We may be into colder weather now, but thanks to the Hospice Harmonies the warm days of summers in Cape Breton are never far from mind.
In the fall, the group released its latest song “Reflections on a Cape Breton Summer.” The song’s lyrics, written by the group, highlight all the things that make Cape Breton summers special from collecting sea glass to campfires to picking blueberries for pies.
For Mickey MacMullin of Sydney Forks, the song has a special meaning. His late wife Diane was part of the group while she was a patient at Hospice Cape Breton. After she passed away, he and his son Michael continued to come to the group’s sessions to finish the song in her honour.
“She was my inspiration. She was musical, she played the accordion, piano and sang. Everyone, when she started singing, everyone would stop to listen because she sounded just like Anne Murray,” he said. “We’re so proud to be here with them (the group) and to the ones who have gone, we dedicate all this to their memory.”
Hospice Harmonies is a group made up of palliative care staff, volunteers and patients at Hospice Cape Breton.
“We started this weekly session on Wednesday mornings because of the need of the patients here,” said Jill Murphy, music therapist. “We gather and we sing, and we share, and we’re supported. We cry, we laugh, we get to know each other, we get to care deeply about each other.”
Besides singing, the group started to work on projects like creating songbooks. Then one morning in spring 2023, Murphy asked the members if they’d like to try their hand at songwriting. Two and a half-months later, the group released its first song “Springtime in Cape Breton”. The song lyrics highlight what springtime in Cape Breton means to the group’s members while its video includes 130 spring photos submitted by staff and families.
The group’s follow-up song was “The Twelve Cape Breton Days of Christmas.” The lyrics highlight unique Cape Breton Christmas gifts to give your true love while its video includes photos submitted by community members.
For each song the process is similar. The group decides on a theme and then members brainstorm about what it means to them. Inspiration for the lyrics can come from the group members’ experiences, memories or stories. Together, the group works on the lyrics and practices the song until it’s ready to be recorded. From there, Murphy turns the music room at the hospice into a recording studio and each group member records their parts. Some sing, some play instruments and some do both.
“We use music to support folks on this end-of-life journey and the work that we do really depends on their needs,” said Murphy. “That tells me what path we want to choose. Cape Bretoners, specifically I find, we’ve grown up with kitchen parties. We all have a family member who plays the fiddle or the accordion so we know what music can do for us. Lullabies help kids relax or they provide comfort. Dancing gives you that energy and really unites people. Singing in a choir again it makes you feel good, it brings you together. The music that we use has similar benefits and basically what I do is assist them on that journey.”
Videos for Hospice Harmonies' song "Springtime in Cape Breton" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" can be found on YouTube. The recording of "Reflections on a Cape Breton Summer" can be found on the Hospice Palliative Care Society of Cape Breton County website.
