Abstract

Located in Nova Scotia, Canada, Cape Breton Island has a rich and diverse musical history, which includes a well known tradition of using songwriting as a mourning practice. In the cultural mosaic of Canada, individuals seeking music therapy bring unique and diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences. Exploring these inherent cultural practices can offer models for integrating songwriting into the bereavement music therapy session while also informing music therapy training programs and future research. Grounded in a social constructivist epistemology (Hillier, 2016) and using qualitative semi-structured interviews, this study explored the use of songwriting as an expression of grief for three Cape Breton Island songwriters. Utilizing inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), three themes emerged from the data. The first theme, transformative grief journey, reflects how participants experienced personal growth while moving through a unique journey through their grief. Songwriting helped them process a range of emotional responses, provided a safe outlet for difficult feelings, and supported their ability to move forward. The second theme, cultivating connection, highlights how songwriting reduced feelings of isolation and helped participants feel connected to others through sharing their music. The third theme, intrinsic practice, describes how participants trusted the songwriting process and emphasized its cultural importance as an inherent and meaningful way to express grief.