Music for Parkinson’s: Finding Your Rhythm

By Ziya “Z” Altug, PT, DPT, MS, DipACLM, OCS

Introduction

Music therapy has emerged as a promising, accessible, and enjoyable option that may help address some of the movement, communication, and emotional challenges associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Music has a unique ability to engage the brain in ways that other interventions cannot. From tapping a foot to a steady beat to singing in a choir, musical activities stimulate multiple brain regions simultaneously, including those involved in movement, memory, emotion, and reward. For individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, harnessing the power of music and rhythm may offer meaningful improvements in daily function and quality of life.

Components of Music Therapy

The following are some key components of music therapy that may be used in the treatment of PD (Scataglini et al., 2023; Sowalsky et al., 2026):

• Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation: The use of a steady musical beat or metronome to cue and improve gait patterns, step length, and walking speed.
• Singing and Vocal Training: Exercises involving breath support, vocal projection, and articulation, which may benefit speech clarity and swallowing function.
• Dance and Movement to Music: Structured or improvisational movement performed to music, supporting balance, coordination, and confidence.
• Active Music Making: Playing instruments or engaging in group music-making sessions that promote social connection and emotional expression.

Benefits of Music Therapy

Music therapy offers a wide range of potential benefits for those living with Parkinson’s disease, spanning physical, emotional, and social domains (Macado et al., 2021; Pereira et al., 2019):

• Improved gait and movement: Rhythmic cues from music can help regulate stride length, walking speed, and overall coordination.
• Better balance: Dance and music-based movement programs have shown promise in reducing fall risk and enhancing postural stability.
• Enhanced communication and speech: Singing exercises can strengthen the muscles used for speech and improve vocal loudness and clarity.
• Improved mood and mental health: Engaging with music can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, which are common non-motor symptoms in PD.
• Greater social connection: Group music therapy fosters a sense of community and belonging, helping to reduce isolation.
• Enhanced quality of life: The combination of physical, emotional, and social benefits can translate into a more positive overall sense of well-being.

What Does the Research Say?

A study in Clinical Rehabilitation (2021) concluded that, “The findings of this study show that music-based movement therapy is an effective treatment approach for improving motor function, balance, freezing of gait, walking velocity, and mental health for patients with Parkinson’s disease.”

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Helpful Resources

• American Music Therapy Association

https://www.musictherapy.org/

• Music Mends Minds

https://www.musicmendsminds.org/

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Final Thoughts

Music is a universal language — and for people living with Parkinson’s disease, it may also be a powerful therapeutic tool. Whether through rhythmic auditory stimulation to improve walking, singing to strengthen the voice, or dancing to build balance and joy, music therapy offers a rich and human complement to conventional medical care.

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References

• Machado Sotomayor MJ, Arufe-Giráldez V, Ruíz-Rico G, Navarro-Patón R. Music therapy and Parkinson's Disease: A systematic review from 2015-2020. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(21):11618.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34770129/

• Pereira APS, Marinho V, Gupta D, Magalhães F, Ayres C, Teixeira S. Music therapy and dance as gait rehabilitation in patients with Parkinson disease: a review of evidence. J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2019;32(1):49-56.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3058462/

• Scataglini S, Van Dyck Z, Declercq V, Van Cleemput G, Struyf N, Truijen S. Effect of music based therapy rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) using wearable device in rehabilitation of neurological patients: a systematic review. Sensors (Basel). 2023;23(13):5933.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37447782/

• Sowalsky KL, Okun MS, Terza M, et al. Regular metronome, fractal metronome, and music for Parkinson gait. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(4):e262744.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2847806

• Zhou Z, Zhou R, Wei W, Luan R, Li K. Effects of music-based movement therapy on motor function, balance, gait, mental health, and quality of life for patients with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Rehabil. 2021;35(7):937-951.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33517767/

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Written by Ziya “Z” Altug, PT, DPT, MS, DipACLM, OCS.