{"id":77555,"date":"2026-04-13T13:52:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:52:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=77555"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:52:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T20:52:14","slug":"mountain-tremors-at-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/mountain-tremors-at-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Healing in harmony"},"content":{"rendered":"

For people living with Parkinson\u2019s disease, music is medicine. As founder of the NAU-based\u00a0choir\u00a0Mountain Tremors since 2016,\u00a0<\/span>F\u00e9\u00a0Murray\u00a0<\/span><\/b>has 10 years of proof.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople with Parkinson\u2019s may experience pain or periods where movement feels \u2018stuck\u2019 or difficult to\u00a0initiate,\u201d Murray said. \u201cWith music, that discomfort may become less noticeable.\u201d\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Created a decade ago to support northern Arizonans with Parkinson\u2019s in a fun, interactive way, Mountain Tremors has grown to include about two dozen people\u2014including partners,\u00a0caregivers\u00a0and NAU student volunteers. The group\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0just give those with neurological impairments the opportunity to strengthen their voices, ease their\u00a0movements\u00a0and make meaningful connections with others like them. It also enriches the lives of the many NAU students who have conducted,\u00a0performed\u00a0and volunteered with the group over the years.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"People<\/a>\u201cFor both our students and our older singers, there\u2019s not much\u00a0opportunity to\u00a0connect with someone from a different generation,\u201d Murray said. \u201cTo bond with someone going through something you\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0imagine, to see them as a person who had this whole life, can be incredibly valuable.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0very rewarding\u00a0to bring generations together and support people with Parkinson\u2019s in this way.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mountain Tremors will celebrate a decade of music,\u00a0merriment\u00a0and community with a\u00a0<\/span>free concert on\u00a0April 17<\/span><\/a>. The performance will feature classic favorites like \u201cHere Comes the Sun,\u201d \u201cIsn\u2019t She Lovely?\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Go Breaking My Heart,\u201d with an optional singalong\u00a0portion.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Three\u2019s a choir<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

When Murray joined the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders 12 years ago, some faculty already knew she sang with the Master Chorale of Flagstaff. Word spread, and soon, the clinic director approached her to ask whether\u00a0she\u2019d\u00a0consider starting a choir for local people with Parkinson\u2019s.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That made sense to Murray, who had experience working in speech therapy for people with neurological impairments.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith Parkinson\u2019s, the brain\u2019s internal feedback system is disrupted,\u201d Murray said. \u201cPeople may feel like\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0speaking at a normal volume or moving normally, but their voice becomes softer, their movements slower and their steps more shuffling. In speech therapy, we work to recalibrate that system through targeted exercises. For example,\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0ask them to sustain an \u2018ahhh\u2019 sound at a strong, steady volume. That kind of practice becomes much more engaging when\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0built into singing a song they know and love.\u201d\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Want\u00a0to support the next 10 years?\u202f<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Visit the NAU Giving Day website<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0learn more about Mountain Tremors and invest in improved health, human\u00a0connection\u00a0and a more harmonious future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

With no conducting experience, Murray turned to\u00a0<\/span>Edith Copley<\/span><\/b>, then the director of choral studies at NAU, for help. Copley, who had personal experience with Parkinson\u2019s through a close\u00a0family member, helped Murray connect with students who could conduct the choir and\u00a0accompany\u00a0them on piano and guitar.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In its first year<\/span><\/a>, Mountain Tremors had just three singers\u2014two who came from The Peaks, a senior home in Flagstaff, and one from the broader community. But over the years, as word got out, the choir grew to include many more members\u2014including the spouses and caregivers of those with neurological challenges. These days, anywhere from\u00a0five\u00a0to 10 students also attend each rehearsal. Some are future clinicians who want to spend time with their patients, while others simply want a fun study break.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Music education major\u00a0<\/span>Jake Fagone<\/span><\/b>\u00a0has been\u00a0accompanying\u00a0the group on piano this year. He said the experience has been invaluable\u2014not just musically but also personally.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving only played piano for a year and having never worked with an ensemble before, it\u2019s been a really good opportunity for me to grow as a musician,\u201d Fagone said. \u201cEveryone is really welcoming and understanding, which is huge because when I make a mistake, I don\u2019t get laughed at or judged.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Building community<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Mountain Tremors\u2019 judgment-free environment\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0just helpful for new pianists\u2014it\u2019s\u00a0also a boon for first-time singers like Bob Fain. The 77-year-old woodworker joined the group three years ago in hopes that it would ease his Parkinson\u2019s symptoms, and it did.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps my voice stay limber,\u201d Fain said. \u201cSome of the techniques they use have been\u00a0really good\u00a0for my vocal cords. I also like that it gets me out of the house, talking to other people and having that camaraderie that people develop when they sing together.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Keyboardist<\/a>Fain enjoyed singing so much that he invited his wife, retired graphic designer Andi Kleinman, to join Mountain Tremors too. They\u2019ve both stuck with the group ever since, not only singing but also having fun with words: Last year, as part of a Mountain Tremors concert, Fain created Flagstaff-focused lyrics to the John Denver song \u201cTake Me Home, Country Roads,\u201d and this year Kleinman penned new words to \u201cThis Land is Your Land\u201d for the choir\u2019s upcoming concert. (\u201cWhen in the autumn, the Peaks are glowing\/with flowers blooming, and aspens showing\/and all around me, there is a-choo-oo-ing\/this land was made for you and me.\u201d)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNeither one of us is a lyricist,\u201d Fain said, laughing. \u201cBut it\u2019s fun to do something out of the box entirely, something that gets you to take your creativity in a different direction.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0also fun to make new friends from different\u00a0walks of life, which Fain and Kleinman have certainly done.\u00a0Last year, when rehearsals wrapped up for the season, they continued meeting up with people from Mountain Tremors over lunch and games of Scrabble.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope we all keep at it, because it\u2019s a really good thing,\u201d Kleinman said.\u00a0\u201cI hope it continues for 10 more years.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Uplifting stories like these are exactly what keep Murray motivated, despite the time and challenges she\u00a0sometimes\u00a0faces\u00a0while managing the group.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be a lot of work to find musicians, book a classroom, schedule the rehearsals and organize things every year,\u201d Murray said. \u201cBut then everyone arrives for that first\u00a0rehearsal,\u00a0and\u00a0all of\u00a0the stress goes away. This is just so fun and so meaningful.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mountain Tremors\u2019 10th anniversary concert\u00a0<\/span>takes place Friday, April 17 at 1:15 p.m.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in the Health Professions Building, room 101. Parking is available for a fee in nearby lot P48.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>
\n\"Northern<\/span><\/p>\n


\nJill Kimball | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-2282 | jill.kimball@nau.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For people living with Parkinson\u2019s disease, music is medicine. As founder of the NAU-based\u00a0choir\u00a0Mountain Tremors since 2016,\u00a0F\u00e9\u00a0Murray\u00a0has 10 years of proof.\u00a0 \u201cPeople with Parkinson\u2019s may experience pain or periods where movement feels \u2018stuck\u2019 or difficult to\u00a0initiate,\u201d Murray said. \u201cWith music, that discomfort may become less noticeable.\u201d\u202f\u00a0 Created a decade ago to support northern Arizonans with…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":77635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-staff"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}