SingWell researchers are global experts on the impacts of group singing for people with communication challenges. Our work has not only shown that group singing can improve communication function, but also deepened understanding of how group singing produces these outcomes.
Our research focuses on the potential for group singing to support people with communication challenges, including people with aphasia, breathing disorders, hearing loss, Parkinson’s disease, and stuttering, and newcomers learning a new language.
As we’ve deepened understanding of the impacts of group singing, we’ve found that many of the same social, emotional, physiological and biological processes that make group singing so powerful for improving communication challenges also make it a highly beneficial practice for anyone. Group singing’s impacts on social, psychological and physical wellbeing make it an especially powerful intervention for people experiencing social isolation, mental health challenges, or barriers to the social determinants of health and wellbeing, such as older adults, people with disabilities, and other members of equity-deserving groups.
GUIDING RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.
Does group singing support psychosocial wellbeing in individuals living with communication challenges?
2.
Does group singing support communication function?
3.
Do these benefits acrue over regular participation in group singing?
4.
Does group singing have added benefits compared to other group activities?
5.
What are the sociobiological underpinnings of these benefits?