The Aphasia Choir

There are about 15 million people in this world having thoughts and ideas that they can't put into words. People who have had had strokes or traumatic brain injuries often live with aphasia, or difficulty talking or using language. Their thoughts are intact, but the language gets stuck. But music mostly originates in the undamaged hemisphere of the brain. People with aphasia can often sing—even people who are entirely non-verbal.

The Aphasia Choir of Vermont was founded in 2014 by singer/songwriter and former speech-language pathologist Karen McFeeters Leary. It started with 11 stroke survivors and now they’re over 50 strong.

I asked Karen if I could record a rehearsal and talk with a few members of the group. We take language for granted, like breathing. So what is it like to struggle to speak…in a world that is uncomfortable with silence?

For more information on aphasia, visit the National Aphasia Association

Thank you Karen for your time and your advice and for this beautiful project you’ve made. Here is a link to the choir, and here is a link to Karen’s personal website where you can find some of her own music.

Thank you also Chelsea and Tobin.