The effects of participation in a Group Music Therapy Voice Protocol (G-MTVP) on the speech of individuals with Parkinson's disease

Many individuals with Parkinson's disease experience impaired speech as their vocal muscles weaken. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of participation in a Group Music Therapy Voice Protocol (G-MTVP) on the speech of individuals with Parkinson's disease. Individuals with Parkinson's disease (N = 10) who attended bi-weekly rehearsals for a Parkinson's choir participated in the study. Choir rehearsals were led by a board-certified music therapist and involved implementation of G-MTVP, which consisted of 50 minutes of opening and closing conversation, physical, facial, and breathing warm-ups, vocal exercises, and singing, all focusing on increasing phonatory effort to maintain vocal strength. Participants' speech characteristics were measured after 3 weeks and 6 weeks of G-MTVP. Results showed significant increases in intensity of conversational speech, indicating that G-MTVP has potential benefits to improve and maintain vocal functioning of individuals with Parkinson's disease in a motivating, social setting. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.