Whether or not you consider yourself a good singer, and let’s face it, most of us do, we all love to sing well. It is an accepted and fun part of life and a great way to communicate.
The best part is that your voice doesn’t have to be fantastic to begin with and everyone can learn to produce a happy sound. Singing is healthy and provides many benefits for the mind and body, so whether you sing in the car or in the shower, at a karaoke night in the pub or in a church choir, let it out, sing well and have fun.
By singing we can show deep feelings and this has an incredible release on stress levels. It makes us relax and distracts us from anything that may be depressing our spirits. In general, a singing session makes us feel much better.
The medical profession firmly believes that singing is a good form of aerobic exercise for the abdominal muscles, lungs, and blood circulation. Singing with and without music is used as therapy to treat people suffering from many types of physical, psychological, or emotional illness or trauma, and is a common component of treatment for those who have had strokes that have resulted in speech problems. Singing is a great help for communication, breathing and rhythm.
Especially within the UK, it is becoming increasingly popular for older people to join community groups where choirs are part of the agenda and they will find themselves singing anything from hymns to modern songs. Getting together to sing a good song does them a lot of good.
Take, for example, The Zimmers, the British rock group that is made up of forty elderly retirees. They just released a version of the famous chart-topping song My Generation, originally performed by The Who, and it has quickly become a global hit, its popularity spreading to the US and even beyond. Originally created as part of the BBC Television documentary on how older people are treated in the UK. the results of the program have given a new meaning to the word retirement for members of this group.
For many retirees, these types of singing groups are a lifesaver and they are looking forward to getting together with their friends. Many don’t have families or perhaps their children and grandchildren have moved away, so forging this kind of friendship with others of a similar age gives them a sense of belonging and can only improve their health. They will come together to sing well-known songs from their early years of life that may well awaken happy memories of youth and special times past, making them feel much better about themselves. According to studies conducted in the United States, it has been shown that breathing, posture, voice and life expectancy are improved by singing.
So no matter what your age, sing your heart out and reap the benefits of good health, healing, and happiness!