The Value of Singing for Seniors

I had so much fun recording an album this past summer with my friend Janet Fedor in Manitou Beach.  If you have not visited Manitou Saskatchewan you may want to add it to your list of “must see spots in Canada”.  The land of healing waters and in my case the Manitou Loft.

Janet’s energy is positively infectious and she was definitely the best choice to entrust this project.  With Janet behind the sound board I recorded an album I have wanted to do for a long time – songs for young seniors…..actually for anyone who has an appreciation of music from a by-gone era.  I focused mostly on the jazz standards of the day but the album’s focus was to entice people to sing along.  I really hope I have achieved that as research continues to support the health benefits of singing.

Working with two sample groups of 240 volunteers over 60 years old, where one group took part in weekly singing sessions over three months and the other didn’t, the research revealed an increase in the mental health component score on a validated health measure amongst the group of singers. It also revealed significantly reduced anxiety and depression scores.  To read more visit: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-benefits-positive-impact-health.html#jCp

“Our research has not only cemented previous studies that pointed to an increase in health benefits from community singing programs, but also demonstrated that singing programs are cost-effective,” says Professor Stephen Clift, Director of Research at the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health. Dr John Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Public Health, NHS Kent and Medway,added: “I’m delighted to see such world-class research in this field helping to provide evidence that singing programs present a viable additional means to promoting the mental health of older people.”