Carers’ experiences of group therapeutic songwriting: An interpretive phenomenological analysis

Supporting carers of people living with dementia to live happy and healthy lives is of international importance. This study aimed to explore carers’ experiences of participating in a creative group songwriting process. Four carers (2 male and 2 female) of people living with dementia participated in four therapeutic group songwriting sessions. Facilitated by two music therapists and support staff, the participants co-created a song that reflected their carer experiences allowing positive and negative perspectives to be represented in the song. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse interviews with the four carers at the end of the programme. A cross-case analysis was performed to identify recurring themes and subthemes. Findings highlight that carers’ experience of the programme went beyond their expectations. They found the collaborative component of co-creating songs was meaningful, and subsequently, the song held meaning for the group. Carers experienced the songwriting process as empowering, having a voice that was heard by genuinely attentive listeners and that they learned about themselves, each other, and the carer journey through the process. This study provides preliminary indications that group songwriting in carer programmes is a worthwhile experience, but further research is needed to understand its impact on wellbeing.