Directed by Garry Beitel
Deborah Salmon has worked as a music therapist with the terminally ill since 1984. Featuring her work in the Palliative Care Unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital, On Wings of Song shows how a skilled music therapist may help a diverse group of patients find spiritual and emotional nourishment during their last days.
By calling upon the knowledge of a wide range of musical instruments and styles, a music therapist is able to forge a strong emotional connection with a patient. One tired, elderly patient is awakened from her lethargy and surprises us with the vigor of her song. A younger woman finds pleasure in improvising lyrics to a familiar tune. Adult children gather at their mother's bedside to sing favorite hymns. This poignant and inspiring film captures moments of humor, celebration and joy made possible through music.
Review
~ "Music seems to speak to the person in the patient. It somehow creates a sacred space in which we can together explore what is meaningful." - Deborah Salmon
Notes
~ American Psychiatric Association, 2000
~ American Society on Aging, 2000
|