Resum

This article describes a gay music therapist’s experiences of working with clients living with HIV and AIDS through improvisation and performance. Sessions were held from 1988 to 1991 at London Lighthouse, a center for people facing the challenge of AIDS. Through descriptions of interactions with clients, as well as an audio extract from an actual session itself, the reader can enter into the realities of the music therapy process, which brings together music and loss. The article emphasizes the personal authenticity of the therapist and its meaning for the therapeutic process, and describes the beginnings of Aesthetic Music Therapy, a music-centered model of practice.