In a quiet room, a woman lies in a zero-gravity lawn chair, covered with a blanket. Her eyes are closed. Three people sit near her. Softly, one of the three begins to sing; her voice is gentle, the song serene. The other two join their voices to hers—first in unison, then in three-part harmony. The effect is ethereal, and the woman lying in the chair begins to weep quietly.
About the Threshold Choir
This scene is part of a regular Tuesday-morning practice for the Comox Valley Threshold Choir, the local chapter of an international organization of volunteers who sing soothing songs at the bedsides of the dying.
When they sing to those at a life threshold, they do so in small groups of two to four. But once a week, the choir members practice together by singing for each other. They also receive specialized training around death and grief.
“Music helps us to take time to pause and reflect, to feel into what’s really going on, and to connect with the present moment.”
The singers don’t take requests; instead, they sing gentle, non-religious pieces from the Threshold Choir’s repertoire. These lullabies have been composed to communicate “ease, comfort, and presence” to the dying person. They are offered as “gentle blessings, not as entertainment.” A typical session of this “song medicine” is about 20 minutes long, although family members may continue singing after choir members leave.
Dying can be a devastating, confusing, and stressful time for both the patient and the caregiver. It can be full of exhausting busy-ness: medications, food, hygiene needs, people coming and going, appointments, phone calls. In all this activity, it can be difficult to stay present for what is really happening.
“Music helps us to take time to pause and reflect, to feel into what’s really going on, and to connect with the present moment. This can be a profound—and easily overlooked—experience,” the local choir’s director, Shasta Martinuk, explains. “And this gift is what the Threshold Choir is all about.”
Singing at Bedsides Across the Valley
Martinuk lists the many venues where the choir is of service. “We sing at private homes, and at the bedsides of people living in hospice. We also go regularly to the local care facilities, like Glacier View Lodge. The staff will bring people who are suffering and agitated into the room where we are waiting. Once we begin to sing, a calm settles over the room and everything slowly becomes really peaceful and quiet.”
Tuesday’s practice is over. The singers thank each other and the director as they put furniture back and fold up the zero-gravity chair. Three singers will see each other later in the week at a care facility where they have been called to sing at the bedside of a dying man. They arrange carpooling and decide on the repertoire.
Another small group will sing at the Death Café, a monthly local gathering, run by the Comox Valley Hospice Society, that provides a space for candid discussions about death.
“All of us in the choir have experience with deep grief. And we all live by the saying: ‘The best medicine for despair is service.’”
Others won’t see each other until next week’s practice. It’s clear that the choir members love what they do. Their slogan is: “Our voices are our gift; there is no charge.” And yet, since the pandemic, the choir has been underutilized in the Valley. “The number of requests for our services has gone way down,” Martinuk says. “It’s sad, because we know the need is still there.”
As one member says, “All of us in the choir have experience with deep grief. And we all live by the saying: ‘The best medicine for despair is service.’” Looking at the smiling faces of the choir members as they head home, it seems this is true.
How to Request Threshold Choir
To request a Threshold Choir service, or simply to have a chat and learn more, call Gilly at 250-601-0116. There is no need to plan ahead—in most cases, a group can be ready to sing within a couple of hours. Visit https://thresholdchoir.org/comoxvalley/ to learn more.
