If you had told David Wiethop a few years ago that he鈥檇 be in a choir, he wouldn鈥檛 have believed it.
鈥淚鈥檝e never had a good voice,鈥� Wiethop says. 鈥淚鈥檓 a terrible singer, and I know nothing about rhythm.鈥�
But now Wiethop croons weekly with a half-dozen others who meet every Thursday afternoon on the campus of 91制片厂. They鈥檙e part of a Maryville initiative called Tremble Clefs, a choral group composed of people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease. Parkinson鈥檚 is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects the body鈥檚 motor system, including the muscles involved in speaking.
Singing can help fortify those muscles, says Megan Moran, 鈥�16, who earned her master鈥檚 in music therapy. Moran has directed the choir since it debuted last January, with piano and group assistance from Colleen Haviland, 鈥�17, also a music therapy graduate. They begin each session with posture and breathing work.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have the breath, you can鈥檛 speak. Breath is like gas for the voice,鈥� Moran says. 鈥淭he end goal is to improve or maintain respiratory and voice function.鈥�
From Peter Piper to the Beatles
Moran chooses songs like 鈥淪entimental Journey鈥� and 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 64鈥� for their familiarity as well as their therapeutic qualities. The Beatles classic packs in an unusual amount of words, offering many opportunities to work on diction.
Weekly repetitions of phrases like 鈥淧eter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers鈥� also lighten the mood while providing important benefits.
鈥淪peaking tongue twisters after singing the tongue twisters helps with neuroplasticity, forming new connections in the brain,鈥� Moran says. 鈥淭he tongue twisters serve to work the muscles.鈥�
Moran also asks participants to make faces and smile at each other, something singer Rick Walsh wasn鈥檛 sure about at first.
鈥淚 was suspicious,鈥� Walsh says. 鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 funny. I get a kick out of it.鈥�
These exaggerated eye and mouth movements help participants with something called 鈥渇lat affect,鈥� or a lack of distinct facial expressions, another feature of Parkinson鈥檚.
The local chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association supports Maryville鈥檚 Tremble Clefs, along with another group that meets weekly at Salem United Methodist Church in Ladue. The program is based in scientific knowledge, says to Soo-Jin Kwoun, PhD, associate professor of music therapy at Maryville.
鈥淩esearch shows that after people engage in singing for a couple of weeks, they maintain their speech function, which we consider a gain,鈥� Kwoun says.
After nearly a year in the program, participant Nancy Freeman feels more confident in social situations.
鈥淲hen I used to go to dinner parties with a lot of background noise, I was reluctant to talk,鈥� Freeman says. 鈥淚 thought no one would understand me or hear me.鈥�
Now, Freeman credits the Tremble Clefs program for strengthening her voice and helping her remember to sit up straight, project and enunciate.
Both Wiethop and Walsh are enjoying better communication at home.
鈥淢y wife says to me, 鈥業 like the Tremble Clefs for you because when you get home, I can hear you again,鈥欌�� Walsh says.
A fundamental tenet of the program is that Improving the ability to be understood leads to a better quality of life.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a basic human need to express yourself,鈥� Kwoun says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the connection between patients and their loved ones.鈥�
(Photos by Jerry Naunheim)