is grieving a loss or going through hard things, you might find healing power in the music of Henry Wiens.

According to one consultant who sent this testimonial: From a consultant: "Henry Wiens' soothing and relaxing improvisations on 'The Quiet Heart' have a unique way of quieting and speaking to one's soul. His sensitive and unique musical touch provides the listener an oasis of contemplation that leaves them refreshed and comforted."

http://www.quietheartmusic.com/