SERENADING DEATH: THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN MUSIC THERAPY AND A "GOOD" DEATH: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY

The aim of this study was to explore the intersection of music therapy and a “good” death and to understand both music therapists’ lived experience of providing music therapy at end-of-life and how this may contribute to the narrative of a good death. Six music therapists were recruited through social media who worked in hospice, private practice, and medical settings. Through semi-structured interviews, these music therapists shared their experience of providing music therapy through the dying process. From the transcripts, five themes emerged which included (a) Relationships, (b) Music as a Container and Catalyst, (c) Autonomy, (d) Ways to Promote a Good Death, and (e) Potential for Harm. While the results of this study cannot be generalized, they do suggest that music therapy has a place within the dying space and may contribute to an individual’s narrative of a good death. Ultimately, a good death is subjective and culturally situated, and at the core we will never know what an individual’s perception was of their own death. There is an unknown to death. It is riddled with esoteric tendencies, but the music therapist can hold a space for the individual and family members that facilitates growth, healing, and transformation from the known to the unknown.<p></p>