The Benefits of Singing

This is a great column about the benefits of singing, written by Susan Brooks, professor of music at Gordon College.  I highlight a few spots:

“What we do know is that singing – alone, in a group, for an audience, even just experimenting with sounds at home — is enormously beneficial, especially for the singer himself.

In other words, we were born to sing, hard-wired to do it. Before we talked, we sang. Babies sing and they sing a lot. They soothe themselves with singing. They sing themselves to sleep. They sing when they play. They do it because if feels good. And now scientists know why.

Singing triggers positive physical responses and is a veritable fountain of youth. For instance, research is showing that people who sing tend to live longer while enjoying a higher quality of life. They have better posture; increased muscle tone, especially in the torso area; larger lung capacities; higher energy; fewer asthma attacks; stronger immune systems. And if those were not enough reasons to burst into song right this minute, how about these? Those who sing average fewer doctor visits, less frequent eye sight problems, less need for medications, and fewer falls and injuries.

In a culture where health care and health costs trump so many other social concerns, then, we’d do well to invest in the therapeutic and even aerobic benefits of singing…”


“That’s not all. Unlike simply speaking, singing affects us psychologically in numerous ways. If we make it a habit to sing even a little each day, we reduce stress, build confidence and self-assurance, and fight off depression and other mental health challenges.”


“Imagine what might happen to our overly medicated country if more people joined a chorus…”

There ya go.   For Alban Pro Musica, choral singing IS our health plan!

David Griggs-Janower