Staying loud with Parkinson’s disease

Christy Pansegrau sat down with her black guitar.

She looked at her choir of five, who were eagerly waiting to begin.

“Alright, so we’re going to start with ‘Hey, Good Lookin,’ ” she said.

With lyric sheets in hand, the group bellowed out the words to the classic Hank Williams song.

Like many abilities, the ability to be loud is not taken for granted by this group. They are part of the Palouse Area Parkinson’s Support Group, and at Good Samaritan Society in Moscow on Monday they took part in a musical therapy class led by Pansegrau. This is the second year of the musical therapy classes, which run on an eight-week course periodically throughout the year, Pansegrau said.

The classes, which Pansegrau calls Parkinsingers, uses music and vocal exercises to help attendees maintain strength in the muscles that can atrophy because of the disease. Pansegrau, a board-certified music therapist, also takes attendees through physical activities and breathing exercises to help them with their balance, strength and coordination. In addition to the physical benefits of music therapy, the classes can also provide an emotional lift through the power of singing together, she said.

After a warm-up song, Pansegrau brought out a melodica, a small piano that is played by blowing into a mouthpiece.

Each member took turns blowing into the mouthpiece for as long as they could. The point was not to make music, but to test the strength of their lung capacity. David Jerusalem was the clear winner with a 27-second-long exhale, and he was given a congratulatory high-five by Bryan Hanson.

Pansegrau then distributed drums of different sizes and shapes to each person. Playing to a beat of a song, she instructed them to beat the drums low to the ground, up above their heads, with their opposite hands and at different speeds to build up their endurance and coordination.

After another breathing exercise, it was time for more singing.

They started with a piece written by a Spokane Parkinson’s support group member called “The Parkinson’s Song.” The lyrics relate to the struggles of Parkinson’s disease with lines like, “My hands begin to tremble and my feet stick to the floor,” and “My face forgets to smile, folks can’t hear me anymore.” However, the song concludes with reminders to stay positive.

“Tell a joke and eat your veggies, add a dance, a walk, a song,” the lyrics say.

Hanson, of Moscow, said the song, written by Ruth Palnick, captures what it is like to live with the disease, and the way activities that used to be simple are now more difficult.

“She understands,” he said.

They also found their own meaning in popular songs, such as The Beatles’ “Let It Be.”

Peg Gunderson, of Pullman, said the song was a good reminder to avoid becoming frustrated with what you cannot control.

“Rather than trying to fix it or take it away,” she said, “just let it be.”