What's up everybody? This is Paula Phelps and you are listening to on a positive note,

where I sit down with a songwriter, recording artist, or music insider to learn how music can

lift our spirits and heal our hearts. Death is inevitable, but as with many things in life,

music can change how people experience the journey.

Today I'm sitting down with Jan Stanley to talk about Threshold Choirs,

an international movement in which a trio sings healing and comforting songs for people who are nearing the end of their lives.

Jan, a longtime Threshold Choir member, explains how sharing songs at this uncertain time not only brings comfort to the dying and their family members, but can be transformational

for the singers as well.

Let's take a listen.

Jan, thank you so much for being with me here today.

Hi, Paula.

It's so good to see you again and to be together and to talk about something

really special and meaningful. Well, I cannot believe we haven't had this conversation sooner

because you're the person who introduced me to the idea of Threshold Choirs, and that was

probably six years ago that you first told me about that. And we talked about it then. And I just

think it's so fascinating. Can you tell everyone what a Threshold Choir is and what they do?

Absolutely. So Threshold Choirs are choirs of predominantly women, although that's expanding, who sing for those at end of life and their loved

ones. So picture someone on hospice who's at home or someone who's in an inpatient hospice care

or even in a skilled facility like a hospital, nursing care, et cetera.

And the end is drawing near.

And there are so many uncertainties for the person who's at end of life, of course,

no one knows what the great mystery is beyond this life we're living now.

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