As part of my research, I asked to test the Numeric Language of Music® program with three different cases at the local assisted living center. This story is about a an older woman named Barbara. Barbara was suffering with advanced Parkinson’s disease. Meeting Barbara for the first time was heartfelt and moving for me having never been exposed to anyone in this condition. Barbara was hunched over the piano keyboard, drooling on the keys and struggling mightily to keep her hands from shaking to be able to press a piano key down. I mentioned that my work was experimental and I was unable to promise we would have any results. Results I was documenting with students in the program suggested the Numeric Language of Music might be able to help with neurodegenerative brain conditions. Barbara was willing to try anything. I started her first session helping her put the correct fingers on the piano keys playing the musical tones in the order of the basic numeric sequence.
I visited Barbara twice a week for three months. Many improvements occurred over the course of that time. Barbara began to be able to feed herself. Her shaking had diminished significantly, sometimes stopping entirely. Her gate was improving. There was one change, though, that I will never forget.
The entire time I knew Barbara, I could not understand her. Her speech was difficult, garbled. I felt bad having to ask her several times to repeat herself only to have to apologize sincerely as rarely was I able to understand what she was trying to tell me. After three months, from one day to the next, she spoke perfectly. I could understood everything she was saying without any effort at all. That was a really amazing day!