皇家华人

The Tremors vs Tremors project, in collaboration with creative agency Innocean Berlin and audio production company DaHouse, has created a series of bespoke songs based on the personal narratives, favourite genres and tremor recordings of five people with Parkinson鈥檚.

More than 10 million people worldwide currently live with Parkinson鈥檚, and this number is expected to double over the next 20 years.

The Tremors vs Tremors project focuses on the individual nature of Parkinson鈥檚 and how it affects each person differently. There are over 40 symptoms of the condition, many of which are invisible, such as anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and apathy. These all have a big impact on an individual鈥檚 day-to-day life and can make the condition harder to treat.

In order to explore the condition鈥檚 intersection with music, mood and movement, the project team, led by Dr Christian Lambert (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology), first interviewed the individuals affected by Parkinson鈥檚. The interviews explored their experience living with the condition, the perception of their tremor and other invisible symptoms, their relationship with music and the musical genres they most enjoyed. He also recorded their tremors using devices called accelerometers during a standard assessment.

This raw tremor data was then sent to DaHouse, who transformed it into a musical element which was used to affect the instruments and melodies of the tracks. This resulted in each person鈥檚 tremor being embedded into the song鈥檚 core.

To ensure that each participant saw themselves in the song, DaHouse took inspiration from the interviews and based the lyrics on each person鈥檚 individual experience with Parkinson鈥檚 and the melody on their favourite music genre.

The five participants were then invited back to UCL, to listen to their bespoke song for the first time. The songs had a positive impact, with reactions as individual as their condition.

Kuhan, whose song was called 鈥淭he Greatest Day鈥�, said: 鈥淚 feel a physical change in my symptoms when I have an emotional reaction to things. And there鈥檚 nothing more emotional than music that鈥檚 based on me.鈥�

Clare, whose song 鈥淪tarlight Keeper鈥� is about acceptance, said: 鈥淚t made me consciously let go of my hands, instead of holding my hand to stop my tremor.鈥�

She added: 鈥淚 just want to share it with everybody. Listen to this. This is me, this is my tempo, this is my tremor.鈥�

Dr Lambert describes the importance of the project: 鈥淚n managing Parkinson鈥檚, it鈥檚 not all about medications. There is a broad range of strategies and therapies available that can form part of a holistic approach to care that is tailored to the individual person. Our hope is that this project will inspire patients, people caring for people with Parkinson鈥檚, and researchers to take some of this work further, to provide more ways to help understand, manage and treat the condition.鈥�

The aim of Tremors vs Tremors is to continue to raise awareness of the variability in Parkinson鈥檚, while also highlighting the importance of a holistic approach to managing symptoms. The whole project is gathered on a dedicated , which tells each participant鈥檚 story and explains the process in more depth.

The Tremors vs Tremors album is available widely on all major music streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music, as well as limited edition vinyl records. All proceeds will go to Parkinson鈥檚 UK.

Paul Jackson-Clark, Director of Fundraising and Experience, Parkinson鈥檚 UK, said: 鈥淭he Tremors vs Tremors project is an innovative way to express people鈥檚 experiences of Parkinson鈥檚 and we are incredibly appreciative that the royalties from the album will go to Parkinson鈥檚 UK.鈥�

The project will launch during Brain Awareness Week (11^th-17^th March 2024) and at an online event hosted by UCL in collaboration with Innocean, DaHouse and Parkinson鈥檚 UK on Thursday 14th March 2024. You can sign up for a free place .

Links

• UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
• UCL Brain Sciences

Image

• Credit: Innocean Berlin

Media contact听

Poppy Tombs听

E: p.tombs听[at] ucl.ac.uk