Whether you work in a recording studio and interact with vocalists regularly or you’re a total amateur that just enjoys watching the Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards every year, its hard to deny that singers stand out from the crowd.
You may think that it’s because of their magnetic charisma, bold fashion choices, or confident carriage, but what if those things were only part of the equation?
What if people who sing were physiologically different than those who don’t?
This is no rhetorical question, though. Scientists have asked how singers differ from “regular” people in the past, and the results are in! The answer they found may just surprise you.
According to neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, “Anatomists today would be hard put to identify the brain of a visual artist, a writer, or a mathematician, but they could recognize the brain of a professional musician without a moment’s hesitation.”
Why is this?
Whether they’re an opera singer or a rock star, people who sing regularly have very different brains, physiologically, than people who don’t sing.
In other words, learning to sing releases chemicals in the brain that lead to tangible, structural changes!
Oliver Sacks is not the only scientist who believes whole-heartedly in the brain enhancing benefits of singing lessons, though. Gottfied Schlaug, an author published in the academic journal Progress in Brain Research, showed that regularly reading music strengthens connections between the motor and auditory regions of the brain.
He believes that rigorous training in music and singing can also help in language recovery and acquisition.
This makes singing particularly helpful for people who have had strokes or other brain injuries in the past, causing them to suffer from an inability to comprehend or express words.
However, you needn’t be a professional singer or a stroke patient to profit from the many brain benefits of singing.
Here are 4 research-proven ways singing lessons could help YOU boost YOUR brain power, regardless of your experience level at the start:
- Singing affects the brain’s production of neurotransmitters and leads to different and new connections within the organ. These new connections can help you to learn things more easily in the future.
- Many experts believe that singing and other activities that require use of your memory can help to delay the onset of age-related cognitive problems, such as dementia, even if they cannot prevent them altogether.
- Singing leads to increased activity in your basal ganglia. This can help your brain to process information much more efficiently, making it easier for you to “think on your feet” in times of distress.
- Studies have also shown that singing can increase activity in your brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is necessary for maintaining goal-directed attention despite changing sensory information being input.
There you have it!
Singing isn’t just fun, and it doesn’t just give your lungs a leg up, either.
While the singing lessons at Voicehouse are a wonderful way to get back in touch with a passion you may have given up after college to ‘get ahead’ in your career, you don’t need a reason to reach out to us.
Our gifted vocal coaches work with students of all ages, with all experience levels, who’ve sought our services for all types of reasons.
However, if you’ve been feeling hesitant to take some time to yourself for once, consider calling Voicehouse to see what cognitive benefits singing lessons could hold in store.
Your boss will think it’s brilliant, and your coworkers may even wish to take part, too.
It’s worth consideration; after all, the lot you could enjoy even more benefits with group singing lessons – Included in our Membership Packages!