Singing in Claygate
SINGING TOGETHER GIVES HEALTH BOOST
Singing has been proved to benefit both physical and mental well-being – and it’s fun, especially when you sing with others in a local choir, such as Vocality in Claygate. It works to lower stress, as well as improving breathing and lung capacity and some studies suggest it can improve posture and even reduce snoring. Singing has also been linked to reducing symptoms of depression and soothing emotional pain, including grief.
Being part of a team can also give a sense of purpose and belonging, motivating people to be active. We often have people telling us at Vocality: “I really didn’t feel like coming out this evening, but I’m so glad I did.”
In his health podcast, “Just One Thing”, Dr Michael Mosley has found the same: “Studies suggest that belng out a tune and singing in a choir can enhance your mood, your immune system, your blood pressure, and reduce chronic pain.” Studies by University College London’s Department of Psychobiology and Epidemiology have found that singing can reduce cortisol levels and stress; some GPs are even prescribing singing for a range of conditions.
In April 2022, Verywell Mind, a mental health and wellness platform, also stated that music may be just as powerful as exercise in improving mental health. And a study published by the Royal Society in 2015, entitled “The Ice-Breaker Effect: Singing Mediates Fast Social Bonding”, compared bonding between participants in singing groups and other adult education groups, such as crafts or creative writing.
By the seventh month, the groups of singers and non-singers all felt connected, with comparable well-being, but singers bonded much faster within the first month. The researchers said: “This represents the first evidence for an ‘ice-breaker effect’ of singing in promong fast cohesion between unfamiliar individuals...We argue that singing may have evolved to quickly bond large human groups of relative strangers.”
We see this effect repeatedly at Vocality and our members talk of a great sense of well-being and achievement. Our singers learn songs by ear, led by fantastic choir leader, Tom Chapman, and then we practise at home using tailormade tracks for each voice part.
Vocality meets at Holy Trinity Church every Tuesday from 8pm to 9.30pm during school term me. We don’t audition and there is no need to read music. We welcome new members, and are especially keen to recruit more lower voices, so why not come and see how singing together makes you feel? Email catherine@vocalitysinging.co.uk or visit www.vocalitysinging.co.uk.
