When singing a song together, we become participants rather than observers of others. Singing gives us an opportunity to make ourselves really and truly present. No one has to be a perfect singer or have the most beautiful voice to be a part of a group. As a well-known quotation reads, “The woods would be very silent if only those birds sang who sing the best.”
However, society has skewed views on the value of singing, leaving us with destructive criticism of our own voices. Singing is instinctual and necessary to our existence. You do not have to be an amazing singer to benefit from the basic biological and neuroscientific benefits, and with practice the benefits increase.
Tone deafness is very rare. People who think they can’t sing are more likely to be unfamiliar with finding and using their singing voice.
The neuroscience of singing shows that when we sing, our neurotransmitters connect in new and different ways. It fires up the right temporal lobe of our brain, releasing endorphins that make us smarter, healthier, happier and more creative. When we sing with other people this effect is amplified. What has not been understood until recently is that singing in groups triggers the communal release of serotonin and oxytocin, the bonding hormone, and even synchronizes our heartbeats. Group singing can produce satisfying and therapeutic sensations even when the sound produced by the vocal instrument is not of high quality. Everyone singing in a group is lifted up, no matter their singing ability.
— (Used with permission of Tania deJong.)