I have a confession: as a child I hated preforming in front of audiences. Don’t get me wrong, I was excited about the prospect, I wanted perform for my friends and family and I loved playing the piano. But those dreaded nerves always got the best of me and it took me a long time to learn how to control them. Somehow though, singing in a choir was different; I loved it, loved the performances and being with others and somehow the nerves were just not the same.
I wasn’t a brilliant singer, nor did I have any solo roles – (mostly I sang alto), but standing there with a group of people singing and harmonising together, somehow those nerves were nowhere to be seen. There was something so wonderful that would happen when all the voices around me combined to make such beautiful music that made me just want to sing and forget about the stage that I was standing on.
Research would suggest the confidence I experienced in being part of choir is most likely due to the happy endorphins that are released during community singing. There must be something to this research; I was delighted as i watched one of my most shy students during our first Junior Choir rehearsal open her mouth and sing, yes, quietly, but with a smile on her face and with willingness.
Research is also finding a lot of other wonderful things about participation in choirs. Here are some of those benefits:
- Participating in choir provides a greater sense of togetherness and community. Singing together requires students to listen and to harmonise with each other; when this is done well, they make a beautiful sound that can be enjoyed by the choir members and the audience.
- Children who participate in choir are able to express a wider range of emotions than children who do not, and they are also able to manage these emotions in a positive way. Singing is a wonderful tool for learning to express emotions in a positive and productive way. By telling stories through song, children develop the ability to identify and be empathetic with the emotions of others as they learn to convey the story to their audiences.
- Children who participate in choir learn good vocal control. Yes – they get to be loud, very loud, but they also learn how to express ideas and thoughts in a soft but strong tone. Through singing in choir your child’s vocal muscles are strengthened and they are taught to pronounce and communicate words fluently.
- Children who participate in choir are more likely to be helpful. Research has shown that those who participate in choir are more likely to volunteer their time to help others and one study has shown that children who are involved in choir are more likely to help out at home.
- Your child’s confidence will grow. As they sing with others in rehearsals, your child will learn to feel comfortable with their voice and allowing others to hear it. This can lead to your child having more confidence to ask questions at school and to participate in class discussions confidently.
To find out more benefits of singing in a choir you can download the research this article is based on here.
To find out more about our choirs and how you can take part click the link below