BOSTON -- Music is often called the universal language, and now the power of music is helping stroke patients speak again by singing what they want to say.

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Wednesday that it's a promising treatment called Melodic Intonation Therapy currently being studied at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

When George Reppucci suffered a stroke on his left side almost three years ago, he lost most of his ability to speak. But he could sing.

That made him the perfect candidate for a trial of Melodic Intonation Therapy. Using musical rhythms and tones to first sing phrases and then say them, therapists helped put the words back in Reppucci's mouth.

"One year ago, I didn't speak," Reppucci said.

To understand how Melodic Intonation Therapy works, you need to understand a little about the brain. Most language skills originate in the left side of the brain, while musical abilities come from the right. But the right brain also has some speech capabilities that don't get used often.

"The therapeutic approach of melodic intonation therapy is to try to engage the brain structures on the right side of the brain which are already there but are not typically used," Dr. Gottfried Schlaug said.

It is a slow and difficult process that begins with a basic rhythm and simple two-toned melody.

"We start by tapping one syllable one tap per syllable and as he gets better at it and it flows then we tap more in the rhythm of what the speech would be," Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Andrea Norton said.

Schlaug has been studying Melodic Intonation Therapy for two years. So far, all five of his patients have shown varying degrees of improvement -- none more than Reppucci.

Melodic Intonation Therapy has also been used to help people who stutter and is being studied for dyslexia as well.

Schlaug is looking for more people to take part in his study.