The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada is investing $25,000 to study the impact of live music at the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.
For the past eight years, the hospice has hosted an open musical jam program for musicians living with a life-altering illness every Wednesday afternoon.
Held weekly, it is an alternative for local musicians who can no longer attend local music venues. Some, because of their illness, can no longer carry heavy music equipment or attend jam sessions that are held later at night.
Hospice provides all the basic equipment, including a PA system, drum kit, and keyboard, and the ensuing jam sessions are the only ones of their kind in a Canadian hospice setting.
Michael Bennett, a clinical social worker at the hospice in Windsor, will conduct the study exploring the role of live musical performance in promoting the personal and social well-being of the musicians who take part. There has been no research to date on the subject.
It will be carried out in three phases. In the first, a jam session will be videotaped. Musicians will be interviewed on the role music plays in their lives and how they cope with their illness in the second phase. Finally, the musicians will take part in a focus group interview.
It is hoped the study will shed light on how live performance can positively impact musicians and will lay the foundation for future studies involving other hospices across the country.
