Banner Left

How music can help people living with Parkinson’s

THE POWER OF MUSIC … Mick Broad says music can take him “anywhere, anywhere at all”. Photo: BBC

A Passionate rave and progressive rock fan with Parkinson’s disease who teamed up with a composer to create a new piece of music says the end result made him feel “whole”.

Mick Broad has taken part in research by Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) into the way music can support people living with the condition.

The project sees people living with Parkinson’s working with composers to create music which reflects their own personalities and love of music.

Composer Emily Howard, who worked with Broad, says he had emailed her “about 200 examples of 90s rave songs” before she composed his piece.

“And I listened to them all, and also some 70s prog (progressive) rock,” she says.

Hearing the composition played on the piano, Broad described it as “powerful” and “absolutely excellent”.

He is a self-avowed fan of both rap and house music, or anything with a “big, powerful bass”.

Music can “take you anywhere, anywhere at all”, he adds.

Howard says Broad’s taste had “resonated with her”, inspiring her to compose something “energetic and passionate that broke the mould”.

The piece premiered alongside other collaborations created with Parkinson’s patients at a concert arranged by the the RNCM.

Dr Michelle Phillips from the RNCM says the college was “ideally placed” for the project collaborating with people with Parkinson’s “so we can learn more about how music features in their lives”.

She is leading a five-year study into how music can help those with Parkinson’s manage their symptoms, mood and daily routine.

WHAT IS PARKINSON’S?

Parkinson’s, or Parkinson’s disease, is a degenerative condition which affects how your brain communicates with the muscles in the body.

The three main external symptoms of Parkinson’s are a tremor, slowness of movement and muscle stiffness.

A person with Parkinson’s can also experience a wide range of psychological problems.

In the United Kingdom, about 153 000 people live with the illness. – BBC Lifestyle

Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!

Latest News