Katherine Goforth Elverd leads the Trembling Troubadours in stretching exercises before they sang for UTC music department students. Photo by Angela Foster.
From The Beatles to Simon and Garfunkel, the Trembling Troubadours returned to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a performance that showcased their voices and raised awareness about Parkinson’s disease.
On Friday, Sept. 26, the Troubadours performed in the Roland Hayes Concert Hall at the UTC Fine Arts Center for students studying in the UTC Department of Music.
The Troubadours are a choir of individuals living with Parkinson’s disease.
Katherine Goforth Elverd, director of music therapy in the music department, works with the Troubadours on a weekly basis at Life Care Center of Hixson. A board-certified music therapist, she co-founded the group with her mother, Kathy, in 2019.
“Their mission is preserving the voice and bringing awareness to Parkinson’s disease one note at a time,” she told the audience of students.
Before the group’s performance, Elverd gave a presentation explaining both the disease itself and the benefits of music therapy.
“Parkinson’s is a very complex disease, but it is one that can be managed through pharmacological interventions as well as therapy like music therapy,” she said.
Elverd explained music therapy as a tool to reach non-musical goals.
For the Troubadours, these weekly goals are to improve and maintain speech production skills, engage in meaningful social experiences, connect with and support others living with Parkinson’s—along with their caregivers—and serve as advocates and educators within the Chattanooga community.
“When we look at the research literature in relation to older adults, those who are 65 and older who engage in a group singing experience, we find that it improves their movements, their thinking, their mood, their social connection, as well as their sense of self,” she said.
“Specifically for this group of people back here, who represent the community of Parkinson’s disease within our research literature using what we call neurologic music therapy techniques or evidence-based interventions, we see that the use of therapeutic singing increases breath support, articulation and vocal volume—which is a big need for them because that is impacted by Parkinson’s.”
After her presentation, students and choir members performed vocal and physical warm-ups to prepare for singing.
The Trembling Troubadours performed on the Roland Hayes Concert Hall stage on Friday, Sept. 26.
The Troubadours performed six songs, including hits from The Beatles and Louis Armstrong. The song that resonated most with the group, according to Elverd, was “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel.
The iconic song’s primary message is helping one another through tough times in their lives.
“Individuals who participate and are living with Parkinson’s disease find that music therapy provides opportunities for acceptance, validation and emotional support,” she said.
Elverd hopes music therapy majors learn from the work done with the Troubadours.
“Bringing in older adults into a college setting like we did today is increasing awareness in general of just older adults and what their needs are,” she said. “Then, when we add that piece to the relationship of an older adult living with a neurodegenerative disease, that is an additional consideration. It also helps the students to see music in a different way.”
She added that for non-music therapy majors specifically, this was an opportunity to see music used in a therapy setting.
Additionally, Elverd is utilizing her work with the Troubadours to support her academic career.
“I’m pursuing my Ph.D. in music therapy and my dissertation is going to be about the Trembling Troubadours,” she said. “Specifically, exploring the impact the choir has had on both the individual with Parkinson’s and the caregiver—especially exploring caregiver identity, perceived fatigue and just overall general well-being.”
Elverd described it as a support group. It’s an activity for caregivers and individuals living with Parkinson’s to participate in together.
“It’s something that the two can do together and be equal in that,” she said. “There’s so much support. We’re kind of like an unofficial support group with a singing problem.”
The Troubadours stay busy.
They attend quarterly advocacy events, including an annual tradition of performing the national anthem at a Chattanooga Lookouts game in April during Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
“It addresses the physiological aspect of Parkinson’s in relation to the voice with breath support, articulation and vocal volume,” Elverd explained. “It also addresses the psychosocial need of providing them with social interaction weekly, an opportunity to have an identity outside of ‘I’m a caregiver or I’m a person with Parkinson’s.’
“What I love most about Trembling Troubadours is that we all come together and everyone is equal.”
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