John McKay has been a musician for as long as he can remember, learning the recorder and ukulele at primary school and then progressing to Highland bagpipes at age 10. Restringing a guitar that he found at a local dump when he was 35 led to him becoming an accomplished guitarist and John has performed in an Irish band and as part of a musical duo throughout his adulthood. John has always been an active part of his community by helping others learn the bagpipes and ukulele and assisting with local pipe bands and uke groups
However, when John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, he thought that he would need to give up on music and began to sell his large collection of instruments. John's daughter Erin says, “Having Parkinson’s has meant playing many of these instruments has become challenging, and with some instruments he has had to stop playing them completely.”
“I couldn’t believe how good I felt after my first session… You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, but music therapy has shown me that I can still play.”
John was nervous when he arrived for his first session with Denby Cabaldon, our Bay of Plenty Regional Manager and John's music therapist. The two of them spent a long time talking before Denby could encourage him to pick up a ukulele and do some playing with her.Denby drew on her training in neurology to use specific musical techniques as tools for physiological entrainment, allowing John to lock in with her playing and join her in playing the ukulele.
“The mistake I made was thinking my diagnosis was the end of it.”
The confidence that John has regained through music therapy has allowed him to resume teaching the bagpipes to local beginners and re-join his community ukulele group, as well as joining new activities including a Parkinson’s exercise group, weekly Pilates, and long bike rides.