Therapeutic chorale for persons with chronic mental illness: a descriptive survey of participant experiences

The purpose of this survey was to assess the relationship between participation in a bilingual therapeutic performance choir and the reported quality of life for persons living with a chronic psychiatric illness. The participants were 16 volunteers who ranged in age from 32-65, had a diagnosis of a major mental illness, and were members of an existing choir within a psychiatric outpatient department of a large urban general hospital. Participants completed a self-reported quality of life questionnaire designed by the researcher using Likert scales, a check list, and qualitative questions. Results demonstrated that aspects of participants' lives that they perceived were most positively affected by choir membership included self-esteem, emotional expression, mood alteration, coping with stress, comfort level within in the group, and the establishment of a regular routine. Implications for the use of choirs as a therapeutic medium and limitations of the study were discussed.