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

I don't do very many interviews on this podcast. I started the 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. So today, I want to introduce you to a new friend of mine, 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, she has performed and taught extensively, and currently she is Fine Arts Department Chair and Director of Music at Villa Maria Academy High School, founder/director of Villa Maria Conservatory, a violinist in Fairmount String Quartet, La Croix Quartet, and founder/Director of Pennsylvania Youth Orchestra and Chamberstrings Summer Camp. But it is her latest project that caught my attention and that was 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 is about the ways in which we as musicians are enriched by sharing our music. 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. Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in the podcast episode:  Read more about Music Angels, Inc.  Don't miss any of the 12 Days of Harp Happiness Harpmastery.com Get involved in the show! Send your questions and suggestions for future podcast episodes to me at [email protected] Looking for a transcript for this episode? Did you know that if you subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts you will have access to their transcripts of each episode? LINKS NOT WORKING FOR YOU? FInd all the show resources here: https://www.harpmastery.com/blog/Episode-237