Change Through Music

Movement

 

Movement is one of the primary goal areas we address in music therapy. People with Parkinson's Disease typically walk with slow, shuffling steps and experience freezing of their gait. In music therapy, we use music with a strong, rhythmic beat and rhythmic cues to help these clients plan and coordinate their movements. 

 

Strong rhythmic beats can improve the walking abilities of people who have Parkinson's Disease. Both the speed and length of steps can be improved with a steady beat. It is believed that these external beats regulate the damaged internal clock of Parkinson's patients, helping them better coordinate movements.

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Music and physical therapists use a technique called Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation to help clients improve their gait. This technique uses the client's preferred music style, paired with an audible beat, and asks the client to synchronize their steps.  

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Other motor movements, including upper body and fine motor skills, are targeted as well. Music is used to provide rhythmic and spatial cues for movement. For example, we may hold a drum and tambourine out on either side of a client's body and have them strike these alternately, crossing the body in time with music. Other techniques use melodic cues- like an ascending or descending scale, to promote lifting and lowering the arms.