I’ve been singing in choirs nearly all of my life, so you can imagine my delight when I read research that showed that choral singing promotes both a healthy heart and an enhanced mental state. This is good news for me. I’m going to sing in a choir for as long as I can.
Are there other good reasons for singing in a choir? Here’s how some of our Northside choral singers answered that question.
Jaette Carpenter, adult and youth choir director at Camden Music School (CMS), believes “There’s no more beautiful sound than human beings singing together. It’s good for the spirit and good for the mind.”
Camden resident Tim Takach sings bass with the renowned men’s chorus Cantus. One of the messages his choir shares with students is, “There’s a power that you can get as a young singer in a choir. You’re part of something that’s bigger and better than yourself.”
Valerie Robinson sings with the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir. She’s been singing with her siblings and in church choirs since she was 4 or 5 years of age. The value of singing in a choir, she says, “has a lot to do with the people. Our choir members love people, they make people feel comfortable and you feel like you belong. That’s really what the choir does.”
Calli LeGeros sang in the youth choir at CMS this summer – her first choral singing experience. “It definitely helped with her self-confidence,” said Delilah LeGeros, Calli’s mom. Calli has an expressive language learning disability. Her parents have found very few places or experiences that target that challenge, but the choir seemed to touch a chord with Calli. “I didn’t know if it would help her or not, but she really felt part of the group and fully experienced the joy of singing and the success that came through the performance. It was wonderful.”
For Ginger King, a CMS choir member who’s has been singing in choirs for 50 years, it’s simple. “It gets you out of the house and connects you with people. And it’s so much easier than playing in band. You can carry your instrument with you 24/7.”
Joan Carey, music director at North United Methodist church, believes that choral singing is “a wonderful means of bringing the community together.”
If you’ve never sung in a choir, or haven’t sung in one for a while, or if you sing in the shower but wouldn’t dream of joining a choir, the choir members I spoke to would encourage you to dream differently. Why? “Choral music has that wonderful ability to touch your heart in a way that nothing else can,” said Joan Carey. “And it’s not about singing just for the sake of making beautiful music. It draws you in. It’s actually transforming. You can’t help but be a better person for having experienced it.”
Many consider Minnesota the choral capital of the nation. There are many opportunities to sing in choirs in cities and towns across the state, including the youth and adult choral ensembles right here in the neighborhood at CMS, call 612-618-0219.