A new therapeutic choir, based upon Auckland's Celebration Choir, has been boosting both the vocal abilities and the confidence of a Christchurch group with neurological disorders.
The choir is made up of people who've had a stroke or brain injury as well as those with Parkinsons Disease and Multiple Sclerosis.
The choir leaders, a musical therapist, Kimberly Jones, and a speech language therapist, Susan Macdonald, say these diagnoses can cause patients to have a softer voice or poorer articulation.
And they say over a ten week period, some participants have already made gains in both vocal volume, not to mention confidence.
The programme has been initally funded by Therapy Professionals and Music Therapy New Zealand.
Katy Gosset attends the choir's first public performance and discusses the benefits its brought with the participants and their families.
