After a stroke, this musician found his singing voice again with help from a special choir

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In the 1980s and ’90s, Ron Spitzer played bass and drums in rock bands—Tot Rocket and the Twins, Western Eyes, and Band of Susans. He sang and wrote songs, toured the country, and recorded albums. When the bands broke up, he continued to make music with friends. But a stroke in 2009 put Spitzer in a wheelchair, partially paralyzing his left arm and leg. He gave away his drum kit. His bass sat untouched. His voice was a whisper. Now music is part of his healing. Spitzer sings each week in a choir for people recovering from a stroke at the Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. “I’ve found my voice, quite literally,” Spitzer said. Scientists are studying the potential benefits of music for people with dementia, traumatic brain injuries, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. Music lights up multiple regions of the brain, strengthening neural connections between areas that govern language, memories, emotions, and movement. Choirs like the one at Mount Sinai offer the hope of healing through music while also providing camaraderie, a place where stroke survivors don’t have to explain their limitations. Strokes often damage cells in the brain’s left-hemisphere language center, leaving survivors with difficulty retrieving words, a condition called aphasia. “Stroke patients who have lost their ability to speak because of their aphasia, they’re able to sing fluently, which is incredible,” said Jessica Hariwijaya, a research fellow at Mount Sinai who is studying the stroke choir. Now 68, Spitzer has completed other rehabilitation programs that helped him regain physical skills. He walks with a cane, can yell like any New Yorker, and has recovered his singing voice. “The singing aspect is very instrumental. Pun intended,” he said. “Very instrumental in being a motivation to keep going and improve.” This article was provided by The Associated Press.