Unlocking communication through rhythm and melody
The transformational power of music at Adderley Green
At Adderley Green Neurological Centre, part of the Elysium Neurological division, the sound of recovery isn’t just metaphorical, it’s literal.
Since 2017, Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) has been helping patients reclaim their voices, regain movement, and reconnect with their identity after life-changing neurological injuries.
Delivered by Chiltern Music Therapy, the NMT service is fully integrated within the wider multidisciplinary team, working closely with psychology, SLT, OT, and physiotherapy.
It has become a valued element of interdisciplinary care for patients recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, aphasia, and other acquired neurological conditions.
NMT interventions involve the use of music-based clinical techniques to target functional goals in speech and language, motor control, cognition, and emotional wellbeing.
In the most recent service review, the outcomes spoke for themselves:
– 80 per cent of therapy goals were fully achieved
– 100 per cent of staff unanimously described NMT as a “valuable” and “essential” service in a feedback questionnaire
One particularly inspiring example involved a patient who had sustained a hypoxic brain injury and had dysarthria. Therapy aims included:
- Improving breath control to support longer, more sustained vocalisation
- Increasing vocal volume and projection
- Improving verbal initiation
Their structured NMT treatment programme included the following techniques:
- Oral Motor & Respiratory Exercises (OMREX) to target controlled inhalation/exhalation through blown instrument interventions
- Vocal Intonation Therapy (VIT) exercises to target vocal dynamics
- Rhythmic Speech Cueing (RSC) to target speech fluency and initiation
- Therapeutic Singing (TS) to synthesise the above communication goals through patient preferred songs
The resulting impact included vocal volume increasing by over 50 per cent from baseline, and observable improvements in speech fluency through the patient initiating three to four word phrases independently.
These gains translated into meaningful functional interactions, with the patient expressing needs to staff and even delivering a birthday message to a family member – key markers of regained independence and improved quality of life.
“Music Therapy has helped so many people, both cognitively and physically. Its improved engagement within residents and allowed them to enjoy therapy without thinking of it as a chore.
“The work of Music Therapy within Adderley Green is highly valuable and plays a significant role in their rehab journey” – MDT member
Adderley Green remains at the forefront of creative, evidence-based neurorehabilitation.
Through Neurologic Music Therapy, they’re not only helping patients to walk and talk again, they’re helping them to feel heard, understood, and empowered.
