From the Washington Post:
Before his strokes, Sipes, 57, was a professional musician. He played oboe in several symphony orchestras and met his wife, viola player Patty Plombon, in the early 1990s when both were members of an orchestra in Spain.
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The music therapy sessions give Sipes — who said he used to sing ‘only in the shower’ — the opportunity to make music again with his new friends.
Music therapist Tom Sweitzer started the sessions about two years ago for a handful of stroke survivors. They now attract 15 to 20 participants every week, Sweitzer said.
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Ray Leone, a music therapist with A Place To Be, said music is an ideal therapy for people who have had strokes — ma1ny of whom have difficulty speaking — because it engages the whole brain.
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Although Sipes regained his speech soon after the strokes, Plombon believes the music sessions, combined with other therapies, are helping his recovery. He recently progressed from using a wheelchair to walking with a cane.
You can find the original article here.