Sing Hallelujah for Health

My husband suggested we sing in a choir.

“But I can’t sing!” I said.

It was true. I couldn’t. But I did.

And now, I can — and so can you.

Research from Northwestern University suggests that singing is a learned skill that can improve with practice, such as playing an instrument, or riding a bike. Urs Steiner, conductor of the Golden Gate Symphony and Chorus — an all-volunteer singing choir — says, “Anyone who wants to sing, can sing.”

Maestro Steiner believes that God gave everyone a voice, and everyone should use it. He puts his philosophy into practice by banning tryouts and welcoming into his chorus everyone with the desire to sing.

Even if hitting the high notes hasn’t been a lifelong ambition, joining your church choir, or any singing group, can improve your life. Choir singers have fewer symptoms of depression, a higher quality of life and stronger ratings for overall health, according to one recent study. Other research has found that singing releases endorphins and oxytocin, hormones related to an  increased sense of well being and reduced stress. Lower cortisol levels, indicating lower stress, and higher levels of immune system proteins were also found in singers after completing complex musical works.

The older you are, the more you may benefit from singing. The Senior Choir Project is an NIH-funded study presently underway that will measure singing’s effect on memory, coordination, balance and well being. Half of those enrolled in the study have never sung is a choir. A promising 2014 study, published in the journal The Genrontologist, suggests that regular musical activities, including singing, has long-term cognitive, emotional, and social benefits to people with mild to moderate dementia.

But it doesn’t take a neuroscientist to figure out that singing is good for us. Here is what people who sing in choirs or choruses have to say about the benefits:

• Singing creates a sense of spirituality: Participating in a choir can enhance a sense of closeness to God. Music is an ancient and treasured means of worship and reflection.
• Singing improves focus: Our whole attention is required when we sing, and thus the stress of the past and the future disappear.
• Singing challenges the brain: Coming in on the right note, in the correct key, at the right time and with enough breath tests the brain of young and older singers.
• Singing increases lung capacity: Singing is aerobic and oxygenates the blood stream. It also exercises several major muscle groups in the upper body.
• Singing strengthens the voice: Vocal cords, like other parts of the body, need exercise to function well.  Singing can lead to a healthier, stronger and younger sounding voice.
• Singing creates a sense of belonging, community and shared endeavor: Solo singing can foster health benefits, but singing together enhances these benefits while at the same time reducing loneliness and isolation.

Your house of worship provides a perfect venue to give praise and practice your singing voice. You can also find a nearby chorus or symphony, just go to www.choirplace.com and type the name of your city or town into the search box.  If you are new to singing, talk to your choir director for guidance or look for places that do not have tryouts. Many choirs and choruses are delighted to have newcomers. It won’t take long for you to begin to reap the many benefits of singing.