FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Professor Emeritus of Music to Speak about Parkinson’s Disease
Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579 (desk)
March 29, 2011 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—The Saint Mary’s College Department of Music will welcome back Clayton Henderson, professor emeritus of music, to speak on Parkinson’s Disease (PD) awareness and how he uses music to cope with it. The event will be held on Wednesday, April 6 from 12-1 p.m. in Stapleton Lounge of Le Mans Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
“Parkinson's disease is an incurable neurological disease that affects one's physical movements and the autonomic systems of the body,” Henderson said. “For many with the disease, it begins with a slight tremor in one of the hands or noticeable slowness in walking. Over time, the tremors and slowness increase to the point where the patient may not be able to move at all and thought and speech processes are diminished considerably.”
Because April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Henderson contacted Saint Mary’s in an effort to make people more aware of the disease. According to the National Parkinson’s Foundation, an estimated four to six million people around the world currently suffer from the condition.
Henderson was diagnosed in 2001 with PD, which progressed slowly over the next seven years. In 2008, he started to see significant changes in his motor skills, which consequently made it more challenging to play the piano.
Henderson taught music history in the Department of Music at Saint Mary’s College for 25 years before retiring in 2005. He is also a writer, having published several books including On the Banks of the Wabash: The Life and Music of Paul Dressera “which showcases the rags-to-riches-to-rags story of the songwriter’s life.” He is also the author of The Charles Ives Tunebook and has written several articles on American music. Additionally, in 1997 he received the Indiana Historical Society’s Jacob Piatt Dunn, Jr. Award.
“Not only was Professor Henderson a well-loved teacher, but every year he gave a faculty recital focusing on jazz standards. He could play any tune and had a great sense of standard jazz style,” said Laurel Thomas, associate professor and chair of the Department of Music.
Henderson’s love of music and his talent of playing the piano have made his diagnosis a bit easier to deal with.
“I have found that different aspects of music have helped me immeasurably in dealing with some of the more dramatic tremors, trembling, and freezing of the hands and feet where I can't move without some external stimulus that overrides the faulty signals from my brain,” Henderson said. “Part of this ‘therapy’ is through fooling my brain. Although quite successful, I have found the relief is only temporary, but it does provide me some calmer moments.”
The event will be focused around discussion dealing with PD, but a piano will be present if Henderson feels up to playing.
“We don’t know whether he’ll be up to playing that day, but this is an occasion to gather people together to talk about the disease,” Richard Baxter, director of the Office of Special Events said. “It’s a good opportunity for people to come and say hello to Clayton and hopefully hear some music.”
Henderson will speak about PD, his personal experiences with what he calls his “designer disease” and how he uses music to offset some of the symptoms of PD. He also hopes to be able to play and demonstrate how PD has changed his playing for what he hopes is for the better.
“I no longer have the speed I used to have and learning new music is difficult, if not impossible,” Henderson said. “My neurologist has told me that the neural pathways that I have established through my years of playing the piano should allow me to continue to play some of the music I did in the past. I have found that to be true to a certain extent.”
Henderson adds, “I hope that those who attend the program will learn something about Parkinson's disease, and, more especially, realize that one can use a variety of alternative therapies--not just music--to deal with the disease--not to conquer it, for that is impossible, but to challenge it and provide some sort of temporary relief. I hope that my performance will prove some of the points I want to make.”
About Saint Mary’s College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 “Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” in the U.S. News & World Report 2011 College Guide. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.