The Importance and Joy of Group Singing in Schools

The day begins like any other day – coffee, meditation, news, score study, finish lesson plans, race to school, open the classroom, reset the chairs that were left in disarray from yesterday’s afterschool rehearsal, make sure the extra music is out and available, check to make sure the conductor binder has all of the music in it for today’s rehearsals, sit at the piano and go over the music. Then, waiting for the moment the first student enters the room.

As the students arrive, chattering, laughing, backpacks slung over shoulders, some hesitant, others gregarious, boisterous, they greet each other with smiles and genuine warmth. They gather their materials and find their places. “Good morning. I am SO happy that you’re here. Please stand – let’s get going.”

This is the beginning of the day for some of our middle school students. For many of them, this is the first opportunity they’ve had to experience real group singing. It’s no secret that many public school music programs were frozen in time during the pandemic and students’ access to many facets of an authentic musical experience just weren’t allowed to happen – in some places until as recently as this school year.

We are only now beginning to see consequences from that isolation; the time spent apart has manifested in ways for which we are not prepared. In some cases, students exhibit behaviors that seem to be several years behind in development; in other cases, students don’t seem to have as much stamina throughout their day, and the use of personal devices and social media crowd out the ability to really connect with each other. This is not to say that our students aren’t OK; they just seem to be different.

Not only are the students craving a return to connectedness with their peers, but teachers and staff are in need of the same. Connections within the learning community can be critically important for teacher well-being. Research supports the notion that human beings are not designed for prolonged periods of isolation but instead are built for inter-connectedness and togetherness in order to thrive.

This is what music programs offer our students – an opportunity to connect with other humans in meaningful, collaborative, creative and supportive ways. When people sing together, whether it’s on the concert stage, in someone’s living room or in ritual, many different things are happening. The brain releases oxytocin, the feel-good chemical, which helps to increase mood and give a sense of well-being.

Singing in a choir can also give people the opportunity to rediscover the joy of working in partnership with others for a greater, common good. Singing together also demands that people listen to one another – an act that is desperately needed in our world today – and therefore has the capacity to synchronize brain waves – yet another coming-together moment for participants.

Group singing encourages collaboration that leads to feelings of comfort and ease within the group, which encourages students to explore their ability to engage with their own emotions.

“The performing arts — general music, band, orchestra, choir, drama, dance, etc. — connect students with their emotions and build skills like teamwork, collaboration and empathy,” said Kindermusik’s Kelly Green. “These are not easy skills to teach, but learning them becomes easier within a creative setting. The arts are essential for helping students become emotionally intelligent humans. Singing is a very powerful tool to make children feel in community,” Green added. (“How Music and Performing Arts Improve Social-Emotional Skills”) www.Blog.Planbook.com.

Let’s come back to our early morning middle school singers. These students don’t know the science and they don’t know the research. What it seems that they DO know is that they like to be around other students who like to use their voices in creative ways. They also like to be in community with like-minded people; they like being a part of something fun that requires them to think, connect, feel and create. They know that the choir room is a safe space and a place where they belong.

They know what it feels like when they match a certain note or when their vowels align in just the right way and the chord snaps in tune. They know when what they’re singing about is moving and they know when they are moved by the power of their own voices.

This is the joy of singing together. This is why we get up early, prep the classroom, select engaging music, guide young minds, encourage our singers to take artistic risks and explore the world of music and their role in making that music come to life.

At the end of the day, it is our job to inspire our learners to be better than they thought they could be, to do good work, be gentle stewards of the Earth and of one another, and to realize a legacy of hope built on the beauty of connection one with another. That is the beauty of song and the joy of singing in a community.