A harmonium is a small, bellows-driven keyboard instrument, and for anyone who has carried one through an airport, it is anything but small. In a short 2023 video, Mike Cohen, founder of the Kirtan Leader Institute, sets out to solve a problem that many kirtan leaders know well: how to get the instrument from one gate to the next without a strap digging into the shoulder and a case threatening to slip. His answer is a backpack, a student's tip he passed along, and a demonstration that is more practical than glamorous. It is worth a close look because the logic behind it applies to any traveling musician, whatever the instrument.
That is the first question the video answers, and Cohen answers it on camera. He credits a student, Maria P, of Boulder, Colorado, for the find, and he is clear about the scope of the claim: the bag is sized for a mini harmonium. "Believe it or not, a mini harmonium is going to fit in here," he says near the start (0:30 in the video's own timeline, where he first introduces the bag and its purpose).
The packing method matters more than the bag itself. Cohen opens the main zipper all the way so the pack reaches its full width, then opens the body of the backpack wide. He does not remove the harmonium's case. The instrument goes in case and all, and the fit is, in his words, "a little tricky getting around the corner." He wrestles the case around the opening, works it through, and it settles inside. The demonstration is unglamorous on purpose: it shows that the trick is in the geometry of the opening, not in forcing the instrument. Anyone planning to try it should do a dry run at home with the actual case before the day of travel.
Cohen's case against the usual approach rests on personal experience. He describes flying "all over the place" with his harmonium, and his frustration is specific. Carrying the instrument on a strap means it hangs from one shoulder, and crossing a large terminal becomes an ordeal. The second problem is trust in the hardware. "If I get a harmonium on a strap, I got to be a little bit concerned that that strap doesn't break and the harmonium doesn't fall," he says, which is why he ends up tucking an arm under the case or gripping a handle, leaving that arm unavailable for anything else.
That is the real insight of the video. The strap is not only uncomfortable; it turns a traveler into a person who must constantly guard the load. A backpack reframes the job. Load is carried on the spine and hips, the hands are free, and the instrument is held close to the body rather than swinging at the side. For a musician who arrives at a workshop or an intensive with a dozen other tasks, freeing the arms is not a minor comfort.
The second half of the demonstration is about the straps, and it is easy to skim past. Tucked into a small pouch on the bag are the backpack's own shoulder straps. Cohen takes them out, hooks them into place, and puts the pack on. The effect, as he describes it, is that the weight is distributed through the back rather than concentrated in one place. He notes that the strap "isn't just digging into my trapezius," which is the common complaint of anyone who has carried a heavy case on one shoulder for an hour.
"The weight of a harmonium is evenly distributed throughout my back, and that strap isn't just digging into my trapezius." (Mike Cohen, Kirtan Leader Institute YouTube video, 2023; paraphrased from the spoken transcript)
This is the kind of detail that separates a good travel solution from a clever one. A bag that fits the instrument but puts all the load on one shoulder would only swap one strain for another. The distribution of weight across both shoulders and the lower back is what makes a multi-hour walk through a terminal bearable.
Cohen is direct about the limits of his own setup. The bag he shows is, in his view, "the perfect size bag" for a mini harmonium. A smaller instrument will fit it too, but a full-size harmonium will not, and he advises that owners of larger instruments will need a different bag altogether. "You're going to have to figure out a bigger bag situation," he says.
His practical advice is to measure before you buy. He points viewers to the manufacturer's website, where the instrument's weight, width, length, and height are listed, and says those numbers will help you find an appropriate bag. Because airlines and carry-on limits vary, the dimensions of the case itself, not just the instrument, are the figures that matter when you shop. He also gives a rough price for the backpack, around 100, though he says he is not certain of the exact figure, so check current pricing before you budget.
Cohen frames the video around a moment of return. Near the end he says that COVID is "kind of wrapping up a little bit" and that travelers are "more able to fly." For teachers who lead intensives and workshops in other cities, that shift is practical as well as personal. The video's final use case is a student who wants to attend one of the Kirtan Leader Institute's in-person intensives in Boulder, Colorado, without leaving their own harmonium at home. Cohen says that for those travelers, the backpack is "a great option for bringing your instrument with you," and he offers that the Institute also rents instruments to students who would rather not fly with their own.
"If you don't want to just leave your harmonium at home and rent one from us, this is a great option for bringing your instrument with you." (Mike Cohen, Kirtan Leader Institute YouTube video, 2023)
The rental option is worth noting because it reflects a real tradeoff. Some musicians want their own instrument, with its familiar touch and tuning, for a sacred practice that depends on the bond between player and voice. Others would rather not put a delicate instrument through airport handling. The backpack gives the first group a workable option; the rental gives the second group another.
The video is short, and it does not pretend to be more than it is. It is a demonstration by a working kirtan teacher of a gear choice he has tested himself, shared with a note of gratitude to a student who found it first. The lessons are general. Free your hands when you can. Carry weight on both shoulders and the hips, not on one strap. Measure your instrument and its case before you buy a bag, and do a dry run before the trip. And when you cannot bring your own instrument, ask whether the place you are going has one to lend.
If you are planning a trip with a harmonium, watch the full video to see the packing sequence and the strap setup in action. Then measure your instrument and case, check the manufacturer's listed dimensions, and compare them against the bag's internal space before you order. The Kirtan Leader Institute's own video description also lists its beginner and harmonium-owner courses, including a Harmonium 101 class, for anyone looking to deepen their practice alongside their travel planning. Whether you carry your own instrument or borrow one when you arrive, the goal Cohen describes is the same: get the instrument to the room, and keep your hands free to sing.
