Effects of singing on voice, respiratory control and quality of life in persons with Parkinson's disease.

Interventions focused on singing may provide additional benefits to established voice and respiratory therapies, due to their greater emphasis on the respiratory muscle control system in those with Parkinson’s disease (PD) progresses. The purpose of this study was to examine if singing can improve voice, respiratory pressure and quality of life (QOL) in persons with PD. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressure, as well as phonation time. While other voice measures improved, they did not reach statistical significance. Voice QOL and whole health QOL also significantly improved.These results suggest singing may be a beneficial and engaging treatment choice for improving and maintaining vocal function and respiratory pressure in per- sons with PD.