Rachel’s Blog

I wanted to track all the potential health benefits of singing, so this post will be updated as I come across more evidence. The World Health Organisation describes health as “A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease” (WHO’s Website) For this reason, I’ve divided up the page into 3 categories: Physical Health, Mental Health and Social Health, although of course, they are all interlinked and one aspect of health is bound to determine another aspect of health.

Physical health benefits include:

• Increased lung capacity through developed breath control (singing can help strengthen and tone the diaphragm, a muscle which sits beneath the lungs, and the intercostal muscles. These muscles are essentially what dictate thoracic capacity)

• Improved co-ordination e.g. through rhythm games

• Increased circulation

• Aids speech ability by exercising the mouth, toning facial muscles, and developing ability to project the voice with improved breath control

• Improves and maintains posture

• Stronger immune system – some research suggests that singing promotes the production of two body chemicals that are part of the body’s immune defence system – immunoglobulin and cortisol.

Mental health benefits include:

• Relaxation and release of tension through deeper breathing

• Engaging in positive activity helps alleviate mental distress by offering a distraction and diverting the participant from day-to-day worries

• The boost in self-confidence and self-awareness that comes from opportunities for creative self-expression.

• A sense of joy that comes from feeling part of something larger than oneself.

• Singing produces the same ‘happy’ brain chemicals produced by sex and chocolate

• Improved mental alertness as a result of learning new songs, and new challenges such as singing in a different language or singing in harmony.

• Chance to think or explore issues that are perhaps too difficult to talk about, but which can be examined in a song.

Social health benefits include:

• Meeting new people

• A relaxed atmosphere, conducive to conversation

• Songs which may jog people’s memories, providing a way-in to reminiscence dialogues

• Opportunity to discuss difficult issues in a supportive environment, should these issues arise.

This was a fabulous conference run by Do The Right Thing, way back in October. I love the fact that I can justify attending a conference for my professional development that teaches how to make aromatherapy bath salts

Seriously, what really attracted me to the conference was the number of music workshops that were taking place. Unfortunately I could only get to 2 of them, but it is so encouraging to see the growth of music as a tool being used in social care and mental healthcare.

One fantastic organisation down in London is SoundMinds who use music as a method of community occupational therapy – they even have their own agency.

The highlight for me was Liz McNaughton‘s session Voicework for Wellbeing. Aside from voice and singing teaching, Liz also works with groups of people coping with degenerative diseases such as alzheimers and dementia, parkinsons and MS. She works completely unaccompanied, without percussion, and no songsheets (the simplicity of this appeals to me immensely) and she focuses entirely on the voice, whether singing or speaking.

Last night I started a volunteer placement at a social club for lonely people, organised by Christian-based charity Archway Foundation. The evening started with tea, coffee, biscuits and chat as people arrived. It was difficult to distinguish between volunteers and ‘friends’ (service-users). Each week some form of entertainment is provided, and last night a guitar/singing duo performed a variety of songs, including the hits of Buddy Holly, Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Simon and Garfunkel. In the latter half of the evening, after the audience had participated by clapping and singing along, chairs were cleared away to make space for dancing. It was amazing to see the difference in people, who previously were struggling to lift a tea-cup, get out of their chairs and move to an old 50′s hit. And the overall lift in atmosphere from the beginning of the evening to the end was palpable.

The people who come to Archway come from a variety of different backgrounds. Some are elderly, some are suffering from mental health problems, or other health problems that prevent them from working. A question I have is how much does loneliness inhibit our actions – are we less likely to get up and dance if we have had limited social contact? And how much does general inhibition stop us from forming strong relationships with one another? The friends at last night’s social clapped, sang and danced, but only when invited to.

And we all finished with the hokey-kokey!