The holidays can be a stressful time. But choral singing for some Kentuckians is proving to be a stress reliever.
Some members of Kentucky choirs talk about the mental health benefits of singing together.
Every Wednesday evening at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Lexington 20 people gather to rehearse for church services.
The choir is led by Dr. Mattilda Middleton. Middleton has been involved in church choirs for 25 years and said it’s a huge privilege to be in a choir.
”It’s being a part of a community that cares for you and that is working together for a common goal. It’s thrilling when things go well together. It’s humbling when things don’t go as well as you hoped. What we’re doing matters,” said Middleton.
Middleton believes singing in a choir is beneficial to individuals on many levels. She acknowledges that some research points to the wide-ranging benefits of choral singing.
”I feel like the science is catching up to what musicians have known for hundreds of years. And that is that singing and particularly singing together is helpful in virtually every conceivable way, it’s physically, spiritually, psychologically, emotionally," explained Middleton.
This time of year can be especially challenging for people due to holiday stress. Choir member Richard LeComte said he’s comforted by singing in the choir.
“ Well, I grew up with this kind of music. I grew up in a church where this kind of music was sung. My grandmother was a church singer. My mother sang in a choir, played piano. My dad loved church music. So, it makes me feel connected to them. Particularly in the holidays when you start missing your parents and your grandparents it makes me feel as if I am with them somehow in the music that I’m singing,” said LeComte.
Sometimes said choir member Diane Timmons she can feel depressed and even anti-social but she knows she will feel differently once she gets to choir practice.
“I guess it just starts with the sound I hear when I walk in. It’s just very uplifting to hear people singing as people are starting to warm up and everything. Their voices are, it’s uplifting. Then coming in and joining, I’m breathing deeply, much more deeply than I would normally unless I’m thinking about it. So, I’m fully oxygenating, that lifts me and also I have great friendships and personal relationships with people in this choir,” reported Timmons.
A 2019 study done by Chorus America, an advocacy group for choral leaders and singing groups found that more than 54 million Americans sing in choruses. Liza Beth, Vice President of Communications and Membership of Chorus America said the study found that choruses and choral singers are a force that makes communities stronger and helps the people who participate in them.
“And our study actually found that adults who sing in choruses, one of the significant personal benefits they report is that they feel less lonely and more connected to others. So choral singers are less likely to report indicators of isolation or depression than the general public. They report stronger relationships and better social skills,” said Beth.
At noon on Thursdays in the lobby of UK Healthcare’s Markey Cancer Center, Sue McGee plays the piano and volunteers sing-a-long.
Medical student Drew Jennings started this impromptu choir in 2016 where volunteers could sing at the bedside of patients. Since COVID she said the singing has moved to the lobby.
“So now, really if anybody walks by whether they’re an employee or patient or family member,if they look like they want to sing we hand them a binder and they can join us. It makes it more fun,” explained Jennings.
People who sing in choirs frequently report that choral singing makes them feel happy said Dr. Connie Jennings, Medical Director for the University of Kentucky’s Integrative Medicine and Health Clinic.
She said it doesn’t matter whether people sing in an impromptu small choir around a piano or in a larger organized choir with regular rehearsals.
“The science behind that shows that singers have an increased release of dopamine and serotonin and beta-endorphins in their brains. And we know that dopamine is part of our reward system. It makes us feel good. And, serotonin makes us feel good. And beta-endorphin decreases pain. So, that makes us all feel happier. Singers report a higher level of optimism. You will hear singers say they expect good things to happen rather than bad things to happen,” said Jennings.
In Kentucky, there are hundreds of choirs from children’s choirs to community choirs to professional choirs. Beth Wilson is President of the Kentucky Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. She said choirs are a wonderful way to build community but in her experience, it’s deeper than that.
“The fulfillment and joy that comes from singing collectively, I really believe that that is something that makes your life more human and whole. And there’s so many ways that are world is messed up right now and fractured. And singing in a choir is a way to feel human and feel connected with others,” said Wilson.
On this night 24 members of the Kentucky Bach Choir come together to prepare for a Christmas Concert.
Artistic director and conductor Dr. Richard Waters said the idea that choral singing has mental health benefits makes sense to him.
“There have been a number of studies both before and after COVID about this but before I even heard of or read any of these studies, I just knew in my heart there was something to that. We are human beings innately wired for connection ,” said Waters.
Standing next to two other women, wearing a tan turtleneck Margaret McGladrey stands tall as she sings during rehearsal. The research assistant joined the Kentucky Bach Choir this fall. The 39-year-old alto said during the pandemic she reflected on the mental health benefits of choral singing.
“ And it’s kind of what we call in the research world this entrainment of our breath, the frequencies that we’re singing and our bodies all in the same time, all in the same place. It creates this this sense of belonging that I can’t really describe in any other context as being as powerful because it’s your body your mind your spirit, everything is all attuned and synchronized together through this beautiful music you get to bring to life,” said McGladrey.
For anyone with the slightest interest in joining a choir Conductor Dr. Mattilda Middleton said she’s an advocate for choral singing. And her message is simple.
“ I would say don’t be afraid to join a community group. I would say if you’d thought about it do it. Be brave. Just go out and sing,” said Middleton.
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