Category: End-of-Life
-
A Life in Music: An Interview with Rachelle Norman, MA, MT-BC
To kick off the March “Women in Music” series, I’m happy to share my recent interview with Rachelle Norman. Rachelle is a board-certified music therapist in the Kansas City area. She is a music therapist through and through, having both a bachelor’s and Master of Arts in music therapy. She focuses her work on eldercare,…
-
Healing When a Complicated Family Relationship Ends
The word “family” carries unique connotations for each of us. Ideally, families are a source of acceptance, unconditional love, and support. While the greater culture typically portrays and promotes this idealized, archetypal view of family, the reality is that families are made up of individual human beings who may or may not be able to…
-
Gifts Gained Through Loss
Today is the 14th anniversary of the death of my mother from breast cancer. Naturally my thoughts start to turn to her at this time of year, but additionally the specific topic of cancer had popped up on my radar these last few days, which made me think that I needed to explore further this…
-
Music Therapy in Hospice and Palliative Care
Recently I was asked by the hospice company where I work to write an article about what I do as a music therapist. I’m sharing it here with you so that you may also get a clearer sense of what music therapy is and the role it can play within the realms of hospice and…
-
Saying Goodbye
“Goodbye.” What feelings, thoughts, images, or experiences come to mind when you see that word? Depending on the context, “goodbye” can take on a lot of different meanings. “Goodbye” can signal a temporary parting, or it can represent something more permanent. And when it represents a more permanent situation, saying goodbye can carry bittersweet feelings.…
-
The Quality of a Life Well-Lived
“Quality of Life” is a topic that is often on my mind as a result of the work I do in hospice. As a music therapist working with those who are at the end-of-life, I use music to provide physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual support to people during the last months, weeks, days… sometimes hours…