The Benefits of Choir Singing

There has been a revolution in attitudes towards joining a local choir: the addition of famous mainstream music to the repertoire and a growing awareness of choirs such as pop choirs have attracted new audiences to the idea of ​​choir singing.

This is good news because singing in a choir has many benefits. Several studies show that group singing helps build social bonds - it does so very quickly and acts as a great ice breaker. It has also shown that it effectively connects large groups and is an ideal way to strengthen wider social networks. This is especially valuable in today's often marginalized world where much of our social interaction takes place remotely via Facebook and Twitter. Even though you don't necessarily speak to everyone in the choir, you can feel an overall sense of connection with the group, increasing community and belonging.

Music is found in all human cultures around the world. The oldest bone flute is 40,000 years old, so music has been around since at least that time. This, and the fact that music is commonly found in social settings, from religious ceremonies to football matches, suggests that music may be an evolved behavior for creating cohesion within communities. The satisfaction of making music together may be related to the activation of the brain's reward system, which includes dopamine pathways that keep people coming back. Singing has also been shown to improve our sense of well-being. Research shows that actively singing can make you feel more positive than passively listening to music or talking about positive events in your life.

Music has been used in many healing rituals in different cultures throughout history, and is already used therapeutically in our own culture, for example, to alleviate mental illness, breathing difficulties, and speech disorders. The physiological benefits of singing and music in general have long been studied. Making music has positive effects on the brain and the body, but singing is especially beneficial for improving breathing, posture, and muscle tone. Listening to or participating in music has also been shown to be effective in reducing pain, likely due to the release of neurochemicals. There is also evidence that music may play a role in maintaining a healthy immune system by reducing the stress hormone cortisol and increasing immunoglobulin A antibodies. Regular choir members report that learning new songs stimulates cognition and improves memory, and singing has also been shown to help people with dementia.

In Western society, making music is often viewed as a talented minority area, but few people actually lack musical ability. Growing community choirs open to all demonstrate these inherent abilities. With concerns about loneliness and isolation growing, and the search for solutions more pressing than ever, it is interesting to see people's renewed interest in connecting through song.

Learn about the surprising power of meditative chanting here. And if you are a beginning singer, check out these great 9 tips here. Learn about how to maintain a healthy singing voice here.

Want to Try Out Some Easy Singing Tips?

Check out this video: Easy Singing Tips For Beginners

And click here to get a free singing or piano lesson!