Singing Is Good For You!
The idea that singing may have specific health benefits has held currency in
some circles for over a century, though few studies have investigated the
effects of active participation in music: in current music therapy practice,
recorded music and instrumental and vocal improvisation are the standard
therapeutic techniques, and possible therapeutic aspects of the use of the
singing voice in a performance context in more natural settings, such as
performing in amateur choirs, have received little attention. There is,
however, a recent development of interest in the potential contributions that
the arts can make to health.
In New Zealand, members of a university choral society completed a
questionnaire designed to extract information relating to the emotional,
social, spiritual and health benefits derived from singing: the responses
indicated that the choristers believed singing had positive effects on their
lives. The investigation, being conducted in an environment where choir
membership may have been restricted to those with a level of expertise, may not
be representative of the ability and attitudes of the general population, but a
Canadian study explored the effects of choral singing with groups of the
homeless and others who live in impoverished circumstances, who had experienced
positive life transformations since joining a choir. These effects do not
appear to be dependent on ability or training.
A recent German study has shown that active amateur group singing may lead to
significant increases in the production of a protein considered as the first
line of defence against respiratory infections, and also leads to positive
emotional changes (as measured by psychometric tests). The specific immune
response did not seem to depend on the proficiency of the singers, and it is
probable that humans are not the only species to exhibit relationships between
singing and immune factors: similar effects have been found in starlings and
are being investigated in primates such as singing gibbons (no, this is not an
April 1 wind-up!).
It is worth quoting the final sentence of the article by the German researchers
in full: "Given that every human being is, in principle, capable of developing
sufficient vocal skills to participate in a choral society for a lifetime, active
group singing may be a risk-free, economic, easily accessible, and yet powerful
road to enhanced physiological and psychological well-being." Hear, hear, we
say!!
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