Singing for fun can improve
your health too
Creator and director of The Costa Pop Choir and Georgie
Sings – vocal coach and singing teacher offers us an insight
into singing, its benefits and tips on how to get started.
sufferers, and breathing correctly substantially improves lung
capacity.
One exercise which effectively shows you where you need to
breath in to is to lay on your back on your bed or the floor,
and take a few breaths in and out.
Remember to breathe in through
your nose and out through your
mouth, once you have breathed in,
feel where that breath is going into.
This should be deep down in the
belly and not the chest. And this is
the correct location the breath
should be once you are standing.
To make sure that the chest,
shoulders or clavicles are not rising
when you are breathing you need to
consciously think that your stomach
is coming out when breathing in,
and going in when breathing out,
placing your hand on your stomach
is good indicator of this.
Singing can be a lifeline for people. Activities such as singing
lessons and singing in choirs can
reduce stress levels, anxiety, increase
self-esteem, build confidence, and
also reduce loneliness for those who
don’t spend much time with others.
Physically, singing can be both
beneficial for fitness as well as a fun
and easy way to make new friends.
Singing boosts the immune system,
helps with posture and sleep. For the
elderly, disabled and injured the act
of singing can be a workout for the
lungs (for healthy people too.) With
the proper singing techniques
employed, lungs will become
stronger and coupled with the
correct use of lower abdominal
muscles the diaphragm will also get a
workout.
Once you have mastered the art of
breathing into your stomach, you
can then start counting. Breathe in
for four beats, hold for four beats
and breathe out (through your
mouth, slow and steady) for four
beats. Then continue on even
numbers so six, eight, etc. until you
feel you have reached your maximum breath capacity. You
can do this whilst sitting upright watching television, reading a
book, or meditating. You will soon feel the effects.
Stroke sufferers, and people with
speech impediments will find
singing a very helpful tool in their
recuperation. For speech
impediment sufferers, singing
exercises are a fantastic way to dilute the impediment and to
form a stronger bond between the sound they believe they are
making and the one that is actually coming out of their
mouths. I have worked with both stroke sufferers and people
with speech impediments, and I have seen first-hand the
incredible improvements made by just changing the way they
breath.
So here’s a tip on getting started on your singing journey: to
begin with, you need to breathe. Breathing is the life source of
singing, it helps with vocal strength and stability, and correct
breathing is proven to reduce the effects of asthma in
The Costa Pop Choir meet every Monday evening at 8.30pm
at the Hotel Al Andalus in Maro, and we welcome new
members to our very sociable group. I am also contactable for
private singing lessons via the Costa Pop Website address.
www.costapopchoir.com or [email protected]
GEORGIE CULLUM
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