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Cited by 297Music Therapy and HealthDiverse Music Education InsightsNeuroscience and Music Perception

The perceived benefits of singing: findings from preliminary surveys of a university college choral society

Clift, S.M., Hancox, G.·2001·Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health
DOI 10.1177/146642400112100409
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Abstract

Two exploratory studies are reported on the perceived benefits associated with active participation in choral singing. In the first study, 84 members of a uni versity college choral society completed a brief questionnaire that asked whether they had benefited personally from their involvement in the choir and whether there were ways in which participation could benefit their health. A large majority of respondents agreed they had benefited socially (87%) and emotionally (75%), with 58% agreeing they had benefited in some physical way, and 49% spiritually. A content analysis of written comments served to elaborate the ways in which choir members felt they had benefited. Common themes expressed were: meeting new people, feeling more positive, increased control over breathing, feeling more alert and feeling spiritually uplifted. With respect to health benefits, 84% of participants gave answers, the main themes of which related to improved lung function and breathing, improved mood and stress reduction. In the second study, 91 members of the choir complet ed a structured questionnaire consisting of 32 statements about singing reflecting the ideas expressed in the first study. Over 40% of respondents strongly agreed that 'singing helps to make my mood more positive', 'singing is a moving experience for me sometimes', 'singing makes me feel a lot hap pier' and 'singing is good for my soul'. A principal components analysis fol lowed by Oblimin rotation identified six dimensions of benefit associated with singing These were labelled as: benefits for well-being and relaxation, benefits for breathing and posture, social benefits, spiritual benefits, emotion al benefits, and benefits for heart and immune system. Cronbach alpha coef ficients were satisfactory for all components except the third, social benefits, due primarily to the small number of items loading on this component. Women were significantly more likely to experience benefits for well-being and relaxation, younger people were more likely to report social benefits, and those professing religious beliefs were more likely to experience spiritual ben efits. The present studies have a number of limitations, but they provide a useful foundation for future larger scale surveys, more sophisticated qualita tive studies, and experimental investigations of the impact of singing on psy cho-physiological functioning.

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  • Qualitative data from singing groups and choirs suggests that social interaction and a sense of belonging are important positive features of attendance.

    “Indeed, qualitative data from singing groups and choirs suggests that social interaction and a sense of belonging are important positive features of attendance [48–50].”

    From The ice-breaker effect: Singing mediates fast social bonding (2015) · cites this paper as [48]

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Authors
Clift, S. M., & Hancox, G.
Affiliations
Canterbury Christ Church University (GB)
ORCID
Clift, S.M.
Venue
Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2001-12
Volume
121
Issue
4
Pages
248-256
ISSN
1466-4240 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1177/146642400112100409
OpenAlex
W2147552987
Cited by
297
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 29 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 17
FWCI
3.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • The Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Canterbury Christ Church University
  • Durham University
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Music Therapy and Health
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Music › Diverse Music Education Insights
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Music Perception
Keywords
choral singing, choir participation, health benefits, well-being, relaxation, social benefits, emotional benefits, spiritual benefits, breathing, mood, stress reduction, lung function, religious beliefs, gender differences, age differences
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Life Style, Male, Middle Aged, Music, Personal Satisfaction, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sex Factors, Universities

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