Group singing for health
Singing supports health, happiness and community
Group singing for health is evidence-based therapy and prevention for a range of mental and physical health issues. Below are some of the options on offer.
I can run ongoing groups in the Sydney area or help you set up a group in your area with an initial workshop, online support and followup visits if desired. I also run short, taster workshops on these topics at festivals to give people inspiration to start similar groups in their own communities.
Singing is great for your mental and physical health. Singing with others is even better.
perinatal singing groups
Perinatal group singing for mental health
Perinatal group singing can be great for parents both before and after their baby's birth. Group singing during pregnancy has been shown to help prevent postnatal depression (Wulff et al 2021) and act as therapy for postnatal depression. See my co-authored paper on this on the Resources page. Singing also has many benefits for your baby, helping with parent-baby bonding and assisting baby's language development amongst others. The great thing about this is there is nothing mysterious or difficult about this process. You just sing simple songs and you don't have to be good at singing for everyone to get the benefits. And if you feel shy about hearing your own voice, you can just blend in with the group sound. I have been running a health award-nominated singing for postnatal depression group in the Mother and Baby Unit at SJOG Burwood psychiatric hospital in Sydney since 2014 and created online resources for mothers through the SJOG health network during the recent pandemic. You can see an article about this here >
There are a range of options I can offer for perinatal singing groups. They can be conducted just for fun and bonding time or be targeted for families who are struggling with particular issues in tandem with a health professional. Groups can be conducted with mothers and babies only or with fathers too, as it is now recognised that, although less common, men can also suffer from postnatal depression. Extended family and other carers can also be included depending on requirements. I can run one-off or ongoing groups or help you start up your own babysinging group in your neighbourhood. Groups I conduct are ideally no fewer than 6 and no more than 16 adults plus infants.
group singing for parkinson's
Singing helps with neuro-degenerative disorders
It's a known thing that people with Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases can have difficulties with their breathing and speech as their disease progresses. But now it is also known that activities like singing and dancing or combinations of singing with movement can help people slow the advance of those symptoms. The research on this is so advanced that the Canadian government has helped fund the Singwell Project which researches and promotes group singing for people with neurological communication challenges. ParkinSong in Australia has been doing similar work.
Since Gemma's doctoral research was on the connection between singing and body movement and as a result of discussions with a choir member with Parkinson's, Gemma is in the planning stages of setting up a Parkinson's singing group in inner Sydney in 2024.
Intergenerational singing
Research has shown us that singing has advantages for all life stages. Besides being enjoyable and social, group singing is being used as a dementia preventative and to maintain heart and lung health. People often have their participation in musical activities interrupted when they get busy at work, when they have children, through illness or as they get older. In these situations, people may need to be helped to get back to singing confidently. And the sooner done, the easier it is.
​
I can help start or deliver ongoing support to intergenerational singing groups or choirs which are for the general public, associated with perinatal singing groups or within aged care facilities. I can also run workshops on ageing voice and how to deal with it's challenges.