Developing a group voice through the grief journey: the Grief Choir

摘要

I have my own grief to sing, but I don’t have to sing it alone. The CarePartners Grief Choir sings these words asna celebration of the support, compassion, and bonds they have discovered and developed through unitingntheir voices in the musical expression of their grief. The Grief Choir has created a therapeutic space wherengrievers may share the experiences of their grief journeys with each other – and with the community –nthrough re-creative music experiences. Through this integrated form of musical expression, groupnmembers find new voices, witness and acknowledge each others’ pain, find meaning together in bothntheir pain and their joy, reinvest in life, access inner resources, learn how to take care of themselves,ndecrease feelings of isolation, remember and honor the persons who died, and continue bonds with thenpersons who died. This study reviews the use of music therapy with adult grievers, explains the theoreticalnfoundation of the Grief Choir, describes various dynamic forces within the choir, illustrates variousninterventions, and examines challenges encountered in the choir. A vignette is shared which reveals thenbenefits of the choir, and excerpts from an original composition from the Grief Choir are included.