It’s the singer, not the song: A critical investigation into perceptions of the benefits of singing in daily life

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to consider how people feel about singing, particularly but not exclusively if they do not identify themselves specifically as singers. Any benefits of singing that were perceived or experienced by a group of adults are described, and consideration is given to whether measurement or monitoring of these benefits is necessary or helpful. The review of literature is based on answering the following key questions: Why is singing important? Where is singing situated culturally in contemporary British society? Does this have any bearing on how adults feel about singing both individually and chorally, as part of a group? Consideration is given to the evidence supporting a range of claimed benefits of singing and the location of singing in a postmodern, neo-liberal culture is discussed. Finally, the results of a small-scale ethnographic survey and focus group session are detailed and interrogated. This investigation concludes that singing is perceived by many as being of social, cultural and emotional significance which may have wider implications for health and education policy. Implications for further research include creating research models which might interrogate further the emotional impact of singing and how that impacts on other activities.