For Rebecca McDonald, watching the demeanour of a palliative care patient change as she strummed the notes and belted the lyrics of a classic Patsy Cline tune is what inspired her to be a music therapist.
As a teenager, she would accompany her mother — an intensive care nurse — to play in an open common room at a hospital in Peterborough, Ont.
She describes one interaction with a grumpy older man as being the impetus for her career aspirations.
“His reaction was the most dramatic reaction I’ve ever seen to music,” said McDonald, detailing how the man went from appearing
