Chapters
If you have read an introduction to singing, you will know that singing is actually a skill that can be learned. It is a common misconception that only people born with natural talent can sing. Your voice has the potential to be an amazing instrument. It depends on how much time and effort you devote to developing and maintain your voice.
You too have the opportunity to become a famous singer if you take the proper steps to learn and be determined to achieve your dreams.
Many of us tend to hum or sing a happy tune when we are in a good mood. If we are feeling sad, we will look for melancholic tunes reflecting our emotions. We sometimes sing on our own or together with others. It tends to serve as a stress reliever and make us happy.
Singing is an activity that can be done alone or in a group. It depends on your preference. It gives people joy and it is a good source of entertainment. If you would like to learn how to sing, taking lessons with an instructor is the best way to learn as you can receive feedback and improve.
Did you know there are many benefits to singing? It applies to everyone, ranging from childhood into adolescence until retirement age and beyond. Everyone should try singing to experience it themselves. Whether you are singing on stage in front of others or singing at home by yourself, it is a fulfilling experience.
Let's explore the benefits!
Health Benefits
As we all know, singing improves your mood by releasing happy chemicals like endorphins and dopamine. Did you know that it has various health benefits as well? You are not only able to have fun and feel happy while singing but benefit by improving your health. How does singing affect our body?
Oxygenate Blood
According to Professor Graham Welch of the University of London, singing is considered to be an aerobic exercise. It improves the body’s cardiovascular system which will lead to better overall health. When you sing, oxygen is released into your blood which leads to improved blood circulation and experiences a release of muscle tension. This in turn boosts your mood and makes you more alert.
Improves Posture
In order to sing well, one should work on having good posture. You are required to pay attention to the position of your feet, knees, hips, abdomen, chest, shoulders, arms, hands, and head which will improve the quality of your voice. Standing up straight is part of the correct technique for singing. In the long run, as you practice singing, having a good posture will become a habit.
Good Respiratory System
Everyone knows that having a proper breathing technique is vital for singing. Singing involves deep breathing and controlled use of muscles in the respiratory system. Diaphragmatic breathing is essential to good singing which can be beneficial to people who suffer from asthma and other lung-related illnesses. It will not cure the symptoms but will strengthen respiratory muscles.
Improve Memory & Concentration
Singing helps improve memory and concentration as it involves focusing on many aspects at once like pitch and posture among other things. This leads to engaging many areas of the brain, therefore, making you more mentally alert.
This can come in handy for senior citizens as music is now being used in dementia care. According to a study by the University of Helsinki, Finland, when people with dementia are exposed to musical activities like listening to music and singing, their memory and mood improve. It also reduces the chances of healthy older adults developing dementia.
Music can also pull people out of the cognitive haze created by Alzheimer’s. Songs and music function as extended memory. It is where memory is stored external to its normal location in the brain. This leads to the unlocking of emotions, feelings and recollections which is usually not accessible.
Studies have shown that patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia are able to recall song lyrics easier than normal words. Sometimes, it even sparks personal memories associated with familiar songs.
Therefore, it serves as an effective tool in sparking memories when other forms of communication have diminished.
Boost Confidence
Studies indicate that around 85% of people believe that they cannot sing. As you know, this is not true. Why does this happen? Many of us are told that we cannot sing or that we are not good enough to sing. This leads us to avoid singing at all costs.
Since it is a skill that can be learned, mastering this skill by using proper methods will give you a sense of achievement and at the same time boost your confidence.
When you learn how to sing a new song, you will put in a lot of effort to get it right. You will need to learn the lyrics, work on your pitch and focus on many things to get it just right. When you manage to sing the song well, you will feel accomplished. This will lead you to realise that if you put your mind to doing something, you can achieve it. This will increase your confidence to put yourself out there and go after things that you want in life.
Singing is a good way to express yourself using the power of your voice. Performing in front of others might make you feel vulnerable, embarrassed or even judged. This is because you do not trust your voice or lack the confidence that you can do it. This can be fixed by taking lessons from an experienced instructor to learn the proper methods. You can start by performing in front of a small crowd first or you can take part in a choir so you don’t have to perform alone. Once you have overcome your fear, you will feel empowered and more confident which will affect other areas of your life in a positive way.
Singing can make you feel heard and connect with your internal emotions better. It can help relieve stress and anxiety. All this will lead to better self-esteem and confidence.
Build a Feeling of Togetherness
If you like to sing in a group, you can consider joining a choir. Singing with others helps build a sense of community as it builds a feeling of togetherness. It is a great way to connect with others.
Usually, in big cities people tend to be isolated due to their hectic lifestyles. People are busy with their work, commuting to and from work and the little free time they have to spare is usually spent watching television or surfing social media on their phones. In the long run, they tend to feel lonely and depressed. They find it difficult to form connections with others. This is where singing in a group comes to play. It is a fantastic way to restore the connection of this fragmented society. Research shows that a biological level of connection is formed when people sing together where their heart rates sync-up.
It provides you with an opportunity to meet new people and make friends. As you work together on your singing performance, you can also socialise. As you meet every week to practice, your bond will grow and your performance will improve. After your practice session, you can go out for drinks, a game of bowling or watch a movie. As you join voices and work together, you will learn how to tolerate each other and accept others with compassion and joy.
Performing together will motivate you to work hard to improve your singing. You will not want the group to fail because of you. You will want to achieve success for the whole group.
Singing Improves Language
Singing is a fun way to learn a language for both children and adults. If you are an adult learning a new language, singing is a creative and easy way to pick up new words and improve your vocabulary. Whether you are learning English, Malay, Tamil, French or any other language, listening and singing songs in that language will help you pick up the language faster.
As for children, introducing them to singing from an early age helps them develop a wide range of vocabulary and pick up the language faster. Whether they're are toddlers just learning to speak their mother tongue or children who are a bit older where they are picking up a new language, listening and singing along is one way to learn pronunciations of words.
They will be able to pick up not just words but grammar and sentence structure in a fun way. Listening to movement songs like If You’re Happy and You Know It, will improve their listening skills as they need to listen in order to perform the actions like clapping their hands or stomping their feet.
Listening to songs and singing helps you to learn through repetition. At the same time, it helps you understand the culture of the language you are learning. It will help you learn the slang and communicate better because the tune will be stuck in your head if it is a catchy song. You can pick fun catchy tunes.
Singing is a fun activity with great benefits. If you have an interest in singing, taking singing lessons with experienced tutors in Superprof is the right next step.
The platform that connects tutors and students
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating.
Loading...
