Music Angels: Leah Kim and the Transformative Power of Music - PHH 237

Go out. There are so many people who needs to hear your music. It doesn't have to be fancy performance settings. It really doesn't have to. Please share your music musical gift with others so that people can be touched by your beauty.

Welcome to the Practicing Harp Happiness Podcast. I'm Ann Sullivan, a harpist on a mission to empower every harpist to experience more harp happiness. Over my decades long harp journey, I've had lots of successes and more than a few failures. And I know firsthand what it's like to feel that playing the harp the way you want may not be possible for you. Now, I play and teach all over the world and I know what most harpists are never taught the secrets to gaining the skills and confidence you need to play the harp with beauty, freedom and joy. That's what the Practicing Harp Happiness Podcast is all about. Showing you simple steps to help you play the music you want the way you want. If you're an experienced harpist looking for that next level, or a harp newbie anxious to avoid the pitfalls, or a harpist who just wants more fulfillment and a little encouragement, you're in the right place, my friend. So let's get started.

First, I want to let you in on something special. I think the most important thing you can do for your harp playing is to develop the habits that lead to success. Whatever that looks like for you. All of us want to learn how to play the harp beautifully, how to play with confidence and enjoy making music. And if you really want to learn those things, videos are great. But live learning is essential. You need to be able to ask questions and get answers. You can't do that with just a video, which is what makes the My Harp Mastery community so special. My Harp Mastery membership is for those who really want an online experience that lets them learn at their own pace and learn what they want and be able to learn live from expert coaches every single week. Plus, you get to connect with other harpists in the community who have the same desires for their playing. This is not only a powerful learning platform, but it's also the most generous community of harpists anywhere on the planet. They're harpists with a positive outlook, a growth mindset, and a spirit of support for their fellow harpists on the journey with them. We're ready for you. Join Us just go to harpmastery.comjoin-now that's harpmastery.com join now. Welcome to the show. I don't do very many interviews on this podcast. I started this show as a way to help harpists with their learning. And I wanted and still want to be able to use this podcast to teach, to encourage, and to inspire harpists all over the world. But over the last year, I have realized that there are other voices I want to be sure that you hear. After all, learning comes in many forms, and hearing a variety of voices and viewpoints enriches us and our harp playing in so many ways. So during 2026, one of my objectives is to bring you into conversations with harpists, musicians and others who inspire me. These are people I want you to meet, even if it's only in this podcast format, because I want to share the inspiration that they have brought me with you. And I know it's not 2026 yet, but we're going to start with that today. I have a really special interview that I want to share with you and because I don't want to interrupt it, I want to let you know about a couple of important things going on at Heart Mastery right now before we get started.

And the biggest one of Those is our 12 days of harp Happiness. This is something we've done annually for a number of years now. And so for the first 12 days of December, we have 12 days of special music and special deals for you on lots of things related to Harp Mastery. So we have special things and you'll be able to access them from this particular page. I will put the link to that page in today's Show Notes, but if you're on our email list it will also show up in your email and of course in the Heart Mastery Hub. If you are a Hub member, and I certainly hope you are, everything good happens in the Hub, that's for sure. So the 12 Days of Harp Happiness is starting today, Monday, December 1st. And I have some music to share with you, a brand new Carol arrangement, and we have discounts on things in the shop. And we have a very special offer for the the Getaway Retreat. If you have not yet signed up for the Getaway retreat, I would really encourage you to do that. Our special pricing has ended. It ended yesterday, Sunday, November 30, but you can still take advantage of this special bonus that I'm offering just today. That's December 1st. Now our registration will continue to be open until we run out of rooms, but I encourage you to make this decision quickly and if you can get in there and do it today, you will have this special bonus which is a one hour lesson or coaching with me whenever you want it between now and the retreat. Whenever we can work that out and it will just jumpstart you for anything that you want to work on at the retreat. Because that's what the retreat is about. It's about progress. It's about helping you do what you want to do. And so that's the special bonus for our first day of Harp Happiness. But we have special things coming up on all 12 days and you won't want to miss it. So be sure to follow the link in the show notes or wherever you get to Harp Mastery. We'll post it on the Harp Mastery site and of course it'll be in the hub and on social media as well. So check it out and follow along for all 12 days. It's always a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy it. Now, let me introduce you to a new friend of mine. Her name is Leah Kim. Leah is a violinist and her story starts in South Korea. Her story is truly an awe inspiring one and as you will hear, she shared a lot of it in our conversation. Since coming to the United States from Korea, she's performed and taught extensively and currently she is the Fine Arts Department chair and Director of Music at Villa Maria Academy High School near Philadelphia. And and she's founder and director of the Villa Maria Conservatory, she's a violinist in several string quartets, and founder and director of the Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra and Chamber Strings Summer Camp. Now, as impressive as that is, it is her latest project that caught my attention and this is why I wanted to talk with her today. This year she founded Music Angels, a non profit organization with a mission to inspire and educate music students and musicians about the healing power of music, particularly through music therapy. Music Angels aims to be a bridge of hope and healing for those troubled, lonely or sick, harnessing the transformative power of music. What you will discover as Leah and I talk is how Music Angels is not just about performing for others. It's about the ways in which we as musicians are enriched by sharing our music. So you can see why I felt this fit right in with our focus on Harp Happiness. So let's get right to my conversation with Leah Kim of Music Angels. Let me introduce you all to Leah Kim and I'm so excited that you are here with us, Leah. And thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me.

Thank you.

I was so excited when when I got to meet you and when you told me about your Music Angels group and you told me a really interesting story about how you got it started. Not so much even from the music standpoint, but just the fact that putting together a Non profit organization is really tricky. I mean how. This is not something we study in music school. How did you manage to do this?

Oh, oh, I don't know.

With a lot of help.

With a lot of help.

So you know, my husband actually is an attorney and he actually, when I told him that I wanted to start a non profit, he actually said I'm not helping.

So I really had to learn. I contacted a cpa, I also contacted a local attorney, got a lot of recommendations and.

You know, assistance. And then they did, they did help me a lot with paperwork. But before I did all that, I had to find other people like minded who would like to be on my board. So then I started calling and I said, would you want to serve with me? And they said yes. And that's how it began.

We often wonder, or at least I do, how these things get started because they are hard to get off the ground. But everything like this starts with a mission and a purpose and it starts with a story. And I read the last issue of your newsletter and I was just bowled over because this was a part of your story that I didn't know. So would you mind just relating a little bit of that story that you shared in the newsletter? Because I think it so powerful.

Oh sure. About, I think it was year 2005. I was a professional violinist in an orchestra. I was one of the youngest female concert mistress they had in Korea at that time I was performing a lot. I was about to launch a TV program for classical music and poetry. Meeting with producers and working on all this, you know, all these details that I was supposed to do. But one morning on weekend I went on hiking with my friends. And then I was really tired because I had, you know, concert the night before. And so on the way back from after the hike, I asked my friend, I said I really need to like take a break and sleep for like 10 minutes so I can drive safely. And then my friend said I have a date I need to get to. And you know, my sister has the same car as yours. Can I drive your car? And so that's how it began. And later I woke up in the hospital after a very, very bad car crash. My friend fell asleep on the wheel. We hit tractor trailer in the front and we got hit by in the back with you know, nine passengers van as well. And my friend actually woke up right before.

She hit. So she turned so all the impact was just at my side. Oh so. And plus I was since I was tired and I was sleeping, my seat was all they Leaned back. So just anybody out there when you're sleeping in the car, just in case, don't lean all the way back because that seat belt doesn't do anything.

Oh, of course not.

Yeah. So the whole body went jerking all. And it had damaged my vertebrae number three, four, five, six. And I was. And also parts of my lower back as well. I was not able to walk or use my hands for months.

I couldn't. They told me that I probably can't play ever again, and they were not even sure I could walk again. So that's my journey, coming back to music. Because all the music practicing that I have done through my schools and my student life and into my professional life, I dedicated all those hours into getting better. And at the hospital, they said I was the hardest patient working patient they have ever seen because I was in therapy for over 10 hours. And they said they have never seen anybody like that.

And that was your musical training helping you out there, wasn't it?

And literally one finger at a time, one finger at a time, and then one toe at a time, like little by little, feelings came back.

So I was in the hospital because I couldn't feed myself and, you know, I couldn't. Obviously I couldn't walk. So, yeah, every day was a journey. But eight months, it took a month for me to walk out of the hospital.

Now, this was in Korea.

This was in Korea. And I was lucky because I admitted myself at a medical school where they practice both Western and eastern medicine. So I really chose. I'm. I'm very glad that I chose the way I did because I chose to go towards Eastern medicine. That way I'm not putting all these chemicals in my body. Yeah. So my. For my pain management, I was. I had thousands of needles in my body every day for hours. That was my pain management. And you know, for physical. Physical.

Physical.

Physical therapy.

Physical therapy. I was in Western medicine wing. So we were just going both ways. Yeah. So, you know, when I came back to my house and tried to thinking about playing again, I was, you know, it wasn't. I wasn't holding the violin right away. I stood by the wall and I just lifted my arm, minute dropped. And every minute I added. Every day I added little more, a little more. And same thing with holding the violin, same thing with using the bow. So music saved me.

And it sounds like it saved you on. On a couple different ends. First of all, you had the. I know you mentioned the word, which I think is so important. It gave you the resilience to. And, and of course, you had the habit of working and dedicating that kind of time and energy and attention focus to something. So it was on that end as well. And then to think about getting back to music, I imagine that was pretty powerful too.

It was very powerful. I knew that there is a chance that I couldn't play again. And even if I played, I knew that I couldn't gain back 100%, which, you know, I. I can't play Paganini anymore.

You know, or Isaiah. I mean, that's out. But I really prayed for me. I'm Catholic, and faith has really saved me in many, many times, but I really prayed if I could ever play again. My playing, my playing the music will be part of my prayer. And every note is a gift that I have gotten to do. So I will praise Lord that way.

Yeah. That's beautiful. Well, now, how did you end up in this country?

So I actually was. I did not want to go back to orchestra job. Even though my wonderful Maestro park saved my position. He said, leah, just take as long as you want and come back. I know you can do it. And you know, we still talk. Okay. You know, we still talk. And I'm very thankful for him believing in me. I did go back for maybe four months after, but it was really painful for me to sit and play.

Yeah, yeah.

That. The posture, sitting down and playing was very uncomfortable for me. So I tried for four months back and I finished a season that. That year. And then I put in my notice and I said, I cannot do this anymore. And I decided to come back to America to do my dma.

Oh, okay.

So I came back to America. I started a doctorate degree at Temple University.

Yes.

And then I actually never finished. I wanted my focus to be educating next generation musicians.

And that's what you're doing now.

Yes.

And I love it.

You know. Well, it's funny because I think God has a way of directing us to. To ways to use our gifts.

Yes.

Clearly this is part of your gift.

So it's my calling.

Yeah. Isn't it wonderful to feel that way?

Yes. Yes. And I'm, I. I believe that I am in this place so that I can, you know, I can be the best version of myself.

I got goosebumps.

So.

And I'm right there with you. So this is fabulous. So here you are, you're. You're teaching, and then you had this calling, this mission, this idea to start music Angels. And we talked briefly about the mechanics of trying to start it. But what was your, your, your initial idea?

What.

What did you want to do with this organization?

Well, I wanted to make sure. I don't know if you're interested in what inspired me to. Please.

Okay.

So I have two events that happened that really inspired me. One was about five years ago. I was at Broom Mall. Shopping mall. I was coming out of Home Goods, and I got into my car and this old man, he started banging on my window. And he says, help me.

Oh.

And. And I. I turned and I said. I rolled down the window and it's like, sir, what's wrong? And he said, I. I need somebody to help me. I cannot find my car. And he was literally in tears. Now, I had many hours of teaching scheduled that afternoon, but, you know, I couldn't say no to this gentleman. I was like, okay. So I got out of the car and I asked him, do you have your key? And he gave and I said, okay. So I started ringing and it didn't. Nothing was going off. So, long story short, I combed the parking lot five times. Front, back, side, behind, everywhere. And then I couldn't find it. And I asked, sir, where. Where have you been? Where were you here? And he said, the cardiologist? Yes. So I went into cardiologist and I asked if there was an emergency contact I can contact. And they. I should have known better because, you know, I'm not.

Right. They're not going to give that information to you.

Exactly. So he's like, we can't give it to you. So I came out and, you know, he was actually sitting in my car. So I took his ID and his car key so that I can show it to the hospital. And on the way out, I told him, I said when I got back, I said, I did everything. I know how to help you. Is there anybody I can call? And he said, I have nobody. My wife died last year and I had no children. I don't have any relatives around. And I said, okay, can I just take you home? And then he lost it. He started yelling at me, and he said, what good is that going to do for me? There was another gentleman waiting for his wife at the hospital. And he said, I've been watching you. He. He actually approached me. I've been watching you. I think it's time for you to leave. It's time for you to call the police. So I called the police. And then he. And then he can tell that older man was a little bit aggressive. And he said, it's it. You need to leave. I will take care of you from here. So I drove away without knowing what happened to this man. And part of me was thinking, there's got to be something more that I could have done or this society or our community can do. And so that sort of planted seed in my heart, but I didn't know what that was. But. And I was thinking there must be not just one, but thousands and countless people who are in the same situation as he. I couldn't tell if whether it was actually a memory issue that he had or just simply he. Some. His car was missing, but there was uneasiness in my heart, so I walked away from it. But in the year 2023, and I absolutely didn't do anything about it that day. But in the year 2023, on President's Day, I took one of my friend who was. Who was having very difficult time because his husband. Her husband was either dying or not. So she was really, really suffering as a caretaker. So I asked her, say, would you go to. Go for a ride with me? I want to take you to New Jersey and watch a sunset on the ocean. And we don't need to speak and we just. I just want to be there and pray with you. And so I did. We went on a road trip to Galloway, New Jersey.

Oh, yes. Okay.

And then we went to Foresight Nature, you know, preserve.

Nature preserve.

Yeah. And we just parked our car and we just looked and we just looked at the sunset. And then on the way back, she gets a phone call and she. She had it on speakerphone. And I overheard their conversation and it was a phone call from a formal teacher of hers. And she said the teacher was over 90 and she was, you know, she said, I'm lonely. When are you going to come and see me? She was saying this to my friend.

Yes.

And my friend was like, oh, I'm so sorry. You know, I will be there soon. I'll be there soon. And then they were talking about, you know, why she was lonely and all that. It turns out that she lost her husband and her daughter within two weeks apart. Her daughter was a policewoman, and her husband after two weeks had a heart attack and passed away. And her daughter was shot in. During the. On duty. And so she lost two major people in her life. And she said she was really crying and she was trying to. She was conveying how lonely she was. And then after, after hearing their conversation, I, I said, I'm really sorry to interrupt. And it's. I know it's not my phone conversation, but would you like me to bring some of my students to play for You. I'm not a pianist. She was a pianist. I'm not a pianist, but you know, I can. I have a lot of students who, I'm sure who will be willing to come for conversation and music. And she really started crying and she said, I would like that very much. And that's it. So I got back that day and I said, I told my husband, I said, I'm starting a nonprofit. He said, you're crazy. Because he knows how busy I am. Yeah, you're crazy. And he said, I'm not helping.

But my heart and my mind was so strong that I said, even without his help, I need to do this. And those two stories planted seed in my heart. And that's how I started. And then Music Angels is not just music service to people. Yes, but we have educational portion. The students need to learn how to share their musical gift with others. They can't just play Tchaikovsky violin concerto and thinking, oh, that's healing for the other people or they're enjoying it. It's not. It really isn't. So I brought in the music therapist component into our non profit organization and we are training, we are actually exposing the students to music therapy, how music therapy works, and so that they're learning how to use their musical talents as a tool for healing.

Now you do have certified music therapists on your, on your staff, right?

Yes. So everybody on Music Angels is valent. They are all volunteers, including myself and except music therapists. Music therapists do get paid. They're on our payroll because, you know, their job is to teach our members. So they hold workshops and then kids come and, or adults and students, they all come and they learn about how to use the music, you know, therapy component into their performance as well.

So describe a little bit what Music Angels does. I mean, if I were a member of Music Angels, there's a performance component because you're taking music to people who need it. You're also learning, as you just described from the therapists, you're learning how to really serve people, people with music as opposed to just play for them. And are those really sort of the two branches or is there more to Music Angels than that too?

So Music Angels, we are doing performances and we are also conversing with the patients or people that we're serving. There is definitely workshop. Music therapists are giving workshops four right now, four to five annually.

And then performance component, we have several different settings. One in a group setting where, you know, we have a whole stack of music that our members actually learn and they, we just Come together. We just play. We don't have weekly rehearsals. None of that is happening. We trust that our volunteers are going to work on those music because they want to serve. Right. So they come and then we just do a little sound checks right before our performance at the location of our service and we play. That's a large ensemble component performance. Second is hospice. Most of the hospice requests come in at last minute and I can just take maybe one or two kids with me in that setting. Hospice is usually again, no Tchaikovsky.

No, of course not.

Yeah. And then we have to do a background search on the, on the patients. Is this patient, you know, what kind of religion does she or he have? How, you know, how. What is her or his family background? So we do a little bit of research before we go to serve. And a lot of times I bring him books. Most so far, all the people that we served in hospice situation have been Christians. So we had selection of couple of songs that we played. I had a hospice situation where it turned out that her husband used to play for Frank Sinatra.

Oh my gosh.

Okay. Yeah, Frank Sinatra Band. So I just like off of my head, I just played Frank Sinatra songs. You know, I didn't have sheet music, but that's what I did. And you should have seen her fingers move, you know, and then, you know, she's moving her fingers and she has smile on her face and more, you know, yes, she's getting our gift. But I was watching the students who are there or the volunteers were there, their face was being healed as well. Because it gift of music is not just one way. It's both ways.

It is. I completely agree. I have been in circumstances like that playing in different nursing homes and seeing the way it touches people. And that's a gift back, right? It's absolutely a gift back.

Yeah. And then another setting we do is we do.

Like other non profit organization when they request for, you know, background music and, and if it's aligned with our mission, we are there to serve, you know, other communities as well. So solos, large ensembles, hospice, and then other nonprofit organizations.

Yeah.

So those.

That's. That's a lot. And most of your performers are they. Are they mostly high school musicians or.

Yeah, right now we, our members are six to, you know, six and above. But because our pool is, you know, here right now we're starting, we would like to start college chapters. But I would, you know, I want girls to. Girls or boys to grow into that position so that, you know, they're moved to continue this in their, you know, High college life.

Yeah. Well, it's, it's such an amazing gift. Well, let me go back one step. What I think is really cool is that you've got a couple of people I know as harp moms on your board. Yes. Mothers of students that I have had in various settings throughout the years. And so there's a. And of course, I met you at Harp Day, so there's a harp connection there. But what I really think is interesting is that this is bringing so many different kinds of people together to serve in different ways, and then it's providing this foundation for these young people.

Of how their music is valuable in the world. At Harp Mastery, we talk about harp happiness all the time. In fact, that's, you know, the name of the podcast, practicing Harp Happiness. And I generally define that as being able to play the music you want the way you want. But when we play, and this is something that is really important to me, and I make this point, at least I hope I do, is that when we play, we're really sending out that, that harp happiness, that wonderful musical vibration. We're sending that out into the world. We don't know where it's going to go or what kind of effect it's going to have. But then when you take that and you put it inside.

A framework like you have with Music Angels, you can see the impact that it has.

Yes. Yeah. It was really, really wonderful to meet you that day, by the way. I just want to go back and say that. Yeah. Diane, Venezia and I, she was the. One of the first person I met when I moved to Philadelphia.

Well, I'll tell you, people on this podcast will know the last name Venezia because they know her daughter Mia, who is one of our certified coaches and works as part of our Heart Mastery team. So Mia's mom, Diane is part of the board that you have.

She's my vice president. All the members from my board is so aligned with the mission and we are like, we put in about 100 to 150 hours a month, volunteer hours, just adults alone, so that we can create this organization to be good for the kids and then other volunteers to serve. So we're putting in a lot of hours only. I mean, also because we're just starting and there's a lot to do.

Yeah. Else do you see?

For Music Angels, I do need a little bit more. Not a little bit, but I do need more musical volunteers. And musical or not non musical, we are just beginning to search research for grants to see if we can Actually probably not going to happen this year. But again we just started this year, right? Yeah, one first year. So I would like to have more music therapist workshops and open it more to the public as well as my. Our members and I would like to do more work with.

We haven't gone there but I want to get into the domestic violence victims facilities. The safe houses. Yeah, that's one of my next division. And also those immigrant housings, temporary housings. And we would like to also eventually if we. And when we have set this organization.

Maybe offer very small amount of number of students who can't afford to have music lessons or instruments.

We're not going to say we're going to our volunteers. Our students are going to be teaching but they can assist in helping them practice. So the assistant assisting in the practice portion under the you know, other. Other master teachers. Yeah, yeah, those kinds of things.

Well, I'd love to get glimpses of the vision for something like this.

And then this summer I'm happy to announce that I will be taking some students to Madrid, Spain and we are going to be performing. Performing in Spain. But we are right now I'm researching to go to this. The refugee camps so that the students are not just, you know, just performing here in America but eventually, you know, going to places, you know, obviously they need to be safe.

Yes.

Making a difference and seeing the world, you know, differently as well.

Yeah, that's wonderful. Well, so here we are, we're in the Philadelphia area and obviously anybody in the Philadelphia area who wants to get involved has a couple different ways to do that, right?

Yes. You can check out our website and there's a contact information and there's also registration as well.

And you, you don't. There is no requirement for you to be a musician. You can. I, I always need help with, you know, I don't know, grant research or even event. Event planning or people who can just help me move some tables or like carry some signs or so transportation or something. Yeah, yeah, things like that. I always need extra hands if I have pool of people volunteers. That's on our roster when we send out the signups. We. So when you register to be volunteers with us in our Music Angels we number one will send out sign ups for each event that we actually coordinate and then members sign up. We are going to Camilla hall this weekend. That's where retired and hospice for retired IHM sisters.

Oh okay.

So we're going to be doing music therapy and then large performances including solo as well. So it's going to be Mixture of the performances and then we need people taking photos. We need people helping me with PR because I'm not very good at it.

Well, and because you're very busy doing a lot of things.

Yeah. But with, you know, I, I really believe that, you know, this mission is. Is impactful in this society and community that people will. People will know that this is not for waste and this is something that will, I hope that the society will need and community will use.

Yeah. Now I have another question that maybe might be a little bit more difficult. So we have people listening to this podcast from all over the world. So what would you say to those people who aren't here in the Philadelphia area to actually lend a hand this way? What could they take from your message today to into their own hearts and their own communities?

So if you're gifted with music.

Go out and make a difference through music, go out. There's so many people who needs to hear your music.

It doesn't have to be fancy performance settings. It really doesn't have to. Please share your music musical gift with others so that people can be touched by your beauty.

Thank you for that. That just that I could not have expressed it better and many times I have tried to, but that was really, really just wonderful. Well, Leah, thank you so much for talking with me today.

Thank you.

It's just an inspiration. And as we are getting this out today, tomorrow's Giving Tuesday, maybe some of those people will. Well, maybe people in the Philadelphia area will be inspired to come and visit website and, and be part of Music Angels and whoever is listening in farther away places. This is the time you don't have to just, you know, Giving Tuesday is a great thing, but it doesn't mean you have to write a check or, you know, send a Venmo or something. Give your music to somebody. Let that be part of the gift. Yeah.

Yes, yes, absolutely. And say a prayer for us.

Absolutely, I will do that. Well, thank you, Leah, so much for talking with me. I really appreciate it.

Thank you so much for having us.

Of course. And best of luck with Music Angels. I think it's a wonderful thing.

Thank you.

I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Leah Kim. She's a remarkable person and just so magnetic. As I think you could hear. I have put the link to her Music Angels website in the show notes for today's episode. So if you want to go ahead and check that out, check out their newsletter, check out their board, see more of the story of what Music Angels does. I highly encourage you to do that. I'VE also of course put a link to our 12 Days of Harp Happiness because Harp Happiness is what we're about here. And you can see that it's not unique to harpists because I think Music Happiness is a lot of what Music Angels is about too. So next week on the podcast we'll be talking about passion, purpose and progress. So I hope that intrigues you. It's going to be going to be a another sort of reflective sort of podcast, although it's coming with a message and perhaps with some to do's for you as well. So it's passion, Purpose and progress next week on the podcast here. In the meantime, remember that every day is a day you can add more Harp Happiness to the universe, to your world, and to your spirit. And all you have to do is play. Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you next time.

Thanks for tuning into another episode of the Practicing Harp Happiness Podcast. I release a new episode every Monday morning so you can hit your practice week running. Until then, remember to practice your Harp happiness every day. See you next time.