The Mountain Tremors, Northern Arizona University’s choir in Flagstaff, Arizona, helps residents with Parkinson’s keep the detrimental effects of the disease at bay. Parkinson’s is a progressive movement disorder that is currently classified as an incurable neurological disease. Over time, the disease erodes one’s ability to move, speak, think and emote. While Parkinson’s is not a communication disorder, those suffering from the disease are held back in their communication because participating in their community becomes challenging.

The Mountain Tremors was started two years ago by Fe Murray, assistant clinical professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at NAU, at the request of CSD clinic director Kim Farinella, to help local residents afflicted by Parkinson’s. Starting this fall, however, the choir will be open to residents with all neurological impairments.

Currently, the choir is composed of both residents with Parkinson’s disease and faculty and students from CSD and NAU’s School of Music.

“This group has taught me the importance of community for people with neurological impairments,” Murray told The University Network (TUN).

We get together, and the only thing many of us have in common is music. They often come with very soft, muffled voices, with monotone speech, which is typical of this disorder, but when they sing, they let go and really project their voices, articulate clearly, and move their voices up and down the scale; it’s quite a transformation!

The choir provides a safe, enjoyable, and reliable space for residents with Parkinson’s. “Many of them have difficulty voluntarily controlling their motor movements required for walking and even standing, so some of them do not want to leave the house,” Murray explained. “The choir gives them a place to go, something to do that they look forward to every week. In addition, research shows that exercising can slow down, arrest, and even reverse some of the symptoms. However, often people with Parkinson’s don’t have the self-awareness to see how they are changing, and they may not have the motivation to act on these symptoms, so their support group is important.”

The choir is a place for harmonious melodies and practicing to stay on the beat within a larger group. It helps members focus on their posture, breath control, vocal quality, loudness, and articulation, which is usually improved with the help of instruction. For a patient with Parkinson’s, singing alone in the shower may not be as beneficial as singing in a choir with weekly practices and a program that helps them work on issues they struggle with.

“Your muscles are working, your brain is working with learning new things and your voice is getting louder because you have to practice it,” said Valerie Carter, professor of physical therapy at NAU, in a statement. “That’s why choir is so great. You need to sing loud. You need to sing on pitch, hopefully. You need to listen, you need to pause. Those are all things people with Parkinson’s struggle with, but if they practice they can actually outperform healthy control individuals.”

The choir relies on student participants to help those members with Parkinson’s, who may not have any singing experience. “We are working primarily with people in their 60s and older; some of them do not have formal musical experiences other than singing in the shower or in their car,” Murray told TUN. “We start rehearsals with stretches and vocal warm up exercises. These exercises are led by students from our choral conducting program. Graduate and undergraduate students in communication sciences and disorders department participate by encouraging good vocal hygiene, such as hydration, and by encouraging clients’ participation and monitoring their stamina and other physical symptoms.”

According to Murray, it is important for people with Parkinson’s to “maximize overall functional movement and improve quality of life” so she recommends that they “get out and join a support group, a yoga class, a choir, any activity that will get them out amongst other people.”

”Parkinson’s can be a very lonely condition, but the more people socialize and active, the better the overall quality of life would be,” Murray told TUN.