This Michigan Guitar Program Uses Music to Help Parkinson’s Patients

Parkinson’s Disease and playing the guitar. 30 years ago, I would never have associated the two. Today, those two come together when I think about the classic movie, Back to the Future.

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Knowing what Michael J. Fox is dealing with in 2026, it’s incredible to watch his 1985 performance as Marty McFly. And with a mother who suffers from Parkinson’s, this game-changer really hits close to home.

How a Michigan Program Is Using Music to Treat Parkinson’s

Now imagine being told that learning guitar could actually help fight back against Parkinson’s symptoms. That’s what’s being worked on right here in Michigan.

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A startup in Holland called Theraplaying is developing a 12-week guitar-based therapy program designed specifically for Parkinson’s patients. According to FOX 17, the goal is to reduce tremors, improve coordination and balance, and enhance emotional well-being.

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And when you think about it, it makes sense. Playing guitar uses everything, your fingers, your timing, your hearing, your memory. It’s a full-brain workout, but it doesn’t feel like therapy.

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The program’s creator, Michigan’s own James Lenger, is now partnering with Hope College to study how music lessons impact memory and cognitive function.

How One Doctor Is Relearning Motor Skills Through Music

But here’s the part that sticks. A former ER doctor named Brian Cote was diagnosed back in 2011. One of the first things he lost was the ability to write. Now, he’s learning guitar, rebuilding those same fine motor skills through music.

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He also talked about something a lot of people don’t, how easy it is to slip into depression or shut down after a diagnosis like this. But having something like music gives people purpose again.

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They’re still working on insurance approval, but if this takes off, it could open the door for a lot of people. And the idea that music can heal in more ways than one, that’s powerful.