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We often talk about the health and wellbeing benefits of singing, but what difference can it really make to how we feel?
As we get ready for the start of our online workshops From Couch to Chorus: Sing into Spring 2023, here’s why we think it’s well worth giving your vocal cords a regular workout.
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You can also join us during our Wellbeing Weekend in the Howard Assembly Room for a variety of activities to make you feel good.
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1. Singing makes you feel better
There’s an increasing amount of evidence that singing releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine – the ‘happy’ chemicals that boost your mood and make you feel good about yourself. Scientists believe that’s one of the reasons why people report being on a high during choir sessions and continuing to feel positive, uplifted and motivated afterwards.
“I really enjoy singing now, despite being convinced I couldn’t sing before! It’s completely joyful.”
– Participant, From Couch to Chorus, Spring 2022
Singing also counts as an aerobic activity as it introduces more oxygen into the blood leading to better circulation – and a better mood.
2. Singing enhances lung function
We often take our lungs for granted, but most of us rarely use them to their full capacity. The way singing requires you to breathe makes you do just that, increasing your lung capacity as well as engaging the muscles around the ribcage.
“Singing requires you to sing in a controlled way which helps increase lung capacity – and can also benefit people who are on the road to recovery.”
– Matt Roughley, Choral Learning Team
That’s why singing has been used to help rehabilitate people recovering from lung conditions and to benefit people suffering from long Covid.
3. Singing helps you beat stress and relax
As well as benefitting our lungs, breathing properly and with more awareness is good for releasing anxiety and helping us transition to a state of rest and relaxation.
“Simply by singing along to a favourite song or humming long notes can reduce stress levels and create a greater sense of internal balance.”
– Marie Claire Breen, Choral Learning Team
If you’ve had a bad day, give singing a go. We promise its stress-busting properties will help you forget your worries and simply be in the moment. Or take a few minutes out of your day and Reconnect with your body, breath and voice by following one of our wellbeing videos.
4. Singing helps improve memory
Singing can help improve mental alertness, memory and concentration as it involves focusing on multiple things at once, engaging many areas of the brain in the process. Music is also increasingly becoming a feature of dementia care, in part because it has proved a powerful tool in sparking memories often long after other forms of communication have diminished. A group of people living with dementia attended Melodic Memories sessions with Opera North to see if it made a difference.
“It brought David joy. He perks up, you can see it in his eyes. He can feel the music. Music is important. It’s such a great thing for us to be participating in.”
– Cath & David, Melodic Memories participants
5. Singing builds a sense of community
Singing is a fantastic communal activity. Singing with other people, whether in the flesh or on screen, can help build connections and feelings of togetherness. Recent research has also shown that the sense of self-other merging we experience by synchronizing our voices with others is a great way to fast-track social bonding.
“The sense of community and belonging when singing in group settings, even over Zoom, can have a huge impact on stress reduction and can evensynchronizeyour heartbeat and regulateyour breath, so you’re all breathing as one huge lung.”
– Marie Claire Breen, Choral Learning Team
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There’s also the pleasure to be found in sharing an interest, ensuring you always have something to talk about before or after the session.
6. Singing lets you express yourself
Singing is the perfect way to let go and express how you feel. In From Couch to Chorus, the repertoire is chosen to tap into a range of emotions with contrasting pieces. Of course, when you sing in a group, there’s the added fun of watching other people enjoying themselves too!
“It’s about just enjoying yourself, enjoying the process of being with people, creating with people.”
– Gordon Shaw, member of the Chorus of Opera North
7. Singing can help with pain relief
By supporting wellbeing and giving participants a healthy dose of joy, singing can be beneficial for people who experience pain. Dr Frances Cole who set up the Footsteps Festival for people living with persistent pain explains why they were keen for Opera North to offer Step into Singing sessions as part of the year-long celebration:
“Singing brings joy to people’s faces and lives. It helps them shift from yet another day ‘enduring pain’ to having joyful, fun times and feeling connected to others. We also find it helps with confidence, reconnecting people with themselves in positive, fruitful and compassionate ways, enabling them to live well.”
8. Singing boosts your confidence
Many people get nervous at the thought of performing in public, but singing in a group can actually help boost your confidence and fire up your self-esteem – and the more you do it, the more confident you’ll feel. Good posture is also a key factor in hitting the high notes, so you’ll find you’re naturally standing taller by the end. In fact, it works so well that singing has even been used by Opera North to build confidence, self-belief and personal impact in the workplace during training sessions with its Corporate Partners.
“Wow! That was definitely something I have never experienced before. What a great way to engage people, put them out of their comfort zone … but make it fun! Very thought-provoking”
– Participant, corporate session hosted by Sagars
9. Singing features in wellbeing studies
Don’t just take our word for it! The University of Leeds isso convinced of the impact music can have that they offer a MA in Music and Wellbeing, exploring in more depth the relationship between engaging with music and the positive effects on health and happiness. Dr Freya Bailes, who leads the MA, explains why she believes this is such an important area of research:
“When we challenge our students to think critically about whether there is really anything special about music for wellbeing, the answer seems to be that music has it all! Singing with others contributes to positive mood, is engaging, promotes relationships with others, is experienced as meaningful, and can afford a strong sense of accomplishment.”
10. Singing is for everyone
The good news is, it doesn’t matter whether you think you can sing in tune or not: the health benefits will still be the same. If you fancy a bit of guidance our Choral Learning Team offer plenty of hints and tips during From Couch to Chorus (all sessions can be captioned for even greater accessibility) – and singing in the comfort of your own home over Zoom means no-one can hear the sound you’re making anyway, so you can simply let go, have fun and experience for yourself the wellbeing singing brings.
“Everybody has a voice and everybody can sing. It’s a brilliant way of just giving yourself some time. Simply tune out the rest of the world and enjoy the physical sensation of breathing in and creating a note with your body.”
– Oliver Rundell, Opera North Chorus Master
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