AFTER A STROKE, THIS MUSICIAN FOUND HIS SINGING VOICE AGAIN WITH HELP FROM A SPECIAL CHOIR

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.

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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 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.