An Art to Comfort the Dying with Jennifer Hollis (part 1 of 2-part episode)

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There is a little-known branch of the performing arts that brings harp and vocal music to the bed side of the dying. It’s called music-thanatology. In this part 1 episode with music-thanatologist Jennifer Hollis, she shares what music-thanatology is and the amazing discoveries she made about the field researching her book about the power of music in medicine.

Jennifer Hollis is a writer, music-thanatologist and project director for Harps of Comfort, an organization that provides virtual harp and vocal music to isolated COVID-19 patients. Jennifer is the author of Music at the End of Life: Easing the Pain and Preparing the Passage. Her essays and articles have appeared in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Harvard Review, and her poems have won international awards. She has been a certified music-thanatologist offering harp and vocal music to patients for decades and was president of Music-Thanatology Association International for 6 years. Stories about her work have appeared on NPR, in the Boston Globe, and several podcasts. She has a degree in child development and a master of divinity from Harvard Divinity School.

This episode is part 1 of a two-part series about Jennifer

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