Music Therapy with Persons who are Indigent and Terminally Ill

This paper addresses the music therapy process specific to one subgroup of the general population identified as having terminal illness. This subgroup includes individuals who are impoverished, homeless, and do not have someone to provide them with care at the end of life. Based upon her clinical work at Malachi House, the author identified three distinct phases of the music therapy process with these individuals: engagement, relationship building, and actively dying. The progress of 50 residents through the therapy process was documented over a three-year period, as was the musical and nonmusical content of music therapy sessions. This paper reviews the results of the documentation recorded and offers case examples to represent each phase.