I LOVE good music! It can change the mood far better than any drug I know. Today on the Google Doodle homepage (the one you usually get when you just search "google") is an artist's rendering of a reminder that today is Antonio Vivaldi's birthday. I will have to admit that I was not as familiar with his music, so I started clicking and searching - the results were WOW! Here is the Google Doodle description :

Everyone should have their 332nd birthday marked by a Google doodle, and today it's the turn of Antonio Vivaldi. My fellow Piscean is honoured with a seasonally ornamented piece of organological iconography, four violins that take over four letters of the world's favourite search engine to illustrate the world's favourite tetralogical concerto, the Four Seasons.

Here's a little taste of Vivaldi's music: (Hold onto your hat!)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/toms...-google-doodle

I guess you could call me "eclectic" when it comes to my prreferred type of music. I am moved by both bluegrass or classical; soft rock or country. I never cared for "real" heavy metal, but love the electric guitar.

To me I believe there is some invaluable therapy in music for people with Parkinson's unmet through any other venue. Higher education and science have finally accepted that there IS therapeutic benefit through the use of music. I happen to know a young lady who has a degree in music therapy, and she works through one of our local hospitals, mostly with Psychiatric patients, whom I feel can be the most difficult with which to work.

True story - I went to one of my first young onset events shortly after being diagnosed. Since "young onset" can be ambiguously defined, there was every age attending, from people in their 30's to some in their 70's (who had been diagnosed when young). Age 60 is the average age of onset of PD. This event was a 3-day retreat sponsored by the APDA, but was mostly locally planned and held in Gulfport, Mississippi.

The final evening was a dance, with a band from the area who knew and sang mostly music from the 60's (ahhhhh!) I could maneuver pretty well; at least well enough to dance without falling. But sitting around the perimeter of the dance floor were two gentleman I had been watching during the entire event. They were all bent over - extremely rigid - had to be fed by their caregivers, and even drooled sometimes. They had also lost their voices.

My heart went out to these gentlemen who were so severely disabled by PD, but my head didn't know what to do. All I know is that what happened next was anything short of miraculous. I believe the song the band was playing was Bob Segar's "Gimme that Rock & Roll Music." It brought nearly everyone to the dance floor, except, of course, the two severely handicapped gentlemen.

I danced my way to the first friend in the wheelchair, catching a glimpse of the other keeping beat by clapping and stomping his feet. His masked face was totally absent, and he wore a broad and genuine smile. Whille watching the man to my right, "Jim," who had been grasping my hands all this time, suddenly began to tug on my hands. When I looked down, he was pulling himself up from his wheelchair!

The next thing I knew he was not only stading tall, but began to sway to the music! Now there wasn't much fancy footwork, but this once debilitated gentleman was gyrating his hips, swinging his arms (still attached to my grasp), and if there was ever a million-dollar smile, this was it.

As the music faded away I led Jim back to his chair (and no, we weren't sprinting). Looking around the room, everyoone was either picking up their dropped jaw or wiping a tear.

My neurologist later explained the phenomena we had all just witnessed - something about endorphines, dopamine surge, and adrenaline being released - but I prefer to just call it a miracle. There has to be some sort of therapy revealed that night, and I'm so glad I was the bearer of this event.

Any experiences or comments to share? (If possible, be sure you provide a link to any good music you mention)

Peg

Dusty village, Middle East, oh this was a couple of thousands of years ago. Person sitting on a mattress, unable to stand up, begging for food. And then this cool dude comes by, and says to the cripple, "Take up thy bed and walk." And to everyone's amazement, the cripple got up and walked away.
"Take up thy bed and dance" works too.

Happens all the time.

music moves me too. I enjoy many types (except rap / rock) Going to contra dance keeps me limber and has given me more balance...it also works the mind (listening to the caller and keeping pace with the calls . I have just started square dance lessons too...it is more difficult , because there are so many calls to memorize and it depends on where you are standing at the time in the "set" what you are supposed to do. But it is fun and the people are great. Anything to keep the body moving and keep the brain working..learning new things Life is good. It is a beautiful, sunny afternoon. Go dancing!

I am listening to vivaldi on violin loudly - summer....a must for energy, creativity, and motivation. i'm smiling - recommend 3x daily.


adding headphones, volume,
paula

play it loud and get in the Zone. Let the music stop the chattering in your head.
The part of the brain that handles music and dance is not attacked by Parkinson's Disease.
Parkinson's is too chicken to go there.
We banged on drums and chanted and jumped up and down to drive away sabre tooth tigers and other predators. It was essential for our survival as a species. Our brains remember that.
We were dancing 50,000 years ago. Agriculture is only 12,000 years old. The ability of our brains to create dance and music is ancient and solid.
www.parkinsonsdance.blogspot.com
Let's get it on!

Forgot to say "Go, Aunt Bean!" lol

Now you've got me really motivated. I just got home from a quarterly event our church hosts - called "The Birthday Bash." Two of our Sunday School classes (about 150 people) have a full-course sit-down dinner and some sort of entertainment to celebrate the previous 3 months' birthday folks.

Tonight's entertainment left me totally awestruck, and it even moved me to a good cry. They had 27 members of a 90-member childlren's stringed orchestra taught via the Suzuki method. It was amazing! Everything they played (from Beethoven's Fur Elise to Tennessee's Rocky Top) was played from memory. The oldest member was in 9th grade and the youngest a 6-year-old Kindergartener. They said the 6-year-old had a repertoire of music so big t hat she could play for an hour and a half without repeating a note.

I wish our brains had the plasticity of those kids. Then I started thinking about music as a complementary therapy that could be held "group style." This sort of thing may already be done. BTW I sprinted to the car and by 8:30 each night I am really wound down.

"Play that funky music!"

Peg

If you are looking for a book which confirms documented incidences by a eminent Neuroligical Researcher, read Oliver Sacs, author of "Awakenings,"
read same author's book,"Musicophilia." If you are more inclined to read scientific journals, read Daniel J. Levitin 2 books, "This is Your Brain on Music," and, "The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature." Or just sit back and enjoy the benefits of music and know that there is a scientific research through scans, that proove how music helps overcome Parkinson's symptoms. Remember, Music came before the words. Can anyone recite their abc's without singing them? How did man remember family stories before learning to write? Dances that told stories? Words easier to remember when set to music.

Sometimes we feel introspective and need to listen to impressionistic music or classical pieces such as Rachmoninoff's Piano concertos. Or upbeat music as Beethovins 9th of Tchechovky's 1812 Overture. Spelling aside, ther is music written in every culture to invoke feelings from the listener. Listening to CD Disks of professional performers is good, but hearing live performances is more memorable. The listener is then not just a inactive listener, but a part of the musical experience. The listener gives the performer motivation and energy to perform at his best level. In return, the performer plays for his audiance, learning what moves the listener. I have always told my students, "The audiance wants you to succeed. Don't bury your head in your music. Have it prepared and be able to look up at the audiance and watch their reaction to your music. You will find many more smiles than frowns. Music should not only be performed but shared." By getting a conversation going between the performer, the fear for the performer is removed, and the listener enjoys his experience more knowing he helped influence the musician.

One more point. The difference between Fine Arts and Performing Arts is this: Fine Arts is a piece of art that can be looked at, time after time, each time depending on where we are in our lives can bring a different perspective on the work of art. Performing Arts are fleeting, a one time only deal. The dance, the ice skating, the music, is performed and then over. The emotions felt at the time of the performance are remembered and each time we pull the memory out of our brain archives, the emotions do not change. We may attend a seecond performance, but it may have different actors, dancers, audiances, musicians and will never repeat the exact same emotions caused by the first performance seen of the same piece.

Dance, Listen, and Participate on,
Vicky

When I taught Kindergarten, I "sang" for every transition. For example, "Clean-up time," time to line up, etc. It was far more effective than flipping a light switch or yelling.

When I moved to middle school Science, one day I started singing to get the students to line up. I caught myself singing to the tune of "Are You Sleeping?" changing the words to "Are You Listening? Are You Listening, 7th grade? 7th grade?" I just knew the class would burst out into laughter, but much to my surprise they answered in like song, "Yes - we are(listening) Yes - we are."

My point is that there is something about music that demands attention. Paula, if you are reading this, what was that group you found that jumped out of nowhere at a food court in a mall and started improvisational singing?

Maybe the next time smeone gets an opportunity to speak out for Parkinson's, he/she should "sing" in lieu of "speaking.!" I double-dare you!

Peg

http://improveverywhere.com/2008/03/...court-musical/

there is a list of more.
paula

I think I just died and went to heaven.