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Victoria Perroni

16:36, Apr 30, 2018

Dear Ned,

What made you decide to tackle this specific problem? I have to say, I was not aware of this market before reading this article, but what you’re doing is impressive!

Two questions. How do you plan on sustaining this project past the years you spoke about above? Is this something that you plan on growing nationally and possibly internationally? Good luck on future endeavors.

Sincerely,
Victoria

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sambhav

00:26, Jul 30, 2017

https://www.minds.com/blog/view/736818900867489799

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Tim Meadows

22:12, Sep 07, 2016

Music does have amazing power with people near end of life.  I recently had the amazing experience of being sung to by the "Threshold Choir" who sang beautiful harmonies while I lay in a chair simulating a patient.  Very moving and powerful experience for me and several others who had a chance to lay in the chair and hear the choir sing to them too.  Patients facing end of life who receive live music from skilled performers are especially blessed while others who hear recorded music played experience similar benefits too. 

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Justine Marsh

22:25, Aug 18, 2016

Hi Ned!  Congratulations on being a Top Idea! I think you absolutely nailed the concept of the power of music in end-of-life care.  Did you know there are highly-trained Board Certified Music Therapists (MT-BCs) who can implement EXACTLY what you have proposed?? Music therapists working in end-of-life care work to establish a relationship with hospice patients and their families through the creation of meaningful music experiences that can include songwriting and creating musical legacies.  Music therapists can also help address bereavement issues and (if appropriate) perform patient works during memorial services. Many music therapists even have additional certification in end-of-life care, and many work with community volunteer musicians to bring additional music to patients and families who may want it.  

If you are interested, check out the American Music Therapy Association (www.musictherapy.org), and the Certification Board for Music Therapists (www.cbmt.org) to find MT-BCs in your area.  

Keep up the great ideas!

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Ozuluonye Shedrack

02:39, Aug 19, 2016

Hi, congratulation as you emerge winner

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OpenIDEO IDEO

15:03, Aug 11, 2016

Congrats on being a Top Idea, Ned! It's been absolutely inspiring to see how you've developed Music at the End of Life to re-imagine the end-of-life experience for ourselves and our loved ones. What an amazing journey it has been. In the coming weeks, we'll be making an official announcement to celebrate you and the other Top Ideas of the End of Life Challenge.



In the meantime, we would love for you to share your story in the upcoming End of Life Impact Phase. The Impact Phase is a space where the OpenIDEO community can share updates on how our projects are progressing beyond the challenge. For reference, here's a template for writing an Impact phase story:http://ideo.pn/1U9DrSN Well done Ned!

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Joy Johnston

07:20, Aug 02, 2016

I love the idea of personalized music being created for those departing this world, and how that music would in turn be used to promote awareness and encourage a greater public conversation on death and dying.

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Cheryl Espinosa-Jones

13:05, Jul 29, 2016

Wow, great graphics to amplify your idea!! And again, beautiful, simple idea. I've been writing a little music for some arts and grief workshops I'm leading and it feels so good to do. Although the musicians might think they are (only) offering service, I'm sure they would end up feeling they got as much as they gave!

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OpenIDEO

14:14, Jul 12, 2016

Welcome to the refinement phase Ned! Here are some key questions and milestones we encourage from all ideas in the Refinement:

1. How might this idea address the unique needs of the target audience you're designing for?
2. Clearly summarize the value offering of your idea in 1-2 sentences
3. Communicate your idea in a visual way with user experience maps http://ideo.pn/UX_Map
4. Identify assumptions that need to be answered in order to validate your value offering: http://bit.ly/1Oi8ZHu
5. Collect feedback from potential partners and users to answer the assumptions you’ve identified.

Lastly, here's a useful tip: When you update the content of your post, it'd be helpful to indicate this in your idea title by adding an extension. For example, you can add the extension " - Update: Experience Maps 07/12" to you idea title. This will be a good way to keep people informed about how your idea is progressing!

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John E

10:06, Jul 28, 2016

I love this new idea. So real and concrete. The ability to make a real impact. I can see it seriously going places. Many places. Overwhelming possibilities.

I have very little experience with actual death right in front of me. As an artist, this is something I would be interested in, but also wary of. For some reason, it feels like the musician also needs to be trained in hospice care or have a degree or something? But that might limit the scope of artists who can become involved. That’s a conundrum.

You bring this up and yes, it’s crucial that a hospice organization gets involved. I think. Or is it? Is what you’re creating a service that contracts itself to various hospices? You have a relationship with various hospices and they offer you as an option to patients (are they called patients?) as they check in? Do they check in?

As far as the creative aspect, that’s a little tricky too. If I were dying and got involved with this, what if the song weren’t any good? :) I guess its existence alone is meaningful? Something after you’re gone? I get that. The concept of writing songs inspired by or based upon the stories of the near dying is wonderful. I would want to do it. Maybe there’s a privacy option for the patient? They write a letter or a story to a songwriter and that songwriter returns a song to them? Meeting is not necessary, but optional? Case by case basis? I see the value in both. Flexibility.

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Lydia Harutoonian

21:43, Jul 27, 2016

This is a PHENOMENAL idea. As a musician who has also midwifed the passing of my own mother, I know too well the excruciating experience of navigating the hospice experience. Not only is it challenging on a personal, existential level, but the way the dying can be treated like faulty machinery from insurance companies, medical establishments and even the funeral home leaves a desperate need for services which offer respect for the personal, human story.  There is so much in the gift of music, whether it's playing songs that the person and their family or friends loved throughout their life and offering emotional relief in that moment, or actually writing a song that captures something for the dying person, at the end of life this offers such a profound kind of love, attention, and kindness that is sometimes even difficult for caretakers to offer because they are so overwhelmed but all they have to hold and sort through.  I don't have much structural feedback, but just want to heartily back up Ned in this project. He is a bright beacon in his community, and I know would put a passion, love, and authenticity behind this project that would be infectious for anyone who participated in it with him. Music is a brilliant way to help folks metabolize all that can come with the end-of-life experience. It would be medicine put to good use, and would be a gift for both artist and patient alike.  

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Joanna Spoth

09:04, Jul 27, 2016

Hi Ned! I wanted to quickly share some feedback we recently received from our sponsors and advisory panel The part of your idea that stood out of the most to Alex Drane, on our Advisory Panel, was that out-of-work musicians could come in and write a song specifically for the dying person. There's something so genuine and caring about the mixing of those two things.
 

We look forward to seeing the exciting progress your idea will make during this last week of the Refinement phase!

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Anisse

16:54, Jul 26, 2016

I love this idea. As a writer who has participated at several of Ned's YG2D events, I can testify to the impact that it's had not only in my life, but in the life of this community. The artists and musicians who have been invited to participate in the shows have broadened my own ideas about the experience of death and dying, and have made me more invested in the larger conversation. My mother is a hospice nurse and longtime hospice educator and has always stressed the important role that music plays in the dying process. She has been an advocate for incorporating music into the world of hospice, and I can't wait to see this project take hold. 

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Cheryl Espinosa-Jones

13:58, Jul 26, 2016

Hi Ned, As you can imagine I LOVE this idea! The last week of my first wife's life, I hardly spoke at all- I sang everything to her. I sang for my dad, and for my mom. The idea that we could make it a creative project in the broader community... and make one on one connections is really wonderful. Thanks for it.

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Paul Ennis

Edited on 08:46, Jul 26, 2016

Ned - A powerful and deep idea. Clearly, the feedback/comments from the musicians themselves paints a lovely picture. As things unfold I'd like to keep our dialogue going 'cuz my emphasis on the Home Death Care-focused end-of-life-experience fits so perfectly and intimately with 'Music at the End of Life'. I believe HDCR could provide increased visibility, public awareness, networking and cross-pollination to your efforts/ideas through the programs, website, YouTube channel, twitter feed, etc., that are being created at this time via Home Death Care Resources. BTW, if you'd like to add me/HDCR to your team please feel free to do so. Your thoughts? - PWE

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Tom Rhodes

12:28, Jul 11, 2016

Having some personal experience with this I can say that performing under these circumstances takes a certain kind of musician. Being with someone in hospice is overwhelming experience. Hospice is generally for the very end stages of an illness, and the time available would be very short, often under 72 hours. The performers would need to be able, and available on a very short notice. Writing a song about someone specifically could take more time than they have left.

Here are my suggestions based on those observations. 
1. I would use the original compositions for fundraising mostly. There will be times when people can and will make music about the person that they are playing for, but I think that would be the exception and not the rule. That would make that music more for the families of the departed rather than the person in hospice.
2. Playing music that the person is familiar with and enjoys can do wonders, so gathering information from family or the person in hospice  would go a long way towards creating a joyful experience. I would also recommend having musicians who are good at learning songs quickly and adapting to different styles. 
3. I would recommend having a large number of musicians available for scheduling. This will be the hardest part I believe. I'm not sure how many musicians will be able or willing to do this type of performance. I have played at a number of funerals and spent time with people in hospice, each one of those events was a real kick in the gut. Death doesn't always mean great sadness, but it is an incredibly intense experience. There will need to be some sort of protocol for preparing artist for the experience and for decompressing afterwards.
4. It might be an idea that works well with a single visit to a hospice wing of a hospital/care facility by a few performers at once. Each one with a diverse ability to perform different types of music, including religious and and non-religious music at the patients request. 

All in all I think that this is a beautiful idea, and I would love to see what comes of it. I would consider though that having a performance in a safe venue where we discuss and intellectualize the experience of death is very different than being there when it is happening. I would strongly recommend making sure that each artist involved understands this and has some type of experience before their first performance. 

Team

Chelsea Coleman

23:43, Jul 12, 2016

I'm more and more inspired by this idea as it takes shape.  From the perspective of a musician, I want to chime in on this idea of Making Meaning at the end of life.  The bigger goal that Ned writes about above, in my mind, not only includes making meaning for the people who are dying and their loved ones, but also for the musicians. Singing for dying people is most meaningful thing I've ever done with my music.  Creating a channel for individuals who otherwise might not have much contact with dying people, to participate in the movement toward bringing death out of the shadows and back in its place of honor and care.  So in my mind, this is for everyone.  For the dying, their loved ones, for the musicians, and for the audience of the work created through this process.   It's an extension of what is already going on at the You're Going To Die events, where we let songs, stories, talk of death and grief inhabit the room with us.  It's part of the movement to bring death into the awareness of more people, in increasingly authentic ways.

To continue my thoughts about the musicians specifically.. It can be difficult sometimes, as a songwriter and performer to feel like we are offering something of value.  Writing songs for a dying person's enjoyment, comfort, legacy is meaningful in a more concrete way. Offering a person a song lets both the dying person and the writer feel seen and heard in a way that maybe neither of them have felt.  The possibility for human connection and expansion of our capacity for compassion is huge.  

As for logistics.. I like the idea of piggy backing on a training program already in place through a hospice organization, or having musicians accompanied by trained nurses or volunteers.  I would hope we can come up with an easeful way for musicians to get on board.  As in- not too much hassle. I'd love to keep the process face-to-face and without a ton of forms or formalities.  But I understand some of that will be needed.  I just envision it being a very people-oriented organization, where everyone involved can easily get ahold of someone within the org to talk to about any issues or needs that may arise.

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Scott Ferreter

14:04, Jul 15, 2016

This project would take something that so many musicians privately do and it would build infrastructure around it so that its impacts can be felt more fully, more publicly, and across a broader population. As a musician who has inadvertently become specialized in playing in end-of-life and funeral situations, I can say that the potential here is tremendous, and the need for infrastructure is dire. I have been invited by hospice workers to play for their patients, and while it was very healing and beautiful for everyone involved, it was also draining because of the extent to which we were all winging it. Having a community with varying levels of experience would go a long way in getting uncomfortable and unnecessary snafus out from inbetween the humans and the music. 
        One thing that feels important to say is that the musicians would need to be performers (not just songwriters) and have a great sense of humor. Inviting a family and dying patient to feel more deeply is only helpful so long as that performer (and their hospice support network) are able to hold space for the depth of feeling that comes up, and part of that means being able to express the full range of human emotions. I've found humor to be more important in this setting than any other.
        Zoe Boekbinder is a musician who leads songwriting workshops in prisons and then tours the songs that she co-writes with the prisoners. She calls herself a human tape recorder, since recording devices aren't allowed in prison. I think a similar project is needed for the sacred spaces created around the dying, and this is it.
         I definitely think that the original compositions based on the lives of the dying should be secondary to playing music (both original songs and those chosen by the patient). The idea of having one's story put into a song and performed would scare off a lot of people whose process could be greatly deepened with some simple strumming and singing. The possibility of writing a song should be suggested as an option down-the-line only if the patient or family desire it.
       I feel you're on the brink of something hugely transformative, Ned. Thanks for being brave enough to dream this big. I'm going to pass this on to Kathy Herrfeldt, who owns an end-of-life care business in Sacramento and who has asked me to play for patients dear to her heart.

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Silvi Alcivar

15:50, Jul 15, 2016

this project feels so worthy of time and attention and space to open up what music translates of hearts and spirit that sometimes just words can't. 

teaming up with hospice to train people seems a great idea. no need to completely reinvent wheels and it anyone doing this work will want and need some training in holding space and being present with what's in the room, especially if they don't have experience with death and dying. 

resolution care (located in humboldt county) is an organization that works with people at the end of life and may be a great resource for support and guidance as this project builds itself into being. 

also strikes me there could be partnership between musicians and writers and therapists and counselors--people who have experience honing in on stories and holding emotional/complex experiences in the service of healing. 

thank you for pursuing this project. excited to see it come to light. 

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Brett Cline

16:13, Jul 18, 2016

this is a fantastic idea! ned's work has been critical in opening the conversation of "death and dying" amongst living circles of artist, musician's and their supporters. this seems like a natural extension of his work, as it now would bring those same musician's into the realm of hospice care... and sharing their music with those who are dying.

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Mansoor Fassihi

11:09, Jul 08, 2016

Hey Ned, 

What a brilliant idea! Immediately what popped into my mind is a kind of musical theater performance. Perhaps the musicians could work with the families to recapture some of their fondest memories of the individual in theatrical form (along with a soundtrack). This would be another way for those grieving to express their love for the individual. Of course you would need trained actors and rehearsals, but I think this could be both a poignant and playful way of commemorating and communicating what the person dying has meant to them. 

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christina

01:46, Jul 08, 2016

Dear Ned

You are probably already aware of the various Music Thanology organisations and trainings, but just in case a few quick links:
http://www.mtai.org/
http://harptherapycampus.com/
http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ehsl-GerInt/id/58

Great Idea!!

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Ken Rosenfeld

11:28, Jul 03, 2016

Hey Ned, this is a fabulous, powerful idea and one that's worthy of pursuing further.  I'd love to brainstorm about how a business model might be developed to make sure the artists' time was appropriately compensated. God knows musicians deserve it....

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alexandra

08:40, Jun 27, 2016

What a truly spectacularly beautiful idea.  Just breathtaking.  Hat is off.  Hope we can find a way to support you, and this.  

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Silvi Alcivar

13:52, Jun 23, 2016

love this! powerful and affecting. truly a way to call in healing and community and bridge between beauty and the unknown. 

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Bettina Fliegel

Edited on 05:20, Jun 19, 2016

    Hi Ned.  Great idea! I like the idea of working with people overtime.  Have you considered working with the patients to facilitate their own songwriting in addition to the artists writing songs for them, about them?   When I read your post I was reminded of the work that Carnegie Hall does in communities in which many do not have access to music.  -   “Musical Connections”   -   I am familiar with their work within the juvenile justice system in NYC.  I am a physician and have been working within this system.  Musicians from Carnegie Hall come in over a period of time each year to do songwriting workshops with the youth. At the end there is a show.  Each young artist performs.  I have had the opportunity to be in the audience, and wow!
    I spoke to one of the musicians last year and she shared that they do other community projects. I checked the website. Two other projects are: working with elderly in senior housing, and working with patients in the healthcare system.   Not end of life per se but there might be things to learn from this model?
    I skimmed the Handbook, (last link below) and learned a bit about the program structure.  Artists are contracted, and there is a professional development component.  I read on one of the links that the program is collaborating with other organizations across the country,  some in California.

http://www.carnegiehall.org/Education/Musical-Connections/

Working with the elderly in senior housing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaQsi8lLGMQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0leBnc08vM

Working within Jacobi Hospital, Bronx, New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R3CRiADG-w

Handbook
https://www.carnegiehall.org/uploadedFiles/Resources_and_Components/PDF/WMI
/Resources_Musical%20Connections_Handbook.pdf

   I like your thoughts on maybe including visual arts in the program.  Drawing with music, using rhythm  to inform mark making is a lot of fun.  Maybe combine both artistic expressions sometimes as well?

Looking forward to watching this develop!

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Scott Shigeoka

12:48, Jun 20, 2016

Hey Ned Buskirk really love this idea. I was a music writer in the USA and Europe for a while, and I was sharing your idea with a writer at the SF Chronicle / SF Gate. She said if you ever got to the point of having a concrete story of connecting a musician and a patient, she might be interested in finding a writer to craft a piece about it. This could be really inspiring for so many people, and it's such a great idea. Just wanted to let you know as an extra incentive if you're deciding whether to take your idea to action, and manifest it into a functioning project in the Bay Area.

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Morgan Meinel

Edited on 16:57, Jun 18, 2016

Ned Buskirk ! My goodness. What a beautiful and well constructed idea. And to know that so many other musicians are on board with this - how remarkable. I feel optimist about this project - it really seems like it's something that could be realistically implemented into a hospital setting. I would like to personally hire you to play songs for me during my dying process!

Perhaps some things to consider - (Coming from a nursing/healthcare perspective here) You had mentioned volunteer training. I think this is a wonderful idea. There are end-of-life doula and volunteer programs that the musicians could potentially take (these vary in the duration of the program). I know when we have music therapy at the hospital, not all of the musicians are volunteer or hospice trained, but I really think they would benefit from it. Also, if the musicians are sharing such intimate conversation and developing relationships with these dying individuals, it's important to keep in mind that the musicians should have extra support and care available to them. Spending time with this particular population of people can be quite emotionally challenging. That would be something to consider.

This is such a great idea! Thank you for sharing, and I hope to see more come of it as I think it would be so beneficial for our patients and individuals going through the end of life experience. 

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Don Reznicek

12:51, Jun 20, 2016

 What an amazing and inspirational idea!
I hope this one wins.

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Chelsea Coleman

22:39, Jun 18, 2016

Wow, I am so excited about this possibility as a musician. I've had the call for awhile now to sing to dying people and I've been patiently paying attention to how this might weave into my life in a way that feels natural and functional for me, as working parent of a toddler.  I had the incredible honor of singing for my grandpa as he died a few years ago, and when I reflect on that day, I think it might be the most I mportant thing I've done in my life thus far (or at least on par with giving birth!)  It's a strange feeling.  It just surpassed all previous moments of meaningfulness in my musical offerings.  Death is a sacred time that has been pushed to the  shadows of our culture, behind doors, away from the living.  It doesn't need to be that way.  Death is a part of all of us.  I'm so happy to be a part of this movement toward honoring the dying time of a persons life. 

An important structural aspect of this idea for me, is that musicians, artists, poets can participate in a way that is sustainable for them and their families. It is a joy to volunteer, and it is also not realistic for a lot of artists who have so much to offer. If set up as a non-profit, this organization could raise funds form a variety of sources to cover compensation for artists.  

Wow. Again, I'm just so excited about this! It is an answer to a very real need in our community. 

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Anne-Laure Fayard

04:58, Jun 19, 2016

Very interesting idea Ned and that resonates that a couple of research posts.
You might want to check this story: https://challenges.openideo.com/challenge/end-of-life/research/when-everyone-stops-to-care-for-a-sick-teenager
and this one too: https://challenges.openideo.com/challenge/end-of-life/research/music-and-loss
It's great to see that you can even do a light prototype.
I'm also wondering if you could not look at other models such as organizations organizing events / activities for children in hospitals. Check for example: http://childrensnational.org/choose-childrens/deciding-on-care/support-for-families/clown-care
and http://onlymakebelieve.org/what/
I assume that they might have some answers to your questions.
Looking forward to reading about the prototype!

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Chris Lee

11:58, Jun 18, 2016

Hi Ned,

I really like this idea and how it celebrates and normalizes even as it grieves.
One of the strong points to me is the human interaction aspect. Dying sets one apart and the core of your idea seems to be reintegrating that person. 
Seeing as getting enough volunteer time is a key barrier, is there a way to extend the core idea of human interaction to other modalities aside from music while still using the basic approach you developed with music? That might open the resource pool considerably.

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Ali Sperling

20:26, Jun 17, 2016

an incredible idea with such powerful possibilities for those at the end of life. music holds so much potential and maintains a person's creativity at a time when it can be difficult to imagine doing, as well as a sense of shared experience that only making and listening to music together can foster. love this idea.

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Maike Gericke

14:43, Jun 18, 2016

This idea sounds really great! Just earlier today I read some report on the neuroscience behind drumming and being exposed to music, it includes a video in the end which mentions that an alzheimer patient was able to remember names when being exposed to music:  
http://iheartintelligence.com/2015/12/23/neuroscience-drummers/
I immediately had to think of this and think maybe this is another aspect to consider: How can music help to ease pain and improve cognitive function with people that are suffering from diseases in the end of their life? 
It would be greatif this idea could be connected with people that are doing research/ projects in this area.

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James D'Albora

17:05, Jun 17, 2016

What a beautiful gift to the world this would be.  I can't imagine a better way to spend my last moments, or to honor my loved ones.  The world needs this.

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Danny Scuderi

10:32, Jun 17, 2016

This is powerful and meaningful. I love the idea of transitioning into death accompanied by music. 

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Desiree Lyons

10:45, Jun 17, 2016

Brilliant. I love how this concept fosters soulful expression around death and grief. What an intimate gift and honor for the dying and their loved ones.  

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Amy

11:34, Jun 17, 2016

I love this idea, Ned, especially the composing of songs specifically for patients. Volunteers and music therapists bringing music to patients are out there, but I've always thought there's potential to do so much more. Are you familiar with the Threshold Choir? They sing by the bedside of patients "at the threshold." The founder of the organization once talked about singing to the dying as being an instinctive and ancient practice, that just like mothers (and fathers) sing lullabies to their babies, we have an instinct to soothe the dying with song. I've felt that in my own work with dying patients (and with my own mom). Often when it's no longer possible -- or it becomes very difficult -- for patients to talk or move much, they can listen and be comforted by music. Look forward to seeing where this goes.

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Lacy Telles-Hairstylist

12:40, Jun 17, 2016

I'm intrigued. What about loved ones who want to get involved, but don't have musical talent? What would be a concrete way they could contribute? Would musicians be willing to work for free? I find it hard for people to willingly volunteer their time, so I would worry that musicians would commit but then bail when life gets busy. Thought provoking and inspiring.

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Sara Buskirk

09:56, Jun 17, 2016

Yes. This.

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Shane Zhao

15:06, Jun 16, 2016

Ned, this is an amazing idea! Have you already done anything like this through your YG2D events? I'm glad to see you're building on Brad's Sara's Got A Sunbeam . Brad Wolfe would definitely be interested in helping you make this happen!

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OpenIDEO

09:32, Jun 17, 2016

Congrats on this being today's Featured Contribution!

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Scott Ferreter

19:16, Jun 16, 2016

Magnificent!!! Before my dad died, the owner of my favorite music shop told me, "son, it will be one of the honors of your life to play music for your father on his death bed." He was so right, and I want everyone to have music filling the air when they die, creating a place for the feelings to go and be held. Beautiful vision, Ned.