Keeping the Songs Alive

Years ago, I heard a radio segment called "Singing: The Key to a Long Life." At the time, I had already spent many years playing in sing-along piano bars and retirement communities, but I had never heard such a clear and powerful explanation of the incredible impact communal singing has on our lives.

I’d love to share a passage from that program by British composer Brian Eno:

*"I believe that singing is the key to long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends, super self-confidence, heightened sexual attractiveness, and a better sense of humor. A recent long-term study conducted in Scandinavia sought to discover which activities contribute to a healthy and happy later life. Three stood out: camping, dancing, and singing.

There are obvious physiological benefits—you use your lungs in a way you likely don’t during the rest of your day, breathing deeply and openly. There are also psychological benefits—singing aloud leaves you with a sense of lightness and contentment. And then there are what I would call ‘civilizational benefits.’ When you sing with a group, you learn to blend into a collective consciousness, as a cappella singing is all about immersing oneself into a community. It’s one of the greatest feelings—to stop being ‘me’ for a little while and become ‘us.’ That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.”*