Maggie Williams, MT-BC

05/01/2026

As a music therapist working in hospice, the subject of death comes up often. With that comes discussions about spiritually and religion. Using spiritual music that is meaningful to the patient is a way to support the patient’s religious milieu and bring comfort during the transition from life to death.
Due to my location, I most often see patients that either identify as Christian or are not religious at all. Whenever I come across a patient requested song (religious or secular) that I do not know, I take the time to learn it in order to better serve the patient.
I do not disclose my faith in sessions unless it is a point of connection with the patient. For many of my patients, the music they find to be spiritual is often secular.
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What music do you find spiritual?

04/15/2026

04/15/2026

04/15/2026

This article about the harm music can cause is extremely poignant as music therapists are professionals that are trained to identify when music is contraindicated. Music Therapists serve patients in a way that musicians are not able to. We assess the patient, their situation, and the environment and we utilize music as a tool. Not as a distraction or as entertainment.

Music can heal, but it can also harm. It’s time to stop assuming otherwise. https://ebx.sh/MPCGah

04/08/2026

How do music therapists use recorded music in a session?
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Some music therapists may choose to use pre-recorded music in a session for a specific reason and to help achieve a therapeutic goal. In the case of hospice music therapy, I typically have a discussion with my patients about music preferences as a way to build rapport with the patient. Using the iPad to listen to a song together can trigger the patients memory, but it also allows us to look at the lyrics together and analyze their meaning.
That being said, music therapists provide a lot more than just music listening. Receiving music therapy services is not the same as listening to Spotify, as MT-BCs are trained to tailor interventions to reach goals. While much of music therapy includes live music interventions, recorded music also has a place in sessions.

03/28/2026

The 20th Hannahversary has made me reflect on the girl I was growing up watching Hannah Montana. I think she would think that my job now is pretty cool.
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It’s easy to get bogged down and discouraged in the field of music therapy. It isn’t easy always having to advocate and defend your profession to others. Our field has a long way to go in terms of access for professionals and for the clients we serve, but today I am feeling very thankful that I discovered music therapy while researching for a high school science fair project.
Little me would love to know I’m still singing. This is the life.

03/26/2026

Hello everybody!
Something you may not know about me is that I teach Music Together ECH music classes twice a week. Our next 10 week semester starts back up on Tuesday!
I will put more information in my bio!

03/17/2026

Recently, I posted about getting into Graduate School.
Going back to school to become a Licensed Professional Counselor has been a long time dream of mine, but I knew I wanted to work solely as a music therapist before committing to another degree.
I’m now over 2 years out of school and ready to take the leap!
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I fully intend to keep working as a music therapist, but I am excited to incorporate more of a focus on mental health as I continue my education.

03/11/2026

Back with another day in the life as a music therapist!
I got some exciting news about grad school on this day that I will be talking about more in my next post!
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If you’re interested in learning more about Dr. DiMaio’s Grief Choirs, click the link in my bio.

03/10/2026

A longer Day in the Life video today…
This one shows what working in hospice is like when a patient dies. I have not had many patients that I was close to die yet, so this one felt a little different.
In between sessions, I was able to pause and listen to a podcast I like to “refill my cup” before the next session. Luckily, I also had non-patient care tasks on the schedule and that helped me to compartmentalize the rest of my day.
Being a music therapist can be fun, but it can also be emotionally draining. Sometimes I get to be the joy of remembering an old song. Other days, I sit with family members in their grief. On this particular day, we got the rain and the sunshine. 🌦️

03/05/2026

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As a hospice music therapist, I witness death and decline frequently. When I tell people what I do, I am often asked how I handle death in my every day life. Working in hospitals and in hospice has changed my perspective on death for the better. Death is a part of life and I am there to assist people in this transition.

In order to be there for my patients , I also have to take care of myself. Working in this population is not for everyone, but I have found what works for me. These are some of the ways that I invest time in myself.