You know, you might also want to check out some of the belly dance tribes, especially the ones that are geared towards music. Maybe some of the ladies who are part of or who have surrounded themselves in the culture could shed some light.

There is the possibility that it has something to do with Islam.

In Islam one finds that music is not encouraged. There are exceptions, of course. Indeed, there are Muslim musicians of such accomplishment and prowess (Nusrat Fateh Ali khan comes to mind) that the degree of their artistry is staggering, and can be compared to the incredible achievements of architecture and poetry to be found everywhere in the Islamic world.

One would think that the reasons for music being frowned upon by much of the Islamic world have to do with repression, but this is not the case. The primary reason is that in many ways Islam can be looked upon as a "Sonic Theology" in that the Qur'an is a form of sound par excellence ( www.youtube.com/watch ) whose melodic and expressive quality is unparalleled to those that follow the Din (Path) of Islam. There is actual power (and healing) in hearing and/or reciting its passages. There is the possibility that those who are nearing the end of their physical lives are in a state of remembrance and resonance with the Qur'an and that the introduction of outside sounds such as music would have a dissonant rather than harmonious result, no matter how pure and well-intended. Just a thought.

The flip side is also true, in that some Muslims, most notably ones of Sufi lineage, use sound and music in their various practices and forms of worship ( www.youtube.com/watch ) ~ traditionally limited to vocals and sometimes percussion, but also including various forms of instrumentation.

The great Sufi/muslim poet Rabia al Basri had this to say:

"It acts like love~ music~
it reaches toward the face, touches it,
and tries to let you know
Allah's promise: that all will be okay.

It acts like love~ music and,
tells the feet, "You don't have to be so burdened."

My body is covered with wounds
this world made,

but I longed to kiss Allah, even when He said,

"Could you also kiss the hand that caused
each scar,

for you will not find me until
you do."

It does that~ music~ helps us
to forgive."

and from the noted Islamic scholar and Imam Ghazali:

"The heart of *man has been so constituted by the Almighty that, like a flint, it contains a hidden fire which is evoked by music and harmony, and renders man beside himself with ecstasy. These harmonies are echoes of that higher world of beauty which we call the world of spirits; they remind man of his relationship to that world, and produce in him an emotion so deep and strange that he himself is powerless to explain it. The effect of music and dancing is deeper in proportion as the natures on which they act are simple and prone to motion; they fan into a flame whatever love is already dormant in the heart, whether It be earthly and sensual, or divine and spiritual."

* this is, of course, not gender specific.

In the context of ethno-music-therapy this might be intriguing. It acknowledges the incredible impact of music and assigns more responsiblility onto the musician/composer than what might usually be found in a society that uses music as entertainment, and bombards our every day experience with commercial jingles and corporate sponsored formulated pop hits. Sound pollution, in other words!

This is all speculation, of course, having no idea of the spiritual alignment of these patients, but it might have something to do with it.

Peace!