Can group singing provide effective speech therapy for people with Parkinson's disease?

Aim: To investigate whether group singing lessons, provided by a professional singing teacher, can provide an effective means of improving and maintaining voice dynamics for people with Parkinson's disease and possibly also improve quality of life. Method: The study was undertaken by recruiting people with a diagnosis of Parkinson's with voice problems and inviting them to attend a two-hour singing session every fortnight for two years. An assessment of voice dynamics using the Frenchay Dysarthria test was carried out by the local UK National Health Service (NHS) Speech and Language Therapist at the beginning of the study, then every six months for two years. Hypotheses: It was expected that singing would provide benefit to all four main parameters of speech: respiration, phonation, movement of facial musculature and articulation. It was also possible that the group sessions would provide support and an element of fun and thereby improve quality of life. This was measured using the validated PDQ39 measure of quality of life for people with Parkinson's. Results: There were small but statistically significant improvements in the laryngeal elements of the Frenchay Dysarthria Score over two years. Participants reported a feeling of improved communication which was reflected to a small degree in the quality of life questionnaire. Conclusion: The significant results of this small study warrant further investigation in a larger-scale controlled research project.