People With Parkinson’s Benefit From Drumming, Singing

Drumming can help people with Parkinson's retain better control of muscle movement.

A college friend with whom I have not spoken in years contacted me recently. Just as she and her husband were looking forward to the next phase of their lives, she learned last year, at 49, that she has Parkinson’s disease.
 
She saw the Music After 50 site, and asked me if I knew what instrument she might take up as a form of therapy in the very early stages of the disease. Her note is a reminder that life changes in an instant, and that change is only dealt with moment by moment and day by day.
 
The beauty of music is that it requires “in the moment” focus. If you worry about the ending of a song while you’re in the middle of it, you’ll lose your place. All you can do is attack the note or measure that’s in front of you. The same is true with illness; there is often no choice but to manage it a day at a time.

From the research I was able to do, it appears that singing and drumming are two great musical pursuits for someone with early-stage Parkinson’s disease. Both are incredibly joyous pursuits, so I hope my friend gives each a try.

Neurologist Daniel Tarsy, Director of the Parkinson’s Disease Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, was recently awarded a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research to lead a study comparing standard voice therapy to singing therapy to treat the decreased voice volume experienced by many Parkinson’s patients.

“Musical therapy is currently being used for rehabilitation from other types of neurological conditions, such as language impairment following stroke,” Dr. Tarsy said in a statement. “If singing therapy can also improve voice and speech disorders resulting from Parkinson’s disease, this would represent an important alternative to existing speech therapy techniques.”

CNN recently ran an article that profiled a 44-year old woman with Parkinson’s who spearheaded the establishment of a chorus called “Sing for Joy” in London that is made up of people with neurological conditions and their families.

One member of the chorus, who has multiple sclerosis, told CNN: “All neurological conditions affect the throat because it has so many muscles. So singing, which makes you lift up your body and expand your lungs, is perfect for neurological diseases.”

Drumming is another particularly powerful way to maintain coordination and keep Parkinson’s effects at bay because of its focus on rhythm. Amazingly, people whose movements are frozen by Parkinson’s are sometimes able to move normally when rhythmic music is played. Read stories here about people who were able to regain movement through practice with rhythms.
 
The neurologist Oliver Sacks has written extensively about the benefits of music for neurological disorders; he is quoted in this excellent story in U.S.News and World Report about the benefits of music for people with Parkinson’s. Most exciting is the evidence that playing the drums and other rhythm instruments may help even more than listening.

Here is a passage from the U.S.News story:

Actually playing music, which requires coordinating muscle movements and developing an ear for timing, can also bring dramatic results, says Rick Bausman, a musician and the founder and director of the Martha’s Vineyard-based Drum Workshop. The workshop uses traditional drum ensembles, in which groups of participants play percussion pieces, as one form of therapy for patients with a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities, including Parkinson’s disease. Bausman teaches participants to play along with traditional Afro-Caribbean beats like the Haitian kongo and Cuban bembe using congas, bongos, and djun-djun drums. “Participants report that their control of physical movement improves after playing the drums, their motion becomes more fluid, they don’t shake quite as much, and their tremors seem to calm down,” says Bausman.

Indeed, research on the effects of music therapy in Parkinson’s patients has found motor control to be better in those who participated in group music sessions—improvisation with pianos, drums, cymbals, and xylophones—than in people who underwent traditional physical therapy. But gains were no longer evident two months after the sessions ended, so the best results require continued therapy. To stay motivated, Tomaino recommends seeking out both therapeutic drumming groups like Bausman’s and social dance classes. Patients can also create music libraries for CDs or MP3 players that can be used to facilitate walking.

Ron Tintner, MD, a Co-Director of the Movement Disorders and Neuro-rehabilitation Center at the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston, is researching how specific rhythms can help people with Parkinson’s get better control of their movements. Read a short interview with Dr. Tintner here. 

To see what programs may be available in your area, start by contacting the American Music Therapy Association. If you’re at a stage where music therapy sounds too, well, therapeutic, investigate local voice and drum teachers and perhaps begin lessons.

There are undoubtedly many teachers with senior students or others with various limitations that may be perfect for you. Go to a music store that carries the instrument you want to play and ask the staff for teacher recommendations. When looking for a voice or drum teacher, make sure to find one that is involved in workshops and group activities. Read Diana Cole’s advice about how to find a voice teacher.