Why does singing makes us feel so good?
Arts Council England
For this audio story Laura spent time with three different community singing groups in Kent and East Sussex, capturing their singing sessions and interviewing participants about how it makes them feel and what benefits it brings to their lives.
Monday Music was set up by Grenville Hancox to promote the benefits of singing for general well-being. Its 65 or so members are mainly residents of Folkestone and its surrounding areas who meet once a week, during term time, to sing together. Grenville describes the sessions as a physical, mental and spiritual workout!
Canterbury Skylarks is the founding Sing to Beat Parkinson’s group and part of the Canterbury Cantata Trust which supports a network of singing groups for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions. The programme’s origins are rooted in the work of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health and since 2018, more than three hundred practitioners have participated in Sing to Beat Parkinson’s training programmes.
Singing Mamas is a grassroots movement of women committed to improving wellbeing through singing. It was set up by nurse Kate Valentine to help manage stress, find connection and joy. There are Singing Mamas groups all over the country supporting women through pregnancy and motherhood, and with symptoms of postnatal depression.
“This podcast is a wonderful opportunity to hear the voices and opinions of our community; of people that are experiencing the challenges of life and finding singing together as a way of helping! Thanks to Laura and the Arts Council for giving us all the chance to share this powerful message.” Emily Renshaw-Kidd, Artistic Director, ‘Caring through Singing’ Canterbury Cantata Trust.
