Speaker Series

SINGWELL &
CHORAL CANADA PRESENT

The Art & Science of Singing Together

Singing with others makes us feel good –– and for good reason. This seemingly simple activity has a network of complex social, emotional, physiological and biological processes underpinning it.

Starting in October 2024, join The SingWell Project, in collaboration with Choral Canada, for an online series of conversations diving deeper into how group singing can improve wellbeing, social connection, communication function and more.

SingWell’s world-leading researchers will offer a focused look at the benefits of group singing for people with aphasia, Parkinson’s disease, lung health challenges, stuttering, and hearing loss –– as well as other populations who are likely to experience social isolation or able to benefit from social prescribing. They will be joined by choral directors and participants with firsthand insights and tips on what activating these benefits looks like in practice.

Registration is free, and recordings of the sessions will be provided to everyone who signs up to attend.

UPCOMING DATES & TOPICS

How to Lead Choirs that Promote Social Connection

April 25, 2025

12-1PM ET: Presentations
1-1:30PM ET: Live Q&A

Why does moving or singing in sync with others create such a strong sense of connection? Evolutionary theories suggest that synchrony helped early humans build trust, strengthen social bonds, and enhance group cohesion—key for survival. Today, scientific research confirms that synchronized movement (like that experienced during group singing) still has this “ice-breaking effect,” rapidly fostering a sense of unity, trust, cooperation and connection among strangers. SingWell’s research has also shown that group singing specifically can promote key aspects of social bonding faster than other group activities.

Join us as we wrap our speaker series with a look at the science behind movement synchrony, singing, and social wellbeing — plus practical tips and tools for choir directors to apply these insights in community choirs.

ardelle rieS, dmus

A professor of music at the University of Alberta (UA), Ardelle Ries teaches courses in musicianship, music education, pediatric vocal pedagogy, and music & wellness. A staunch advocate for Canadian choral music, Ardelle has conducted choirs of all ages in public school, post-secondary and community settings, has commissioned and premiered choral works from Canadian composers, and is the editor of the second edition of Reflections of Canada, a compilation of a cappella Canadian folk songs arranged for choirs.

In 2018, Ardelle established SingAble, a multigenerational community choir for individuals to experience the transformative nature of participatory choral singing in an inclusive community context, offered in partnership with the UA and the Camrose Association for Community Living. Ardelle’s research interests also include “post-pandemic” assessment of children’s attitudes toward singing through the From the Voices of Children project. Ardelle is a grateful recipient of numerous awards and honors from Choir Alberta, the Alberta Kodály Association, the UA Augustana Faculty, the Alberta Council of Disability Services Program, the Camrose Association for Community Living, the Kodály Society of Canada and the City of Camrose.

ARLA GOOD, PHD

Arla Good is Adjunct Faculty in the department of Psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is the Co-Director and Lead Researcher of The SingWell Project. She holds a PhD in Psychological Sciences from Toronto Metropolitan University. Much of her work over the last decade has sought to identify and optimise singing-based interventions that can contribute to psychological and social wellbeing in a variety of different populations.

FRANK A. RUSSO, PHD

Frank A. Russo is Professor of Psychology and the NSERC-Sonova Senior Industrial Research Chair in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience at Toronto Metropolitan University. His research investigates the neuro-cognitive, neuro-affective, and socio-biological aspects of music, speech and hearing. In addition to his role as the Principal Investigator & Scientific Director of The SingWell Project, he is Status Professor of Speech Language Pathology and Music, University of Toronto; Affiliate Research Scientist at Kite, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute; Chief Science Officer, LUCID; Fellow of Canadian Psychological Association; Fellow of the Canadian Society for Brain Behaviour and Cognitive Science; Senior Fellow of Massey College; Associate Editor at Frontiers in Emotion Science, Frontiers in Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience, and Music Perception; Past-Editor at Canadian Acoustics; Past-President of Canadian Acoustical Association.