ABSTRACT
This chapter presents two different case examples of songwriting in music therapy using rap as a music landscape. Both cases are with women with cancer and they highlight the diversity of the medium across demographics of age and experience. The first case example is with an individual and the second is with a group. The case examples explore the use of rap as an appropriate musical landscape in a specialized songwriting method, its value in stimulating further creation of lyrics, and its role in performance. The second case example challenges our preconceived ideas of who are consumers of rap music and who will relate easily to the genre. I will begin by briefly laying out the medical and psychosocial background on cancer and its treatment and the role of songwriting in music therapy with this population. A detailed explanation of the specialized songwriting method I use follows and then the two cases are presented.
