Singing Is Good For You!
There are many things about which the UK claims to be the envy of the world, but when it comes to choirs, the boast is justified. It’s one of the things the UK truly excels at,. More than any other country, we have an amazing amateur tradition. We are the only country with a 1,000-year unbroken tradition of cathedral choir schools. It is one of the things we really do well.
So, after years of decline, choirs are becoming cool, spurred by the success of the choirmaster Gareth Malone’s award-winning BBC2 series on choirs. There are now more than 25,000 registered in Britain. They make people feel good. Choirs are the only place where people come together and express a common emotion. “That’s why football crowds sing and why choirs are incredibly valuable to society in general.”
It seems a lot of people want to get involved in singing these days. You can have singing for health, singing for pregnancy, singing against depression, singing for fun, and even singing to cure snoring (jury is out on this one…). There is no doubt that singing is good for you and you can get two hours of goodness for less than a pint of Guinness!
Professor Graham Welch, Chair of Music Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, who has studied developmental and medical aspects of singing for 30 years says,
“The health benefits of singing are both physical and psychological. Singing has physical benefits because it is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the blood stream and exercises major muscle groups in the upper body, even when sitting. Singing has psychological benefits because of its normally positive effect in reducing stress levels through the action of the endocrine system which is linked to our sense of emotional well-being. Psychological benefits are also evident when people sing together as well as alone because of the increased sense of community, belonging and shared endeavour.”
I think he is saying that all in all, singing is a good thing to do.
Here in Bramley we know that to be true.
