Background: Ninety percent of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) develop voice problems and many consider poor verbal communication skills to be one of their most serious concerns. Method: The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether a combined vocal pedagogy and voice therapy approach that emphasizes vocal effort and includes singing as half of each treatment session, improves the vocal ability of people with PD. The protocol consisted of 12 group sessions involving vocal, speech and singing exercises. Measures were taken with a stopwatch and the Visipitch (R) before and after 12 treatment sessions. Results: With correction for multiple variables, differences in pre-post measures of maximum intensity (loudness) range (dB) and average frequency or pitch (Hz) in oral reading were statistically significant. Conclusion: Group vocal strengthening activities that include singing may help maintain vocal skills and slow the vocal deterioration that often accompanies PD.
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