I'm going to step away from the choral platform for a moment today and talk about working with students individually in the private studio. As teachers, we are told time and time again that there are different types of learners with which we will be working when we start teaching in the classroom. Some of them will be visual learners ("let me watch you do it"), some learn better aurally ("tell me the steps to take"), and some work better kinesthetically ("let me try to do it myself"). From experience, I am here to tell you that there are important differences in the way that you deal with your private students as well.
When I went to college, I was one of only two freshman students who were given the opportunity to study with the head instructor in my area. All of the other freshmen would be studying with his assistants. I was thrilled! All my years of studying and working hard were going to pay off after all.
I do need to tell you this -- I had gone to a relatively small high school and had been the top dog on my instrument since I had been a freshman. I had been what you would call a big fish in a little pond, and I was used to getting accolades from various people. My private instructor had been an excellent teacher, and she was good at encouraging me and giving me the occasional praise that I needed.
I began studying with the head instructor at the university. His teaching style was totally different than my former private teacher's. His instruction was constantly negative, and he would point out things about my physical appearance that hampered my playing (my fleshy lips -- by the way, I've never been told I had fleshy lips by anyone else, ever; my crooked teeth -- yes, I did get braces a few years later, but my teeth certainly weren't bad enough to hamper my playing). I very rarely heard anything positive come out of his mouth, and my relationship with him was totally unlike any of my former private instructors.
I managed to study with him for a little over a year. However, by that time, my self esteem as an instrumentalist was decimated. According to my teacher, I couldn't do anything right. I went from being one of two top freshmen players to being unable to play in front of anyone. My only choice at the time was to quit school. After all, how can you be a music major when you can't even play your instrument in front of anyone? I tried another major area of study -- which was a complete waste of time -- but then decided to leave college all together. Guess who called me when I decided to quit? My teacher. He just couldn't believe that I would want to give it all up. He was very complimentary -- at that point. Unfortunately, it was too late.
It took me over ten years to pick up my instrument again. Remember, this was an instrument that at one time had given me so much pleasure that I would spend hours a day playing it. I can remember the first time I played it at church probably 15 years after I left school. I was so excited, because I had finally conquered the fear that had trapped me all of those years. I continue to play occasionally, reminding myself that, while I am not very good at it anymore, I can at least continue to share my God-given talent with anyone who will listen.
All of this is being shared with you to give you some insight into working with your private students. While some students may have enough confidence in their own playing that they don't need positive feedback and or compliments, many of them don't. It is up to us as their instructors to use a positive approach while teaching them and to be as complimentary as possible when they deserve it. Our students' egos may be fragile, and I doubt that any of us want to be the one to be known as "the teacher who made me give up my instrument."
Oh, by the way, I didn't stay down for long. I went back to school several years later and finished my undergraduate degree -- in choral music this time. I taught for a few years and then went back to get my Masters degree and my Doctorate. While the events that happened to me were tragic, they taught me an important lesson -- that negativity has no place in a private lesson. If I can't give a student some praise and some positive feedback, then I need to refer that student to someone who can. Their musical lives depend on it.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Diversity at Christmas
I recently got an email from a parent complaining about the lack of diversity in my elementary Christmas program. My students sang several well-known holiday songs, and I made sure I added a Hanukkah song in the list. However, this parent, who is Jewish, didn't think adding a single Hanukkah song was enough diversity. His suggestion was that I find songs that represent several holidays around the world and use the program as a learning experience for both the students and the audience.
This is an issue that many music teachers face. Our world is getting more and more diverse all the time, but our music programs often have the same type of music in them that they have had for years and years. Granted, we purchase new music each year, but it generally centers around the same theme -- Christmas and Santa Claus. There are a few "pre-packaged" programs that feature different types of music, but very few. We want to continue with our holiday programs, but we also want to keep our parents (and administrators) happy. What are we to do?
If you go to Wikipedia and look up winter holidays, you will be given an extensive list of holidays that occur in the winter months. Besides Christmas, three of the most well-known ones are Las Posadas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah. Hanukkah music can be found in abundance, and Kwanzaa music is also starting to become easier to find. Finding Las Posadas music that young children can sing is difficult.
Last year my older students did a program that included music that dealt with all of the above listed holidays. It was a very well written program, and the students loved it. However, it was far too difficult for my younger students. I couldn't find a similar program for my younger students, so I ended up having them perform a short musical that centered around Christmas and Santa Claus.
As our world becomes more diverse, I think that composers who write for young children will begin to incorporate a wider variety of diverse music. I was looking at the website of a well-known music company where many music teachers purchase their music. There were a few holiday musicals that dealt with Christmas around the world, but the majority of them were for older elementary students. It is my hope that, in the future, more of them will be written for younger children.
The father who complained about my program has a 2nd grader and a kindergartener. My programs are usually divided as K-2 and 3-5, so his daughters were both in the younger group this year. Next year they will be in both. Should my choice of music be influenced by the complaints of one parent? In my case, I think it depends on who the parent is. Oh, by the way, this father's email was also sent to my administrator. She contacted me last week and wants to meet with me to discuss my winter concerts. I have a feeling that next year's concerts will include a wider variety of music.
This is an issue that many music teachers face. Our world is getting more and more diverse all the time, but our music programs often have the same type of music in them that they have had for years and years. Granted, we purchase new music each year, but it generally centers around the same theme -- Christmas and Santa Claus. There are a few "pre-packaged" programs that feature different types of music, but very few. We want to continue with our holiday programs, but we also want to keep our parents (and administrators) happy. What are we to do?
If you go to Wikipedia and look up winter holidays, you will be given an extensive list of holidays that occur in the winter months. Besides Christmas, three of the most well-known ones are Las Posadas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah. Hanukkah music can be found in abundance, and Kwanzaa music is also starting to become easier to find. Finding Las Posadas music that young children can sing is difficult.
Last year my older students did a program that included music that dealt with all of the above listed holidays. It was a very well written program, and the students loved it. However, it was far too difficult for my younger students. I couldn't find a similar program for my younger students, so I ended up having them perform a short musical that centered around Christmas and Santa Claus.
As our world becomes more diverse, I think that composers who write for young children will begin to incorporate a wider variety of diverse music. I was looking at the website of a well-known music company where many music teachers purchase their music. There were a few holiday musicals that dealt with Christmas around the world, but the majority of them were for older elementary students. It is my hope that, in the future, more of them will be written for younger children.
The father who complained about my program has a 2nd grader and a kindergartener. My programs are usually divided as K-2 and 3-5, so his daughters were both in the younger group this year. Next year they will be in both. Should my choice of music be influenced by the complaints of one parent? In my case, I think it depends on who the parent is. Oh, by the way, this father's email was also sent to my administrator. She contacted me last week and wants to meet with me to discuss my winter concerts. I have a feeling that next year's concerts will include a wider variety of music.
My community choir board is struggling. We have been working hard at making sure our bylaws are followed and making any necessary changes to keep them up to date. However, we have run into some gray areas that we aren't sure how to handle. Those gray areas have to do with attendance.
Our bylaws state that members must attend at least 80% of the rehearsals in order to sing at a concert. They must also attend the dress rehearsal. We have four concerts a year, and they happen approximately 7-8 weeks apart. We generally have one extra Saturday rehearsal for each concert, so let's say that we have nine rehearsals per concert. If we figure 80% of 9 rehearsals, every member must attend at least seven rehearsals in order to be able to participate in a concert. That means that everyone can miss two rehearsals and still participate in the concert.
This particular bylaw was put into place many years ago to make sure that choir members took rehearsal attendance seriously. Board members wanted to guarantee that every member of the choir knew the music well if they performed at the concert, and they also wanted to make sure choir members didn't "flit in" and "flit out" and expect to be able to sing at a concert. Unfortunately, we have had some situations where choir members have sung at a concert without attending the required number of rehearsals, and the board is trying to do a better job of keeping track of attendance to make sure those things no longer happen. We have already had situations where we have had to tell members that they couldn't sing at a concert due to lack of the required attendance.
We are now facing a situation where one of our officers is taking a trip to Australia and will miss three rehearsals. She is an excellent singer and is also a former music teacher, so she knows how to read music. In fact, she has already been studying the music and feels that she knows it well. However, with her missing three rehearsals, she will not be able to attend the required 80%. The board has to decide whether to dismiss her from the concert or make an exception for her. If we don't allow her to sing at the concert, we will be "shooting ourselves in the foot," as the old saying goes, because her strong voice adds a lot to the soprano section. However, if we make an exception for her, that means that we have to make exceptions for everyone else. What a conundrum. We are having a board meeting in another week, and this particular issue is on the agenda to be discussed.
Bylaws are necessary. Without them, choirs would have members who didn't attend regularly, who didn't pay their dues, and who weren't committed to the success of the ensemble. However, there are times when the bylaws themselves create problems. That's when the board has to take their jobs seriously and sit down and make some decisions.
I'm not sure how this situation will turn out. As the director, I am a non-voting member of the board, so my thoughts don't always make a difference. I am hoping that the board will decide to allow her to sing, especially since she has already been rehearsing the music. Nevertheless, I do know that if we make an exception for her, we may have to make exceptions for others.
Readers, do you belong to a community choir? If so, how would your group handle this situation? We would value any input that you can give.
Our bylaws state that members must attend at least 80% of the rehearsals in order to sing at a concert. They must also attend the dress rehearsal. We have four concerts a year, and they happen approximately 7-8 weeks apart. We generally have one extra Saturday rehearsal for each concert, so let's say that we have nine rehearsals per concert. If we figure 80% of 9 rehearsals, every member must attend at least seven rehearsals in order to be able to participate in a concert. That means that everyone can miss two rehearsals and still participate in the concert.
This particular bylaw was put into place many years ago to make sure that choir members took rehearsal attendance seriously. Board members wanted to guarantee that every member of the choir knew the music well if they performed at the concert, and they also wanted to make sure choir members didn't "flit in" and "flit out" and expect to be able to sing at a concert. Unfortunately, we have had some situations where choir members have sung at a concert without attending the required number of rehearsals, and the board is trying to do a better job of keeping track of attendance to make sure those things no longer happen. We have already had situations where we have had to tell members that they couldn't sing at a concert due to lack of the required attendance.
We are now facing a situation where one of our officers is taking a trip to Australia and will miss three rehearsals. She is an excellent singer and is also a former music teacher, so she knows how to read music. In fact, she has already been studying the music and feels that she knows it well. However, with her missing three rehearsals, she will not be able to attend the required 80%. The board has to decide whether to dismiss her from the concert or make an exception for her. If we don't allow her to sing at the concert, we will be "shooting ourselves in the foot," as the old saying goes, because her strong voice adds a lot to the soprano section. However, if we make an exception for her, that means that we have to make exceptions for everyone else. What a conundrum. We are having a board meeting in another week, and this particular issue is on the agenda to be discussed.
Bylaws are necessary. Without them, choirs would have members who didn't attend regularly, who didn't pay their dues, and who weren't committed to the success of the ensemble. However, there are times when the bylaws themselves create problems. That's when the board has to take their jobs seriously and sit down and make some decisions.
I'm not sure how this situation will turn out. As the director, I am a non-voting member of the board, so my thoughts don't always make a difference. I am hoping that the board will decide to allow her to sing, especially since she has already been rehearsing the music. Nevertheless, I do know that if we make an exception for her, we may have to make exceptions for others.
Readers, do you belong to a community choir? If so, how would your group handle this situation? We would value any input that you can give.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
A Choir Conundrum
Have you ever thought about a concert? Not preparing for one, not conducting one, but this thing called a "concert." If you think about it, a concert is a moment in time. We prepare our choir for it, and we hope that they do a great job. However, once a concert is done, it's done. We can't take it back; there is no "do-over." In other words, what you hear is what you get. If our singers do well, bravo! If not...well, we'll pull ourselves up by our boot straps and move on to the next concert. That's all we can do.
Unfortunately, we are often judged by the performance of our choirs. Granted, if we aren't doing a very good job directing our choirs, then more than likely they will give a mediocre performance. However, even if we are the greatest choir director in the world, sometimes our choirs are "off" for some reason and their performance is a mediocre one. After all, we all have good years and bad years - good years when our choirs are awesome and have fantastic singers and bad years when we struggle with inexperienced singers who are trying their hardest but just aren't up for the task.
I envy those of you who are able to have select, auditioned choirs at your school. I don't have that option. I teach at a K-12 school, and the biggest part of my day is teaching elementary music. Consequently, I have only one middle school choir and one high school choir. My middle school choir contains beginning 6th-grade singers as well as experienced (as experienced as they can be, anyway) 8th-grade singers. My high school choir includes students who have never sung in a choir along with those who have sung for many years. This mix of students makes it very difficult to predict how good my choir is going to be. In addition, because our school only has a six-period day, many students do not have time in their schedules to participate in choir every year, so my turnover rate from year to year is extremely high. This last year I had five students return from the previous year. That means that 25 of my 30 students were either new to me or had taken a hiatus from choir for at least a year.
Each year I start with great hopes and expectations. Each year I get a reality check: their "bar" is a lot lower than mine. I am left with the conundrum of what to do. How do I take this diverse group of singers and keep them all motivated while keeping them all challenged? All I can do is start where they are and begin to work with them, hoping to raise them closer to my "bar." I work them hard, and they tackle the music with gusto. As we get closer to a concert, I remind them that they are their worst enemies. They are the only ones who limit their potential. If they don't think they can do it, they won't. If they think they can...well, the sky is the limit.
We get to the concert. Do they do a good job? Yes. They don't let me down -- they usually do as well as they possibly can. Are they a great choir? No. Are there other choirs that are better? Sure. However, I couldn't be any prouder of them than if they were the greatest choir in the land. They have done all that I have asked them to do, and they have succeeded. The pride in their faces is evident. They have worked together as a team and conquered their fear of failing. They have created beautiful music together, and, after all, isn't that what singing in a choir is all about?
It's the end of the first semester and the start of the second. I am losing nine of my 30 singers due to schedule conflicts. Am I sad? You betcha. This group has been one of my best. They have worked hard, and they have had great fun while doing so. Can I change the situation? No. All I can do is hope for some new students who will step in and fill the gaps. When I last checked with the office, the class had 30 students in it for this semester. That means that I have picked up nine singers who will replace the nine who had to leave. Will these 30 students sound the same? Nope. The group is now a different one, so we'll have to start all over again and see if I can get their "bar" as high as that of the last group. Can I do it? Check back in May, and I'll let you know.
Unfortunately, we are often judged by the performance of our choirs. Granted, if we aren't doing a very good job directing our choirs, then more than likely they will give a mediocre performance. However, even if we are the greatest choir director in the world, sometimes our choirs are "off" for some reason and their performance is a mediocre one. After all, we all have good years and bad years - good years when our choirs are awesome and have fantastic singers and bad years when we struggle with inexperienced singers who are trying their hardest but just aren't up for the task.
I envy those of you who are able to have select, auditioned choirs at your school. I don't have that option. I teach at a K-12 school, and the biggest part of my day is teaching elementary music. Consequently, I have only one middle school choir and one high school choir. My middle school choir contains beginning 6th-grade singers as well as experienced (as experienced as they can be, anyway) 8th-grade singers. My high school choir includes students who have never sung in a choir along with those who have sung for many years. This mix of students makes it very difficult to predict how good my choir is going to be. In addition, because our school only has a six-period day, many students do not have time in their schedules to participate in choir every year, so my turnover rate from year to year is extremely high. This last year I had five students return from the previous year. That means that 25 of my 30 students were either new to me or had taken a hiatus from choir for at least a year.
Each year I start with great hopes and expectations. Each year I get a reality check: their "bar" is a lot lower than mine. I am left with the conundrum of what to do. How do I take this diverse group of singers and keep them all motivated while keeping them all challenged? All I can do is start where they are and begin to work with them, hoping to raise them closer to my "bar." I work them hard, and they tackle the music with gusto. As we get closer to a concert, I remind them that they are their worst enemies. They are the only ones who limit their potential. If they don't think they can do it, they won't. If they think they can...well, the sky is the limit.
We get to the concert. Do they do a good job? Yes. They don't let me down -- they usually do as well as they possibly can. Are they a great choir? No. Are there other choirs that are better? Sure. However, I couldn't be any prouder of them than if they were the greatest choir in the land. They have done all that I have asked them to do, and they have succeeded. The pride in their faces is evident. They have worked together as a team and conquered their fear of failing. They have created beautiful music together, and, after all, isn't that what singing in a choir is all about?
It's the end of the first semester and the start of the second. I am losing nine of my 30 singers due to schedule conflicts. Am I sad? You betcha. This group has been one of my best. They have worked hard, and they have had great fun while doing so. Can I change the situation? No. All I can do is hope for some new students who will step in and fill the gaps. When I last checked with the office, the class had 30 students in it for this semester. That means that I have picked up nine singers who will replace the nine who had to leave. Will these 30 students sound the same? Nope. The group is now a different one, so we'll have to start all over again and see if I can get their "bar" as high as that of the last group. Can I do it? Check back in May, and I'll let you know.
Why I Do What I Do
Whew! That one word says it all. My last three weeks have been crazy as I prepared my various choirs for all of their concerts. The fact that I survived them with a smile on my face is quite a feat in and of itself. I'm sure many of you feel the same way.
As musicians, the month of December is a hectic time in our schedules. We rush around frantically working with all of our choirs and preparing them for their concerts. The big night comes, and we climb up on the podium and hope and pray that all of our preparation will pay off. We smile and speak with members of the audience as they come up and tell us how much they enjoyed the concert. We shake hands and pat the backs of the VIPs that attend our concerts, trying to keep our administrators and boards happy. We hug our singers and tell them what a great job they did. Then, when the last person has left and we are by ourselves, we finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax -- but not for long. It's time to start looking through the music we have picked for our next concert and deciding how we are going to approach it during our rehearsals.
And so it goes... The cycle never stops, except perhaps during the summer hiatus that most of our groups take. Even then, we are always thinking ahead and selecting music for our next year's concerts and meeting with our board getting ready for the next season. Do we ever totally shut down? Do we ever fully separate ourselves from our role as choir director? Maybe some of you can. Unfortunately, I can't seem to do it.
Why do I do what I do? Why do I choose a vocation that consumes me like this? Why do I love taking a motley group of people and creating beautiful music with them? David Ackert, a reporter with the LA Times, says it far better than I ever could:
"Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. With every note, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. Why? Because musicians are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that melody, that lyric, that chord, or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul. Musicians are beings who have tasted life's nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another's heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes."
Wow! Couldn't have said it better myself!
As musicians, the month of December is a hectic time in our schedules. We rush around frantically working with all of our choirs and preparing them for their concerts. The big night comes, and we climb up on the podium and hope and pray that all of our preparation will pay off. We smile and speak with members of the audience as they come up and tell us how much they enjoyed the concert. We shake hands and pat the backs of the VIPs that attend our concerts, trying to keep our administrators and boards happy. We hug our singers and tell them what a great job they did. Then, when the last person has left and we are by ourselves, we finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax -- but not for long. It's time to start looking through the music we have picked for our next concert and deciding how we are going to approach it during our rehearsals.
And so it goes... The cycle never stops, except perhaps during the summer hiatus that most of our groups take. Even then, we are always thinking ahead and selecting music for our next year's concerts and meeting with our board getting ready for the next season. Do we ever totally shut down? Do we ever fully separate ourselves from our role as choir director? Maybe some of you can. Unfortunately, I can't seem to do it.
Why do I do what I do? Why do I choose a vocation that consumes me like this? Why do I love taking a motley group of people and creating beautiful music with them? David Ackert, a reporter with the LA Times, says it far better than I ever could:
"Musicians are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime. With every note, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. Why? Because musicians are willing to give their entire lives to a moment - to that melody, that lyric, that chord, or that interpretation that will stir the audience's soul. Musicians are beings who have tasted life's nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another's heart. In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes."
Wow! Couldn't have said it better myself!
Taking a break...
It's the holidays -- that two weeks around Christmas and New Years when everything shuts down. My church choir takes a two-week break, my community choir takes a break until January, and my teaching job takes a two-week hiatus. There's no doubt that I need it. After six major rehearsals and nine concerts in December, I need a chance to rest and recuperate. I just wish I could enjoy it.
I miss my choirs. I miss their energy. I miss the camaraderie that we share. I miss their smiles. I miss their jokes and laughter. I miss the happiness I feel while I'm working with them. I miss their looks of joy when they accomplish something they didn't think they could do. Most of all, I miss the music that we make together.
Yes, directing my community choir is a job. Yes, I do get paid for it -- minimally, mind you -- so I guess that makes it a job. However, it's so much more than that. It's the very soul of who I am. If you could peer down into my very soul, you would see me there with my arms in the air and my singers creating beautiful music.
I hope that I never get too old to direct a choir. My hair may go gray (or grayer, I should say), my eyesight may weaken, my hearing may fail and cause me to wear a hearing aid, my teeth may fall out, my feet may shuffle as I walk to the podium (think Tim Conway), but I hope that, once I get up on that podium, I can still stand up in front of my choir and create beautiful music with them. Oh, by the way, after I leave this earthly body of mine, you will hopefully see my new svelte body standing in front of a choir of angels, waving my arms, and creating beautiful music.
I miss my choirs. I miss their energy. I miss the camaraderie that we share. I miss their smiles. I miss their jokes and laughter. I miss the happiness I feel while I'm working with them. I miss their looks of joy when they accomplish something they didn't think they could do. Most of all, I miss the music that we make together.
Yes, directing my community choir is a job. Yes, I do get paid for it -- minimally, mind you -- so I guess that makes it a job. However, it's so much more than that. It's the very soul of who I am. If you could peer down into my very soul, you would see me there with my arms in the air and my singers creating beautiful music.
I hope that I never get too old to direct a choir. My hair may go gray (or grayer, I should say), my eyesight may weaken, my hearing may fail and cause me to wear a hearing aid, my teeth may fall out, my feet may shuffle as I walk to the podium (think Tim Conway), but I hope that, once I get up on that podium, I can still stand up in front of my choir and create beautiful music with them. Oh, by the way, after I leave this earthly body of mine, you will hopefully see my new svelte body standing in front of a choir of angels, waving my arms, and creating beautiful music.
Why Sing in a Choir?
A choir [kwair] is defined as a musical ensemble of singers, a body of singers who perform together as a group. Choirs have been performing together since the 2nd century B.C., and they are still popular today. Why? What makes choirs an ensemble in which singers want to be involved.
The website GothamRockChoir.com says this about choirs:
"In the United States, choral singing is the most popular of all arts-related participatory activities. Across the country, 28.5 million people regularly sing in one of 250,000 chorus groups. It’s a group activity that seems to stand the test of time better than others, and there may be a very good reason why: Singing has some (positive) effects that other participatory activities don’t."
Singing has many positive effects on a person, both physical and mental. Here are just a few of them.
1) Singing improves your mood. When you're singing, you tend to forget about the negative things going on in your life.
2) Singing can keep you well. Scientists have proven that singing improves your immune system. If you don't want to catch that cold that everyone around you has, start singing!
3) Singing makes you happy. In a survey, choral singers rated their satisfaction with life higher than the general public, even when they had substantially bigger problems.
4) Singing decreases anxiety and depression. Singing helps us escape the moment and sends us to a place of peace and happiness. Music can touch us in ways that nothing else can.
5) Singing is very effective as a stress reliever and improves sleep. Because you are enjoying what you are doing while you sing, your stress level decreases, thus making it easier to sleep at night.
6) Singing plays a central role in your psychological health. Singing can have some of the same effects as exercise, like the release of endorphins, which give the singer an overall "lifted" feeling and are associated with stress reduction. It is also an aerobic activity, meaning it gets more oxygen into the blood for better circulation, which tends to promote a good mood.
7) Singing improves your posture. According to Graham Welch, director for advanced music education at London's Roehampton Institute, "When you break into song, your chest expands and your back and shoulders straighten, thus improving your posture." (Source: Barbership.org)
8) Singing can make you feel and sound younger. Mr. Welch also believes that, "Singing exercises the vocal cords and keeps them youthful, even in old age. The less age-battered your voice sounds, the more you will feel, and seem, younger."
9) Singing in a choir improves your concentration. As you learn new music, your concentration level is high. Once you learn the music, you still have to concentrate to make sure that you are singing the song correctly and to make sure that you are doing all of the things the conductor asked you to do.
10) Singing in a choir is good for your heart. In a study done in Sweden, it was found that choral singing increased the amount by which an individual's heart rate varied. This is a health benefit, because low variability is known to be related to high blood pressure.
The GothamRockChoir.com website poses this question about singing in a choir:
The question remains, though — why choral singing specifically? Concentra-
tion and deep breathing can happen in a recording studio, or in the privacy
of your own home. It’s because some of the most important ties between
singing and happiness are social ones. The support system of being part of
a group, and the commitment to that group that gets people out of the house
and into the choir every week — these are benefits that are specific to group
singing. And they seem to be a big component of why choral singers tend to
be happier than the rest of us. The feelings of belonging to a group, of being
needed by the other members of that group go a long way toward combating
the loneliness that often comes along with being human in modern times.
On the Barbershop.org website, Patty Mills was quoted as saying, "Singing fortifies health, widens culture, refines the intelligence, enriches the imagination, makes for happiness and endows life with an added zest." If you sing in the shower or sing along with the radio, consider taking this raw vocal skill to new heights. Music -- the "universal language" not only stirs our deepest emotions, but active participation can increase energy and vigor to see us through even the most stress-filled life commitments. In addition to physical benefits, here are some life-affirming benefits of singing:
1) Singing increases poise, self-esteem and presentation skills.
2) Singing broadens expressive communication.
3) Singing adds a rich, more pleasant quality to speech.
4) Singing animates the body, mind and spirit.
5) Singing stimulates insight into prose and poetry and piques interests in the inner meaning of words.
6) Singing is an ageless enjoyment -- you are never to young or too old.
The moral of the story? GET OUT THERE AND SING!
The website GothamRockChoir.com says this about choirs:
"In the United States, choral singing is the most popular of all arts-related participatory activities. Across the country, 28.5 million people regularly sing in one of 250,000 chorus groups. It’s a group activity that seems to stand the test of time better than others, and there may be a very good reason why: Singing has some (positive) effects that other participatory activities don’t."
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF SINGING IN A CHOIR
Singing has many positive effects on a person, both physical and mental. Here are just a few of them.
1) Singing improves your mood. When you're singing, you tend to forget about the negative things going on in your life.
2) Singing can keep you well. Scientists have proven that singing improves your immune system. If you don't want to catch that cold that everyone around you has, start singing!
3) Singing makes you happy. In a survey, choral singers rated their satisfaction with life higher than the general public, even when they had substantially bigger problems.
4) Singing decreases anxiety and depression. Singing helps us escape the moment and sends us to a place of peace and happiness. Music can touch us in ways that nothing else can.
5) Singing is very effective as a stress reliever and improves sleep. Because you are enjoying what you are doing while you sing, your stress level decreases, thus making it easier to sleep at night.
6) Singing plays a central role in your psychological health. Singing can have some of the same effects as exercise, like the release of endorphins, which give the singer an overall "lifted" feeling and are associated with stress reduction. It is also an aerobic activity, meaning it gets more oxygen into the blood for better circulation, which tends to promote a good mood.
7) Singing improves your posture. According to Graham Welch, director for advanced music education at London's Roehampton Institute, "When you break into song, your chest expands and your back and shoulders straighten, thus improving your posture." (Source: Barbership.org)
8) Singing can make you feel and sound younger. Mr. Welch also believes that, "Singing exercises the vocal cords and keeps them youthful, even in old age. The less age-battered your voice sounds, the more you will feel, and seem, younger."
9) Singing in a choir improves your concentration. As you learn new music, your concentration level is high. Once you learn the music, you still have to concentrate to make sure that you are singing the song correctly and to make sure that you are doing all of the things the conductor asked you to do.
10) Singing in a choir is good for your heart. In a study done in Sweden, it was found that choral singing increased the amount by which an individual's heart rate varied. This is a health benefit, because low variability is known to be related to high blood pressure.
The GothamRockChoir.com website poses this question about singing in a choir:
The question remains, though — why choral singing specifically? Concentra-
tion and deep breathing can happen in a recording studio, or in the privacy
of your own home. It’s because some of the most important ties between
singing and happiness are social ones. The support system of being part of
a group, and the commitment to that group that gets people out of the house
and into the choir every week — these are benefits that are specific to group
singing. And they seem to be a big component of why choral singers tend to
be happier than the rest of us. The feelings of belonging to a group, of being
needed by the other members of that group go a long way toward combating
the loneliness that often comes along with being human in modern times.
On the Barbershop.org website, Patty Mills was quoted as saying, "Singing fortifies health, widens culture, refines the intelligence, enriches the imagination, makes for happiness and endows life with an added zest." If you sing in the shower or sing along with the radio, consider taking this raw vocal skill to new heights. Music -- the "universal language" not only stirs our deepest emotions, but active participation can increase energy and vigor to see us through even the most stress-filled life commitments. In addition to physical benefits, here are some life-affirming benefits of singing:
1) Singing increases poise, self-esteem and presentation skills.
2) Singing broadens expressive communication.
3) Singing adds a rich, more pleasant quality to speech.
4) Singing animates the body, mind and spirit.
5) Singing stimulates insight into prose and poetry and piques interests in the inner meaning of words.
6) Singing is an ageless enjoyment -- you are never to young or too old.
The moral of the story? GET OUT THERE AND SING!
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