I'm Mary Spremulli, MA,CCC-SLP, a medical speech-language pathologist. I have practiced for over 29 years and currently provide evaluation and treatment of speech, voice and swallowing problems through my private practice, with locations in Port Charlotte and Sarasota, Florida, and also online through virtual coaching.
In 1999, I created Voice Aerobics®, a whole-body voice strengthening program designed to serve as an after therapy program for persons with voice changes due to Parkinson's disease.
In 2008, a recorded version, Voice Aerobics DVD™, was released. The Voice Aerobics® family of products has grown to include affordable programs and products that are designed to be used on your own at home or anywhere you go. And most importantly, the programs are designed to be fun!
Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to lecture throughout the United States and in Puerto Rico, and provide educational seminars with Cross Country Education. I am also president of Voice Aerobics, LLC, a speech-language pathology private practice located in SW Florida.
An Ohio native, and graduate of Cleveland State University, I relocated to Florida in 1989. Here, through my out-patient practice, I began to develop an interest in working with individuals with changes in their voice, speech or swallowing as a result of Parkinson’s, stroke, and other neurological disorders.
I currently serve as a faculty member of Parkinson Place, a community based center located in Sarasota, Florida, and affiliated with the Parkinson's Research Foundation. I conduct a Voice Aerobics® class in that location weekly. I am also a member of the Education Committee of the World Parkinson's Program www.pdprogram.org/, and contribute articles related to communication and swallowing for their online newsletter which is distributed to a global audience of over 15,000 readers, and provides educational brochures in more than 12 languages to serve diverse communities around the world.
Voice Aerobics® came about originally as an "after therapy" program for individuals who completed a formal treatment program. The weekly class, however, began to attract a variety of individuals, who liked the idea of combining vocal function exercises with a general workout. The DVD provides individuals with an opportunity to work-out on their own, in their own home, and perhaps provide them with an opportunity to maintain improvements they have already achieved through formal therapy programs.
As a therapist, I have learned that the most I can offer a patient is:
- Knowledge about your illness or disease
- A meaningful and relevant treatment program
- And tools that allow you to continue to practice on your own.