Hannah Violet has been performing music most of her life, and she knew she wanted to help people with it, but it wasn’t until she witnessed the healing effects of music with her grandfather, unlocking his Alzheimer’s condition, that she realized her calling was to be a music therapist.
Q: Can you explain the role of a Hospice Board-Certified Music Therapist and describe some success stories?
Sure. I am a board-certified and hospice-certified music therapist working full-time with Bayada Hospice serving patients in their homes, facilities and hospitals. I built the program for Bayada throughout our Pennsylvania and Delaware offices and created positions for additional music therapists. I play guitar, fiddle, piano, and I sing. Music Therapy is therapy where music is the vehicle for transformation, transition and translation. In therapeutic settings, I’ve seen weakened war veterans who could barely respond lift their head just to salute me and sing along to America, the Beautiful. I’ve held children on my lap while playing guitar and get them to sing along so they feel less scared. I’ve had patients ask if they could fall asleep to music and then suddenly take their last few breathes. I’ve had alert patients say I helped to save their relationships with their kids or show forgiveness and love to a spouse. Music was the key that unlocked the door to my grandfather’s mind and spirit when he had Alzheimer’s. He reverted back to who he was.
Q: Your band, The Hannah Violet Trio, all seasoned musicians, has toured throughout Nashville, TN, PA and surrounding areas. How did it come together?
Basically, my guitarist, Phil Pilorz, and I met while playing in a band, and then we decided to start our own trio. Phil comes from a long trail of cross-country performing and received a lifetime achievement award for his guitar playing and has more of a rock background. I am more of the folk, country sound, and then our third member, Dave “Mitch” Miller, my dad, comes from an old-timey/Irish background and plays fiddle, mandolin and percussion. I play fiddle and guitar along with lead vocals and love to harmonize when either Phil or Mitch take the lead. We have a really happy down-home sound that has carried us for over 11 years.
Q: What does your free time look like?
Before COVID, there wasn’t much free time for our farm. I’m married to a wonderful cowboy from South Dakota. Joe is a saddle bronc rider and was in rodeos every weekend. Now, we’ve been forced to slow down, and had the chance to be home, continue with renovations on our log home, spend time in the flower gardens, ride horses, enjoy our animals. Finally, we became parents to a beautiful little boy, Stone Timothy, born in January 2021. Now I make sure we savor our free time.
Listen in.
Hannah released her debut CD, Violet Sky, and filmed a music video in Las Vegas in 2015. Grab the album at live events, on Amazon or at reverbnation.com. Catch her concert schedule at hannahviolet.com.
More about Bayada.
Visit the Bayada Hospice Facebook page @BAYADAPBH for virtual serenades and holiday celebrations all summer and throughout the year for various events.
