I like all kinds of singing: barbershop, opera, popular, folk…it’s all good. So recently I read an article posted on an opera company’s website and couldn’t resist sharing the key points with you. I’ll include the link so you can read the entire article if you like. But here’s the take-a-way.

1. Singing makes you feel better. There’s an increasing amount of evidence that singing releases endorphins, serotonin and dopamine – the ‘happy’ chemicals that boost your mood and make you feel good about yourself. Scientists believe that’s one of the reasons why people report being on a high during choir sessions and continuing to feel positive, uplifted and motivated afterwards. Singing also counts as an aerobic activity as it introduces more oxygen into the blood leading to better circulation – and a better mood.
2. Singing enhances lung function. We often take our lungs for granted, but most of us rarely use them to their full capacity. The way singing requires you to breathe makes you do just that, increasing your lung capacity as well as engaging the muscles around the rib cage.
3. Singing helps you beat stress and relax. As well as benefiting our lungs, breathing properly and with more awareness is good for releasing anxiety and helping us transition to a state of rest and relaxation. If you’ve had a bad day, give singing a go.
4. Singing helps improve memory. Singing can help improve mental alertness, memory and concentration as it involves focusing on multiple things at once, engaging many areas of the brain in the process. Music is also increasingly becoming a feature of dementia care, in part because it has proved to be a powerful tool in sparking memories often long after other forms of communication have diminished.
5. Singing builds a sense of community. Singing is a fantastic communal activity. Singing with other people, whether in the flesh or on screen, can help build connections and feelings of togetherness. Recent research has also shown that the sense of merging our self with others that we experience by synchronizing our voices with others is a great way to fast-track social bonding. There’s also the pleasure to be found in sharing an interest, ensuring you always have something to talk about before or after the session.
6. Singing lets you express yourself. Singing is the perfect way to let go and express how you feel. And, when you sing in a group, there’s the added fun of watching other people enjoying themselves too!
7. Singing can help with pain relief. By supporting wellbeing and giving participants a healthy dose of joy, singing can be beneficial for people who experience pain. It helps them shift from yet another day ‘enduring pain’ to having joyful, fun times and feeling connected to others.
8. Singing boosts your confidence. Many people get nervous at the thought of performing in public, but singing in a group can actually help boost your confidence and fire up your self-esteem – and the more you do it, the more confident you’ll feel. Good posture is also a key factor in hitting the high notes, so you’ll find you’re naturally standing taller by the end.
9. Singing features in well-being studies. The University of Leeds is so convinced of the impact music can have that they offer a MA in Music and Wellbeing, exploring in more depth the relationship between engaging with music and the positive effects on health and happiness. Dr Freya Bailes, who leads the MA, says: “Singing with others contributes to positive mood, is engaging, promotes relationships with others, is experienced as meaningful, and can afford a strong sense of accomplishment.” Surveys conducted over the past 20 years by Chorus America also substantiate a direct connection between singing and a sense of well-being experience by singers, not just while singing but throughout their life.
10. Singing is for Everyone! The good news is, it doesn’t matter whether you think you can sing in tune or not: the health benefits will still be the same. As Oliver Rundell (Opera North Chorus Master) puts it: “Everybody has a voice and everybody can sing. It’s a brilliant way of just giving yourself some time. Simply tune out the rest of the world and enjoy the physical sensation of breathing in and creating a note with your body.”

Published February 1, 2023 by Opera North, Leeds, UK

“Yeah, I used to sing in the high school choir. It was fun, but I haven’t really sung since then.”

“I was in a choir at my church when I was little but other than that, I’ve only sung in the shower. I like to sing, though, I really do.”

If you’ve ever heard yourself saying something similar, there is a singer in you that is waiting for another chance to be heard. All you need is that chance and perhaps a little encouragement. It’s time to knock the rust off your “pipes,” be brave, and go find a group of singers to join.

Barbershop singers are some of the coolest, most helpful, most optimistic and community-minded people you will ever meet. Their attitude: everyone can sing! That was mine, too, even before I encountered the Barbershop Universe where not only do they SAY it, they SING it. Walk up to 4 guys at a barbershop conference and I dare you to tell them you don’t sing; they’ll have you holding your own part on a “tag” within 5 minutes (no brag, just fact!). After that, if you aren’t convinced, they’ll teach you another one, and eventually hand you a folder of music and show you to your seat. It’s really that easy.

Barbershop music is crafted so that it’s beginner-friendly. That’s not saying that all barbershop arrangements are easy: they’re NOT! But most of us have grown up listening to music on the radio, on TV, everywhere and we have learned what to expect in a song. Most popular songs follow a tried-and-true structure that we’ve all heard a thousand times, and barbershop music takes advantage of that unconscious knowledge. You may not think you know much about music (“can’t read music,” “really don’t see any reason to learn to read music”) but you do.

Find a barbershop group and go find out just how much you DO know about music. It’s time you had some fun singing!

Singing has been problematic for the last couple years. Yes, we know. Now it’s time to dust off those voices and get them in the mix once again.

Or maybe you finally realized, after singing along to all the virtual offerings online and the radio in the kitchen, that you’d like to sing in a group. Well, now is the time to go find that group and sing!

Barbershop singers are some of the friendliest people on the planet. We LOVE to sing! We love to get everyone around us singing. So if you’re looking for a group, try us out. We’re just returning to singing together (as the situation permits) and we’d love to have you join us. Please go to the CONTACT US – Enquiry form and get in touch.

We’re hoping to hear from you SOON.