Singing Is Good for the Soul

      I love my community choir's rehearsals.  Yes, I lead a busy life, and, yes, another evening away from home can be the last thing I want or need.  However, no matter how tired I am, I know that going to rehearsal will be the best thing that I can possibly do for myself.   You see, no matter how hard we work at the rehearsal, I come away invigorated, excited about what we have accomplished.  I leave with a heart that is almost bursting with happiness.  The only thing that makes me sad is that it has to end.

     How do you feel when you leave a rehearsal?  Do you feel worn out?  Do you feel tired?  Or do you feel invigorated?  Happy?  Robert Shaw once said,  “The wonderful thing about the amateur chorus is that nobody can buy its attendance at rehearsals, or the sweat, eyestrain and fatigue that go along with the glow; and nobody but the most purposive and creative of music minds can invite and sustain its devotion.”

     Singing is fun.  It is even more fun when it is done with a group of people with the same goal in mind – to create beautiful music.  It gives each of the singers an opportunity to let go of what is bothering them or what is going wrong in their lives and focus instead on something beautiful – the music.  Stacy Horn, the author of the book Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing With Others, says this about why singing in a choir is such a good thing.  “That’s because it gets you out of house every week to do something that is like exercising joy.  As I move firmly and inexorably into midlife, I need it more than ever.  I thought that these would be the easy years.  I was sure I’d be settled by now, not wondering how I’m going to pay for all the dental work I just learned I needed or still crying about the last guy who broke my heart.”

     Singing with other people gives everyone involved a sense of peace – a sense that, no matter what is going wrong in the world, all is well as you blend your voice with the voices of all the people around you.  At that moment, you are happy.  You are lifted to a place where all is good and pure and hopeful.  At that moment, you forget about the pressures of life and focus instead on the beautiful music you are creating.

     The next time someone asks you why you sing in a choir, try to tell them.  I bet you will have problems doing so.  Singing is personal; it affects every person differently.  It is difficult to put into words the joy and peace that it can bring you.  It is a feeling that one can get only by experiencing it.  Instead of trying to explain why you sing in a choir, invite that person to come with you.  Once they experience it, they will understand.