I just discovered that Pandora, the music service which provides free personalized radio, provides lyrics to the songs. Now, speech challenged stroke survivors can sing along to improve their fluency and overall speaking abilities. Because when you're singing you are expressing yourself and verbalizing the words. Not only that, but it's good for your memory and other aphasia related ailments.
Go to Pandora.com and complete all the required information. Then go to the "Create Station" button and put in the name of the group or singer with whom you want to sing along. Once in a while the lyrics don't show up. They appear about 75% of the time. Right now, I am listening to the Bonnie Raitt radio because blues is my favorite genre. The last song was by Aretha Franklin, and Fleetwood Mac just came on. This particular station also plays people like Adele and Roy Orbison. But Pandora has access to a million kinds of music, so I'm sure anybody can find whatever they want, in terms of a sing-along.
We all know songs that move us. We can dance, laugh, cry , or just sing along with songs. Talk about therapy! I think music and song are also great healers. When you read the lyrics your mind starts working, and by verbalizing the words you start to practice muscle memory as you try to pronounce words and phrases once familiar to you. Even if all the speaker is able to do is mumble, with each song the singer becomes more familiar with its style and has a better idea of when to come in and start the lyric.
If you choose to sing along with Pandora, you might want to consider secluding yourself in an area of the house where you can't be heard. Unless you have one of those nightingale falsettos or are a rich baritone, it can be painful to have to listen to somebody who is just learning to speak again, much less sing. So when I decide to sing, I close the door to my office, then let it rip. Small children beware! My singing voice can sound like a cross between a howling dog and an idling tractor. I have started singing along with the Nursery Rhymes Radio where I know most of the words by heart, though it is still a challenge to formulate the sounds. Getting my jaw around the staccatos of short successive sounds in a row can be very frustrating, but stimulating at the same time because you always sense progress.
Behind every song is a story that can be retold. Your brain can figure out what that story is and summarize it. For example, what is the storyline behind Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me", or Don Maclean's "American Pie"? These songs have to be closely listened to in order that their intent can be deciphered. This requires a person to focus his or her mind on the meaning.
Generally, I sing along with a few songs in the morning. And throughout the day I'll include some others when the fancy strikes me. So all in all, I'll probably sing along with 5 or 6 songs during the day, sometimes more, sometimes less. With Pandora, I have another amazing tool I can use to improve my speech and have fun doing so.
Go to Pandora.com and complete all the required information. Then go to the "Create Station" button and put in the name of the group or singer with whom you want to sing along. Once in a while the lyrics don't show up. They appear about 75% of the time. Right now, I am listening to the Bonnie Raitt radio because blues is my favorite genre. The last song was by Aretha Franklin, and Fleetwood Mac just came on. This particular station also plays people like Adele and Roy Orbison. But Pandora has access to a million kinds of music, so I'm sure anybody can find whatever they want, in terms of a sing-along.
We all know songs that move us. We can dance, laugh, cry , or just sing along with songs. Talk about therapy! I think music and song are also great healers. When you read the lyrics your mind starts working, and by verbalizing the words you start to practice muscle memory as you try to pronounce words and phrases once familiar to you. Even if all the speaker is able to do is mumble, with each song the singer becomes more familiar with its style and has a better idea of when to come in and start the lyric.
If you choose to sing along with Pandora, you might want to consider secluding yourself in an area of the house where you can't be heard. Unless you have one of those nightingale falsettos or are a rich baritone, it can be painful to have to listen to somebody who is just learning to speak again, much less sing. So when I decide to sing, I close the door to my office, then let it rip. Small children beware! My singing voice can sound like a cross between a howling dog and an idling tractor. I have started singing along with the Nursery Rhymes Radio where I know most of the words by heart, though it is still a challenge to formulate the sounds. Getting my jaw around the staccatos of short successive sounds in a row can be very frustrating, but stimulating at the same time because you always sense progress.
Behind every song is a story that can be retold. Your brain can figure out what that story is and summarize it. For example, what is the storyline behind Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me", or Don Maclean's "American Pie"? These songs have to be closely listened to in order that their intent can be deciphered. This requires a person to focus his or her mind on the meaning.
Generally, I sing along with a few songs in the morning. And throughout the day I'll include some others when the fancy strikes me. So all in all, I'll probably sing along with 5 or 6 songs during the day, sometimes more, sometimes less. With Pandora, I have another amazing tool I can use to improve my speech and have fun doing so.
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