Texas Woman’s University music professor leads another grief support group

DENTON, TX (CBSDFW.COM) “There will be a special therapy every Thursday afternoon for the next few months in one of the choir rooms at Texas Woman’s University Denton.

Led by Dr. Lauren DiMaio, Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at TWU, The Grieving Choir, as she calls it, aims to help any grieving person overcome their emotions through singing and music.

Dr. DiMaio said, “Grieving is lonely… you need to find a community and a voice – the choir just makes sense to me. We have a choir where people mourn and they can bring a song in honor of the person who died and that we sing it together.”

The idea for the program comes from DiMaio’s longstanding work exploring the intersection of grief and music as a coping mechanism.

She says that the current TWU Grief Choir is the fourth one she has led.

Every Thursday they open their doors to anyone who wants to come share the grief and work to overcome feelings of depression and sadness one song at a time.

Leah Pritchett recently lost her grandmother Patsy and decided to take part in the program.

She added, “There’s something really special about being able to do this with other people who are in space.”

Gabby Carr, a music student, joined the band after recently losing her cousin Joe.

She said, “My cousin Joe passed away very early. He was only 35 years old. Yes, he is here with me today.

Carr spoke about the benefits of grief choir therapy, saying, “The collective experience and the very understanding nature of everyone in the room, combined with the music and singing together, was really powerful, I felt.”

According to Dr. DiMaio, the connection for everyone who joins the choir is always a loss.

She adds that grief is an obstacle they are trying to overcome, and according to her, music serves as a means to achieve the peace they are all looking for.

Dr. DiMaio said: “Anyone can grieve. It’s really a common thing, but we don’t know who is mourning, and people can come to the mourning choir and take part while listening.”

Grieving Choir classes are open to anyone who feels they need help coping with the loss of a loved one.

Program administrators simply ask that you call the music department ahead of time so they know you are expected.