Four reasons to sing more, in Singapore
Why dusting off those vocals could be the best thing for you
Text: Rachel L
When was the last time you remember singing? Was it recently in the shower or while blasting music out loud in the car or at karaoke with friends or family? If singing is a practice you’ve always been adverse to or a habit that’s died out over the years, it might be time to rethink your reservations about it. Check out the four key ways singing benefits your mental and physical health as well as where you can find opportunities to sing!
Relieves stress
Regardless of whether you can carry a tune, most of us would agree that singing usually leaves us feeling great. Research conducted in 2017 provides an explanation for this by investigating the influence of singing on an individual’s level of cortisol. A hormone that functions as your body’s built-in alarm system, high levels of cortisol are an indication of unhealthy stress levels and can result in serious consequences if not dealt with. Interestingly, researchers found that cortisol levels were lower in participants’ saliva after singing, indicating its ability to serve as a de-stress activity. The next time you feel overwhelmed or anxious, put on some music and have a personal karaoke session. You might find yourself feeling a little better.
Strengthens our immune system
Your vocal cords aren’t the only things getting stronger when you engage in singing. Singing has been found to produce higher levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody secreted by the body to fend off infections. The good singing does for our immune system is also associated with its ability to lift our moods. Barshali Mukherjee, the Southeast Asia regional liaison for the World Federation of Music therapy, explains that when we are in a positive mood our immune system becomes stronger as we respond to stress factors in a better way. Positive emotions also serve as a safeguard against disrupted sleep patterns which is crucial for our physical health.
Improves lung capacity
The deep breathing that singing requires us to engage in results in a full oxygen exchange occurring in the lungs’ cells and the activation of the body’s parasympathetic nervous system. This in turn slows our heart rate and dilates our blood vessels, thus lowering our blood pressure.
Deep or diaphragmatic breathing has also been found to help manage chronic insomnia and irritable bowel syndrome as well as relieve stress by reducing the levels of cortisol in our blood!
Elevates pain and activates the brain
Endorphins are best known for their role in providing the “high” we all experience after engaging in intense exercise. Remarkably, singing also triggers the release of these neurochemicals which function as natural painkillers.
On top of this, singing’s emphasis on controlling your rate of breathing activates regions of our brains that are linked to emotion, attention, and body awareness. It has been found, however, that the degree to which this is experienced varies based on the singer. A study found that people who were not confident about their singing ability only engaged regions of their brain related to language when singing. On the other hand, everyday and professional singers showed increasing differentiation between language networks and singing networks which allowed them to reap more of its benefits. Sarah Wilson, the researcher behind the study, explains that this is because when we sing more, we develop our specialised singing network further and this network is responsible for the physiological reward hit and sense of feeling good when we sing.
Now that we’ve unpacked the many benefits of singing, aside from singing in the shower, car or one day when we can get back to karaoke, where exactly can we find more opportunities to improve our voice and get stuck into singing more?
For individuals
Yvette Atienza
A key figure in the Southeast Asian music scene, Yvette has been performing as a singer for more than 30 years, specialising in jazz while also dabbling in Pop, R&B, Musical Theatre and Classical Singing. Dedicated to pass on her skills and experience, she has also taken part in teaching for around 16 years at key institutions – such as Yamaha Music School. You can expect to be taught the right breathing techniques, brought through a series of vocalisation exercises as well as gain pointers on the expression, dynamics and improvisation when performing. If you’re interested in taking any singing exams, Yvette is also more than happy to help you work through the necessary curriculum.
Her lessons run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons for 45 minutes each.
Contact her via email, SMS, or a phone call at: ladybirdworks@gmail.com or +65 9651 2921 respectively.
Consisting of professional vocal coaches who are still active performers on the local and international music scene, The Vocal Studio strives to build a holistic curriculum which focuses on multiple aspects of singing – such as vocal anatomy and physics, musicality and performing experience, music production, the psychology of voice, musical theory. Offering private lessons in either 25 minute or 50 minute slots, their students can expect to learn about vocal range and register, breathing techniques, timbre, pitch and melody while the 50 minute lessons include additional components like belting technique and dynamic control. If you’re worried about travel being a hassle, online lessons are also an option!
Visit them at: https://thevocalstudio.sg/
Group singing
However, while singing by yourself is wonderful, research has shown that singing in a group is an effective way to forge social bonds and build connections. In an age where growing concerns about loneliness are on the rise, finding opportunities to sing with others could be a great way to build new friendships. Here are three places you can visit to find fellow singers.
Community plays a huge role in Voices of Singapore as it seeks to bring together through their love for singing. Its Community Chorus was built to create a fun and non-competitive environment for choral singing and is a non-auditioned community consisting of people from all walks of life. Its repertoire consists of a diverse range of songs – jazz, contemporary, pop, musical, sacred, and classical choral works.
The choir holds 4 seasons for 10 weeks across the year and meet weekly on Wednesday, 7:45- 9:30 to practice.
Visit them at: https://www.voicesofsingapore.com/.
Built upon the belief that everyone, regardless of background or ability, should have an opportunity to sing in the choir, Vox Camerata has nurtured a community that welcomes all individuals with open arms. You’ll not only find opportunities to engage in choral singing but also have the chance to participate in many local art festivals as well as annual Christmas caroling.
Rehearsals are held every Saturday afternoon. Though they are currently not recruiting new singers for the current season, you can express your interest and they will be happy to have you for the next season.
Visit them at: https://www.voxcamerata.com/about-vox-camerata/.
If you’re looking to throw in a little dancing and acting along with your singing, Sing’Theatre is the place for you. A dedicated Musical Theatre Academy, Sing’Theatre offers anyone the opportunity to develop skills in musical theatre and perform in its year-round musicals and showcases. Equipped with professional staff who will challenge you in all aspects of performance, Sing’Theatre will allow you to grow your creativity, confidence, empathy and interpersonal communication skills.
Sing’Theatre offers a wide range of adult classes and class timings will depend on your choice of class.
Visit them at: https://singtheatre.com/academy-singtheatre/#top.
