NHPCO NewsLine Summer 2019 - 33

Joy in a Teardrop Launches New Music Project Inspired by
Hospice and Palliative Care
Proceeds from Joy in a Teardrop will Support National
Hospice Foundation
NHPCO is proud to be working on
an exciting project using music to
express the essence of compassion
and caring as experienced by
hospice and palliative care
professionals, Joy in a Teardrop:
The Hospice Music Project.
This project was initiated with the
creation of the song, Joy in a
Teardrop, which was written as
part of a songwriting workshop
at NHPCO's Interdisciplinary
Conference in November 2018 in
New Orleans. Led by GRAMMY
award winning songwriter Tricia
Walker and John Mulder, hospice
professionals shared reflections
of their work and put words to
the many emotions experienced in
caring for those at life's end.
Walker and Mulder shaped those
words and added music to bring
Joy in a Teardrop to life.
Joy in a Teardrop was
subsequently recorded by Walker
and Mulder, and is available for
purchase from Amazon, iTunes
and Spotify music services as well
as in CD single from the NHPCO
Marketplace. All proceeds from
sale of the song will go to support
the work of the National Hospice
Foundation, NHPCO's
philanthropic affiliate.
Following the recording of the song,
NHPCO staff added photographs
that have been shared by member

original songs, just as Walker and
Mulder did with the original song.

hospices to create a video version
of Joy in a Teardrop that is
available on YouTube.
"It is a wonderful statement of the
beauty and poignancy of the work
that we all do in caring for people
at the end of life," said co-creator
John Mulder, MD, who is a hospice
and palliative medicine specialist as
well as a musician.
Spurred on by the hospice
community's positive response to
Joy in a Teardrop, NHPCO is
launching a new program, Joy in a
Teardrop: The Hospice Music
Project, which will result in a full
album of songs that reflect the
experience of hospice
professionals in the work that they
do - the joys, sorrows, difficult
and challenging times, and even
the lighthearted and humorous
moments that are a part of
everyday end-of-life experiences.
Joy in a Teardrop: The Hospice
Music Project, will be led by Tricia
Walker and John Mulder, they will
be assisted by other
highly decorated
songwriters, including
Beth Nielsen Chapman
and Marcus Hummon.
These writers will take
the thoughts and ideas
provided by hospice
and palliative care
professionals and craft

Call to Get Involved
NHPCO invites members of the
hospice and palliative care
community to share ideas with the
project's creative team - perhaps
just a word or phrase, maybe a
concept or thought, or even a
meaningful story or vignette. It
may be your experience, the
experience of a patient or family, or
something that was shared by a
coworker. They can be incomplete
and scattered thoughts - we'd just
like your reflections on this work
that we all cherish.
You can submit your ideas at
music@nhpco.org. If you have any
questions about the project, you
can also submit those to the same
address, and we'll respond to you.
"We feel that this project will be
one more effective way of
communicating the sacredness of
our work and establishing a
testament of our wonderful
legacy," added Mulder.

Find Joy in a Teardrop on YouTube.

Newsline / Summer 2019

33
https://www.youtube.com/embed/JrH_z-DlFKY https://www.nationalhospicefoundation.org/ https://www.nationalhospicefoundation.org/
NHPCO NewsLine Summer 2019

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