Lunch-time Recital

C.V.A. Gallery Monday Noon April 22, 1996 12:00p.m

A group singing program improves quality of life: An international study

People with Parkinson’s (PwPs) may experience stigma, isolation, stress and anxiety due to the chronic nature of Parkinson’s. Complementary therapies, including singing, have been reported to impact positively on quality of life (QoL) in PwPs. This paper reports on an international trial of Sing to Beat Parkinson’s®, a community group singing program, involving PwPs from Australia, the UK, and South Korea on QoL and mental well-being. PwPs (N=95; mean age=70.26; male 45%) participated in a standardized 6-month weekly group singing program, which included breathing exercises, vocal warm-ups and preferred song singing. PDQ39 and modified DASS21 were administered at baseline and follow-up to assess QoL and mental well-being, respectively. MANOVA and ANOVAs were performed with significance set as p<.05. MANOVA showed statistically significant multivariate effects of Time, Country, Time by Country and Time by Gender interactions on QoL. Follow-up univariate ANOVAs revealed main effects of Time on Stigma and Social Support domains of QoL; both improved. Further, MANOVA revealed a multivariate effect of Time on mental well-being; anxiety and stress significantly decreased from pre-test to post-test. This first international singing study with PwPs demonstrated that group singing enhanced some aspects of quality of life and mental well-being. Participating in a weekly group singing program for a 6-month period impacted positively on social support, and feeling stigmatized, as well as reductions in anxiety and stress. The findings are encouraging and warrant further research using more robust designs that include comparator groups.I was one of the travel grants recipients and the Health and Social Care Research Centre has supported me to attend this conference. The poster abstract will be published in Journal of Parkinson's Disease

Guest/Faculty Recital: Grenville Hancox, Clarinet

Kemp Recital Hall Tuesday Evening November 12, 1991 8:00p.m

Singing

We are 'hard-wired' to sing - singing has defined our evolution. Through singing we express our feelings, communicate and connect with others. We are all singers: singing is part of us and defines cultures worldwide. Singing also, importantly, makes us feel better: it is, undoubtedly, good for us. This book provides an important overview of current research showing the benefits of singing on our health and wellbeing. Case studies illustrate its power - for example, how singing helps hospitalised children and a man living with Parkinson's. The book also discusses potential barriers for singing and useful strategies needed to overcome them. An example of a community singing group is also demonstrated, alongside practical advice on facilitating community singing groups for health and wellbeing. The book will be valuable to professionals working in health and social care settings, to practitioners and educators interested in engaging in singing for health promotion, and individuals looking to find out more about the benefits and practicalities of singing.N/

What do Singers Say About the Effects of Choral Singing on Physical Health? - Findings from a Survey of Choristers in Australia, England and Germany

This paper presents evidence on choral singers’ perceptions of the physical health benefits of choral singing. It is based on a thematic analysis of answers given to a single open question included in a questionnaire survey of over 1,000 choral singers in Australia, England and Germany: ‘What effects, if any, does singing in a choir have on your physical health?’ The question was carefully worded to be as open as possible, to allow respondents to say that singing has no effects or to identify both positive and negative effects on health. Four findings stand out from this study. Firstly, many respondents did not answer this question or expressed a belief that singing does not have effects on physical health. Secondly, there was a clear spectrum of confidence in the substantive answers respondents gave when identifying effects – usually benefits. Some answers were given very tentatively, whereas others were given with a great deal of confidence. Thirdly, with respect to the positive benefits identified by choristers, four areas stand out most clearly: effects on breathing and lung function; posture and body control; relaxation and stress relief, and physical activity and energy. And finally, the analysis of choristers’ answers has helped to suggest some of the hypothetical mechanisms at work which link the activity of singing to aspects of physical health. The limitations of this study are considered and recommendations made for future research

Choral singing and psychological wellbeing: Quantitative and qualitative findings from English choirs in a cross-national survey

ABSTRACT Over 600 choral singers drawn from English choirs completed the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire to measure physical, psychological, social and environmental wellbeing, and a twelve-item &apos;wellbein

Choral singing and psychological wellbeing

&nbsp; Over 600 choral singers drawn from English choirs completed the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire to measure physical, psychological, social and environmental wellbeing, and a twelve-item ‘wellbeing and choral singing scale’. They also provided accounts of the effects of choral singing on quality of life, wellbeing and physical health in response to open questions. High average scores were found on all WHOQOL-BREF scales, and a high degree of consensus emerged on the positive benefits of choral singing. A significant sex difference was found on the choral singing scale, with women endorsing the wellbeing effects of singing more strongly than men. This finding replicates the earlier result reported by Clift &amp; Hancox (2001) in a pilot study with a single choral society. Low correlations were found between the WHOQOL-BREF psychological wellbeing scale and perceptions of wellbeing associated with singing. However, examination of written accounts to open questions from participants with relatively low psychological wellbeing and strong perceptions of positive benefits associated with choral singing served to identify four categories of significant personal and health challenges.&nbsp; They also revealed six ‘generative mechanisms’ by which singing may impact on wellbeing and health. &nbsp