Dr Mary Brown: Singing has health benefits '“ but it's also fun

There has been so much publicity recently about the health benefits of choral singing that it has almost become the vocal equivalent of jogging '“ we should all be doing it because it is good for us.

TV choirmaster Gareth Malone has popularised the art of singing together. Picture: Mark Johnson

There’s certainly evidence that singing improves lung capacity in people suffering from pulmonary disease, and it has been shown to help people suffering from ­depression and other mental health problems.

But the stress on the fact that ­‘singing is good for you’ ­emphasises its health benefits, yet ­rather ignores the fact that it’s actually good fun – and what’s more, you don’t have to aim for virtuoso ­performance to enjoy it.

My local choir, The Banchory Singers, has been in existence for more than 30 years. I could make the point that many of the founder members are still going strong, and that they have the energy, appearance and joie de vivre of much younger folk, but that would be straying into the ‘good for you’ ­territory.

What’s probably more ­important is the camaraderie and good ­fellowship they enjoy, as well as the chance to make a lovely sound with like-minded people. A member who had to leave recently because of a job move described the choir as ‘my other family’.

The choir has just produced its spring concert in the town hall. To be honest, the choir would ­probably not have made Gareth Malone’s final choice, but that did not prevent both choir members and audience having a memorable, entertaining evening. Some members of the audience were even persuaded to sing along with the better-known pieces.

Some members of the choir are certainly of a professional standard and could probably afford to ‘give up the day job’. The rest of us find that exposure to the talented people raises our game, so that on a good day we could almost imagine ourselves in the chorus of Les Miserables.

We are lucky in that we have ­several younger people in our ranks – because of the pressures of studying and work these days, which ­limits the time younger people are able to give to so-called ‘leisure ­pursuits’, choirs tend to attract a majority of older people, but a range of ages always makes for more interesting interactions.

But what fundamentally attracts singers of all ages and ability is the way the choir is run. Our music director, Dr Tara Leiper, combines a degree of what might be termed professional tyranny with a love of the individuals whose musical ­talents she attempts to develop.

If singing really is good for health, much of this is to do with the fact that, together, we can accomplish more than we can as individuals. Our choir may not be quite at the standard of the angelic choirs, but we can still try to give an ­impression of the heavenly music of the spheres.

Dr Mary Brown is a freelance ­educational consultant. She lives in Banchory, Deeside.