​Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman Ensemble

Wendy Lyons - Choir Founder

Members of the Stroke a Chord choir were thrilled to be invited to sing at the Monash Medical Centre on 3rd December 2019 to celebrate the International Day of Disability.  We really enjoyed performing to an audience and educating them about stroke and aphasia.  All our members are stroke survivors with disabilities and many have aphasia. 
Following a talk by a fellow stroke survivor on her own personal journey of recovery, the choir was introduced to the audience by Speech Pathologist Bronwyn Jones.  Led by our conductor Christie Cula Reid and supported by our talented musicians we presented a diverse program providing opportunity for the audience to join us in song.  We were pleased to mix with the audience who are part of the Monash Medical Centre team.  It was a great day for all of us.

By Margaret Burin  Updated 27 May 2016, 7:08am
​The Stroke A Chord choir is auspiced by Music and The Brain Foundation as a Vocal Locals project

Adrian Eagleton cannot string a sentence together after experiencing a stroke 18 years ago, but like many of the members in Stroke a Chord, he can sing beautifully.
In a condition known as aphasia, the stroke damaged the section of his brain that controls speech output.
But because singing and melody is processed by a different part of the brain, he is still able to sing.
The 66-year-old is a member of Stroke a Cord, a choir for people who also have the condition, which is celebrating its sixth birthday this week.
To mark the occasion, they performed a rendition of Unchained Melody, complete with one of Adrian's moving solos.
Speech pathologist Bronwyn Jones said it regularly brought a tear to the eyes of their audience.
"Adrian has got five words, and several of them are rude words, and that's about it," she said.
"But when he sung Unchained Melody he was able to sing a whole verse all by himself.
"His sister came over from Adelaide when we first were rehearsing, and she cried the first time she heard him sing.
"We haven't done our job unless Adrian's brought a tear to peoples' eyes."
Ms Jones has been working with the self-funded group since it started in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Ringwood in 2000.
She said it was touching to see participants finally being able to express themselves using their voice.
"It's just a joy every week, it's like magic, it's like coming to work and seeing magic."