It has been proven time and again that music is a balm to the soul.

In more recent decades, however, it is being proven to do more than just that. In addition to soothing stress and boosting brain function, music has also been shown to aid in the process of brain development in newborn babies.

This is welcome news to the mothers caring for their children from the cold confines of the neonatal intensive care unit in any given hospital.

If you’ve ever been to the NICU, you know that it’s an often loud and stressful place. With no end to the bustling noise of doctors and nurses racing between their charges and the loud, intrusive beeping from monitors and other machines, NICU babies don’t tend to get the rest that they so desperately need.

As we all know, sleep is an important part of both brain development and long-term brain health. Unfortunately, if you’re stuck in the noisy NICU, restful sleep becomes a rare and precious commodity.

That is unless, of course, you have some relaxing music to put your heart and brain at ease.

In fact, there have been countless studies proving the calming effect music has on a struggling infant’s sleeping patterns and resting heart rate.

So, that begs the question then; what type of music is the most soothing of all? The answer may surprise you.

It turns out that the harp is particularly effective in calming not just babies, but people of all walks of life.

If you think about it, there’s a good reason why the harp is frequently incorporated into orchestra performances and ceremonial wedding music. There is just nothing more effective when it comes to manifesting the heavenly, otherworldly notes out of the deep ocean that is music.

This is exactly why Cairns Hospital in Queensland, Australia continues to invite teenager Hannah Burnett to the NICU with her 27-string harp.

The 13-year-old musician has only been plucking the harp strings for just over one and a half years now, and yet, her mastery of the long-loved instrument is evident in the music that flows from it.

Her music has been shown time and again to have an astounding effect on the NICU babies.

It’s particularly satisfying for Hannah to play to these newborns, as she herself was once a resident of the NICU.

When Hannah delicately plucks at the strings, she sends a wave of glorious, calming music throughout the corridors and open rooms of the NICU unit.

The powerful healing effect of the teen’s music is something that these children’s parents can’t thank her for enough.

Happy to help, Hannah hefts her harp with her into the NICU twice a week to deliver this much-needed balm to the hearts of everyone there for at least an hour.

“This is the first time we’ve actually had someone come in and play a musical instrument in special care, but we’ve been so happy and so have the families that we asked Hannah if she’d like to come back over her school holidays to play more for us. A lot of the noises can be quite toxic in a hospital. Then to have something so soft and gentle and calming as a harp playing music that drifts down the cooridor is absolutely beautiful. We’d love a musical therapist because there’s so much documented support in how much it helps people in the hospital and improves outcomes,” said representative of the Special Baby Care Unit, Jonelle Mayers.

The thoughtful teen has also composed her very own brand of music for the struggling infants.

“You don’t really want a Highland jig for the babies because that might make them cry. It’s been a really wonderful experience, and I’ve loved playing for the children and seeing the faces of people when they just light up seeing beautiful music. No one really wants to be in the hospital with all the noise and the beeping and the crying, and yeah I just really wanted to come here and help the children,” Hannah explains.

There really aren’t words to describe the kindness that Hannah is projecting to the NICU babies and their anxious parents.

Thankfully, though, her music speaks volumes.

To learn more about Hannah’s determination to make the world a better place for these children, and to hear the beautiful music she composes and plays for them, watch the video below.

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Source: ABC Far North/Inspire More