There are many surprising benefits of SINGING. Some of you may have been singing for years, but others may have held your self back. NOW is the time to strengthen your immune system, increase oxygen to your blood cells, expand your lungs and SING! Sing beautiful melodies, sing words of hope, sing prayers, sing love songs, singing utter silliness and nonsense. The more you sing the stronger YOUR immune system is, the stronger your immune system is the stronger our collective immunity is. Now is the time.

So here are some of the surprising benefits of SINGING.

Love,
Kara

Research around the world is proving that singing boosts the immune system and even helps the body fight cancer, colds, dementia, Alzheimer, the list goes on and on. Scientists found that just one hour of singing significantly increases levels of the immune proteins that the body uses to battle serious illnesses. 

Yes, singing and music have a PROFOUND impact on our immune system.
In universities and research laboratories around the world have discovered that levels of inflammation that impede the immune system is lowered drastically after someone sings for just one hour a day. There are even health benefits through listening to singers sing:) Singing not only benefits us emotionally and psychologically, but it is not proven that singing changes us biologically for the better. We stay healthier the often we sing.

In these times of being asked to stay more indoors and socially distance ourselves from bigger groups, it is hard to find a form of exercise that gives us the aerobic exercise needed. We need exercise that will train our lungs, strengthen our diaphragm and increase our circulation. With fitness clubs, dance clubs, and concert halls closed, we feel stuck. Yet truth is, SINGING is one of the best exercises you can do to stay fit. Even if you are healthy, your lungs will get a workout and your whole body will stay strong as you employ proper singing techniques and vocal projection. Singing is one of the best workouts there is! Singing increases stamina and your aerobic capacity. Did you know that you get greater amounts of oxygen while singing than when doing other types of exercises.

Crazy but true, singing helps us get deeper rest. Why? Because singing literally strengthens your throat and palate muscles. Proper singing releases jaw and tongue tension. Strengthen throat and palate muscles reduces snoring and sleep apnea. Singing also reduces worries. So, sweet dreams my dear ones. This might just be why we sing lullabies to our beloveds. To comfort and heal. 

With so many hours sitting, singing helps us stand tall and feel the beauty of being aligned. The tones strengthen our spine and as your chest cavity expands and your shoulders relax. Deep tension held in your muscles is released, standing tall and aligned becomes a habit.

Whether you are playing piano, strumming the guitar, or singing music not only relaxes, it literally decreases the levels of cortisol in your bloodstream. The more you sing, the lower your stress levels.

What does dark chocolate and singing have in common? Both release the feel-good brain chemicals that are anti-depressants. Yes, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins are responsible for our happiness and ease our anxiety and stress. Many events can trigger these neurotransmitters to start firing off, but through SINGING you can bio-hack your body into feeling happy and balanced 24/7. And the cool thing is, it does not matter if you are a professional singer or someone just starting out. It does not matter if you chant on three tones or if you master Mozart’s “Queen of the night”. There is a tiny organ in the ear called a sacculus. This teeny-tiny organ responds to vibrational frequencies created by singing. This immediately makes us happy and yes, this immediately starts pumping in happy feelings. Think about it, kids that are happy are always singing. Singing always takes our minds off of our troubles. The time has come to rise up! 

Concentration, memory and mental alertness are drastically improved through singing.
Why? One of the reasons is that singing is a WHOLE BRAIN experience. When you sing, every single part of your brain lights up! Due to the improved blood circulation and your oxygenated bloodstream more oxygen arrives in your brain. Kids that sing and do music are known to perform better in school. The same can be said for adults. Singing enhances our intelligence and ebbs Altzheimers and Dementia.

So many of us are shy to sing. We love singing “in private.” Yet, deep down we long to be heard. We desire our emotional expression and thoughts to be honored through others listening. I have seen huge jumps in confidence happen when a singer dares to share their story and songs. Confidence starts with us having the courage to listen to our own inner voice and express what is within. It continues by overcoming the fear of stage fright and speaking up. Being at home in with our voice and its full spectrum of sound gives us the confidence we need to stay strong and succeed.

Did you know that babies sing before they can talk? Kids also draw before they can write.
When we sing to babies we help their brains develop language skills. Kids that are not sung to and have no musical experience at a young age, struggle with language skills later on in life. At the School of Voice, we know that music is as important as teaching reading and writing. Kids as young as 3 years old are supported to make up their own songs and compositions. And this continues until we are gray-haired and wise. The youngest songwriter in our community is three and the oldest one is 81 years old. Here’s to making up your songs and excelling in language.

Wherever you are in your singing adventures, we are there for you. Take one on-one-lessons and increase your range and volume, take a voice yoga class with a friend, start to write your lyrics or dive into songwriting / song-making classes, learn some new chants and pick up playing the harmonium or guitar, if you are a singer you can even take this time to learn how to accompany yourself at the piano! Now is a good time to live your dreams and STAY HEALTHY and WELL.