The health benefits of singing in a group are well documented.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that belonging to a choir can ease respiratory problems, improve posture, beat depression and even provide a mini workout.
It would appear that singing together raises levels of ‘happy’ hormones such as oxytocin, which can also help to lower stress and blood pressure.
Even if there weren’t any university studies to back this up there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that singing has the feelgood factor.
Take, for example, the members of the Holme Valley Singers, a small choir established in 1975 at Holmfirth High School.
Ask them what they get out of singing and the word mostly commonly used to describe how they feel at the end of their weekly get-together is “uplifted”.
Musical director Kim Kaye from Meltham – a piano teacher by profession – expresses a sentiment shared by many: “Sometimes when it comes to Tuesday night (when the choir meets) you might be feeling really tired and can’t be bothered. But when you’ve been singing you leave feeling exhilarated and full of energy.”
She began singing in the choir back in 1990, then became the pianist and in 2008 was asked to conduct. She says choristers experience a great sense of community.
She said: “We work to perfect something and that moment when it comes together you feel that you have really achieved something.
“We have people in the choir who wouldn’t dare sing solo, but will happily perform in front of thousands of people with the choir.”
For 74-year-old Norma Whiteley from Thongsbridge, the fellowship of the choir proved to be a vital lifeline when she found herself caring for her seriously-ill husband, Michael, who died two years ago.
She said: “He had a stroke and was ill for nine years, but with family help I was able to come back to choir. It lifts your mood. My family said I was like a different person when I came home again.”
Choral singing gave Norma the respite she needed from her responsibilities as a carer.
“It kept me going,” she added.
For Sheila Milner, 68, from Digley, choral singing played a supportive role when she had treatment for breast cancer last year.
“The only night I missed coming to choir was the night before my operation,” she said. “I was singing in a concert the following week.
“You get the support of the people here, plus it was something else to think about. While I was singing I wasn’t worrying about anything else.”
Sheila is a former teacher at Holmfirth High and a contemporary of the former head of music Alan Simmons who founded the choir. She has been singing since its inception in 1975.
Among the choir’s newly-joined members is 60-year-old David Brown from Holmbridge.
He searched the internet for a local choir and said he liked what he read about the Holme Valley Singers.
“I found them very welcoming and friendly,” he said.
A retired social worker, he decided to take up singing again after a 30-year absence.
“I’ve been singing for nine weeks now and really look forward to coming,” he added. “That’s got to be good for you – doing something you really enjoy.”
Karen Jowett, 38, from Elland is one of the younger members and living proof that choral singing is compatible with family life.
She has been singing with choral groups since she was a child and says: “I love singing. I come here grumpy and go home happy!”
The mother of two children aged 10 and eight, Karen says she sang while pregnant and even brought her youngsters along to choir sessions when they were babies.
“My mum looks after them now,” she said. “You need something for yourself, an escape from the stresses of family life.”
Barrister Sally Beaumont, 37, from Thongsbridge, says she benefits enormously from the stress-busting effect of choral singing.
“It’s good fun and no-one takes themselves too seriously,” she said. “I have very stressful days and sometimes when I’ve been in court and I get home from work I think that choir is just another thing I have to do.
“But then I come along and it really de-stresses me. It is uplifting.”
A few choir members come along with their partners to share in the feelgood factor.
Janet and Peter Dawson, from Skelmanthorpe, have been married for 45 years and have been members of the Singers for 30 years. Peter was a former member of the Skelmanthorpe Male Voice Choir.
“We just really, really enjoy it,” said Janet. “You feel so happy afterwards. It’s a constant in our lives.”
Although the Singers is a mixed group, at the moment they have only six men.
“We need more men, definitely,” says Kim. But all new members are welcome.
Choristers can expect to perform in two major music festivals a year, sing in two or three concerts per term and occasionally travel further afield.
This July they are travelling to Leram in France to see the founder. Alan, who is now an ex-pat and heads a choir there.
Anyone interested in joining can go along to one of the weekly rehearsals at Holmfirth High School at 7pm on Tuesday evenings.
“We sing a wide variety of music from serious religious choral music to rock music by Queen, folk and Katie Melua,” said Kim. “There is something for everyone.”
Studies at Gothenburg University in Sweden have found that when choristers sing together their heartbeats synchronise.
Researchers found the act of singing together regulated breathing and had a calming effect comparable to yoga.
Further research, this time at Cardiff University, discovered that people being treated for lung cancer who sang were able to breathe more comfortably than those who didn’t. People with conditions that affect breathing may benefit from joining a choir.
And at the American universities of Harvard and Yale studies have suggested that choral singing can even increase life expectancy, perhaps because it can boost the immune system and reduce stress levels.
Voice specialist Ian MacDonald from the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine says voices affected by conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease can be strengthened through singing and performing can also improve core muscle tone and posture.
There are nearly 3,000 choirs registered with the British Choirs On The Net group, but it is thought that the total number might be more like 3,300-plus.
Choirs serve many sections of the community and there are even choirs for people with dementia and Parkinson’s Disease.
Membership of a choir should be on prescription, says Prof Grenville Hancox from The Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health in Canterbury. He is the founder of the Skylarks choir for people with Parkinson’s disease and is undertaking research to find out if singing can ease the symptoms of serious illnesses.
Singing together has never been more popular. Today there are thousands of choirs in Britain. British Choirs On The Net lists more than 3,300 and according to Making Music Yorkshire our region has over 150 member choirs.
