WASHINGTON — A psychiatrist treating the man who shot President Ronald Reagan says the patient wants to start a band and should be allowed to publish his music anonymously.

Dr. Deborah Giorgi-Guarnieri testified Friday during court hearings that will ultimately determine whether and under what conditions John Hinckley Jr. will be allowed to live full-time outside a mental hospital. Giorgi-Guarnieri says Hinckley should be allowed to start the band but not perform publicly.

Hinckley’s lawyer and treatment team say he’s ready to live full-time at his 89-year-old mother’s home in Virginia under certain conditions.

Hinckley has been allowed freedom in stages. He spends 17 days a month at his mother’s Williamsburg home. One of his interests is music, and he sings and plays the guitar. He also participates in music therapy.