Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to the short stuff. Josh here, Chuck here,
Speaker 1: Jerry here, Dave here. In spirit it's shorts stuff. Sorry,
Speaker 1: it's shorts stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna start this one by telling a quick little
Speaker 2: story of last year. I got in my Instagram feed
Speaker 2: for a little while these choirs, these choral singing groups
Speaker 2: that were you know, it's kind of a thing now
Speaker 2: where it's not like, oh, you know, we go to
Speaker 2: the church and it's an official choir, but like, hey,
Speaker 2: my friend has a warehouse space and we can put
Speaker 2: a piano in it and just put out a call
Speaker 2: to see, like people want to show up and sing together.
Speaker 1: Like humanist choirs.
Speaker 2: Is that what it's called.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm calling it.
Speaker 2: Oh okay, yeah, oh just because yeah, humanist episode, I
Speaker 2: got Youah, yeah, exactly that. And you know they're doing
Speaker 2: like a cool Radiohead song or something like that, like
Speaker 2: or whatever, you know, Christmas music around the holiday. And
Speaker 2: I was like, you know what, man, I sang in
Speaker 2: a choir growing up in my church, and Emily and
Speaker 2: I both sing, she sang in show choir, and like
Speaker 2: we both got a lot out of those experiences. And
Speaker 2: I haven't done it since I was a teenager and
Speaker 2: I was like, man, we got a piano, and I
Speaker 2: bet you we could get a group together to come
Speaker 2: around and do this kind of thing. And I was
Speaker 2: I still might do it this year, but I never
Speaker 2: got around to it. But it was something that was
Speaker 2: really kind of on my list.
Speaker 1: So are you going to do it? Though?
Speaker 2: You think, well, I really want to do it, Okay,
Speaker 2: we'll do it. Yeah, I do want to cause I think,
Speaker 2: you know, I would be the facilitator, but I would
Speaker 2: get someone who's like, somebody's got to lead the show
Speaker 2: because I can't do that. But I'll sing and I'll
Speaker 2: put you know, I'll provide the space and the piano.
Speaker 1: Okay, there you go. I think that's a good start.
Speaker 2: I think it would be fun, like a neighborhood deal
Speaker 2: and long way of sort of getting around to this
Speaker 2: idea that they've kind of learned that singing is good
Speaker 2: for you, and specifically singing together like inn a choir.
Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, that's a a big thing. And Chuck, if
Speaker 1: you did get a choral group together, you guys would
Speaker 1: be the two hundred and fifty thousand and first chorus
Speaker 1: group in the United States, because that's how many are
Speaker 1: in there. Yeah, something like almost twenty nine million people
Speaker 1: regularly sing in a choral group and in the United States,
Speaker 1: and it's the most popular of all arts related participatory activities. Yeah,
Speaker 1: It's more popular than cross country painting and charades leagues combined.
Speaker 1: You know.
Speaker 2: Interestingly, I saw a study the other day where they
Speaker 2: found one participatory activity helps stave off dementia more than
Speaker 2: any other and it was dance.
Speaker 1: Oh I believe that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because the movement and the all the benefits of
Speaker 2: doing a participatory activity, plus the benefits of the exercise
Speaker 2: and everything, but something about dance that and it was
Speaker 2: like kind of off the charts, and like how good
Speaker 2: it was for you to do as like as you age.
Speaker 1: Sure, gitch troubles come on, get happy, all right.
Speaker 2: So let's talk about singing though, because like if you
Speaker 2: get together with a choir, obviously everyone there is probably
Speaker 2: going because they like to sing and they're probably pretty
Speaker 2: good at singing. But you can just go to your
Speaker 2: local karaoke bar as evidence that, Like people love to
Speaker 2: sing who can't sing at all sometimes and they will
Speaker 2: do that in front of people and people will like
Speaker 2: still watch that and be interested.
Speaker 1: For sure. Yeah, people will watch other people who can't
Speaker 1: sing sing, Yeah, and then people who can't sing will
Speaker 1: sing in front of other people and feel good about it.
Speaker 1: Like karaoke is a great example of like the fact
Speaker 1: that this exists. There's something about singing, including singing and
Speaker 1: other in front of other people that actually does give
Speaker 1: you a positive vibe. Yes, so you said something though,
Speaker 1: I mean like you can sing at home in the shower,
Speaker 1: you can sing at home on the couch, you can
Speaker 1: sing at home in the kitchen, sing in the car
Speaker 1: for sure, sing in the car, you could sing in
Speaker 1: the laundry room, right, like you could sing basically anywhere
Speaker 1: by yourself. And yes, there are benefits, as we'll see.
Speaker 1: But because there's something about singing in a group, as
Speaker 1: we'll kind of unpack, it's just it provides greater benefits.
Speaker 1: But if you do sing in your laundry room, you're
Speaker 1: still going to get some benefits from it. But if
Speaker 1: you've got a group of people who sing with you
Speaker 1: in your laundry room, you would be doing really good
Speaker 1: for sure.
Speaker 2: Good time for a break, Yeah, all right, we're going
Speaker 2: to talk about what those benefits are because they seem
Speaker 2: kind of mysterious. Right after this.
Speaker 1: If you want to know then you're in luck. Just
Speaker 1: listen to SUFFUSI stuffuse no.
Speaker 2: All right, So, like you mentioned before the break, all
Speaker 2: types of singing is good for you. We found it
Speaker 2: releases endorphins, which is always great. If you're singing in
Speaker 2: front of people, it's gonna you know, build your confidence.
Speaker 2: Like I've seen some not very good singers at karaoke
Speaker 2: just like still kind of kill it and walk out
Speaker 2: of there, like clearly, like kind of brimming with confidence. Sure,
Speaker 2: which is going to have like a great effect on
Speaker 2: your life and well being for sure.
Speaker 1: But like I said, singing with a group, choral singing
Speaker 1: has the most dramatic effects, And there's actually some studies
Speaker 1: that have shown this. Apparently in Australia in two thousand
Speaker 1: and eight, a study looked at choral singers and said, hey,
Speaker 1: how satisfied are you with your life? And they said
Speaker 1: really satisfied, so satisfied that if you compared us to
Speaker 1: the average person from the general public, we're more satisfied
Speaker 1: with our life. They're like, well, wait a minute, what
Speaker 1: if we control for all these differences and the only
Speaker 1: difference is these people sing and the rest of the
Speaker 1: people don't. Well does that still hold true? Yes, it will,
Speaker 1: that's right.
Speaker 2: It was Australia, they said, yes, and not now.
Speaker 1: And I mean Australians are generally happy on a whole
Speaker 1: compared to other other groups.
Speaker 2: No, I totally agree.
Speaker 1: That was so like Australian choral singers through the roof happy,
Speaker 1: they can't stop smiling. Yeah.
Speaker 2: In fact, I'm gonna start saying that. I'm gonna say, man,
Speaker 2: they were as happy as an Australian choral singer.
Speaker 1: That's a great one. That's great.
Speaker 2: In nineteen ninety eight, there was another study that found
Speaker 2: after nursing home residents were you know, active in a
Speaker 2: singing program for a month, there were big time decreases
Speaker 2: in both anxiety and depression levels. And a study in
Speaker 2: England six hundred British choral singers found that singing plays
Speaker 2: a central role in their psychological health. Like people get
Speaker 2: a lot out.
Speaker 1: Of it, right, And that would have included Ireland and Wales.
Speaker 2: That's right. Actually that didn't look too deeply into that one.
Speaker 2: But yeah, if it said British then for sure.
Speaker 1: So some of the physical effects though, like it actually does.
Speaker 1: Like we've been talking mostly about well being we'll talk
Speaker 1: a little more about that. But physically speaking, singing has
Speaker 1: a great effect on your body. It's essentially an aerobic exercise.
Speaker 1: Because of the way you're breathing, you're getting more oxygen
Speaker 1: in your blood. That improves your circulation. Good circulation makes
Speaker 1: you happy. I've seen that it's prescribed. Singing is prescribed
Speaker 1: to people who are going through lung rehab for some
Speaker 1: sort of lung issue. And there's also like a you
Speaker 1: need to breathe deeply, so you're spending like an hour
Speaker 1: or so, like a week breathing deeply. That's essentially one
Speaker 1: of the main parts of meditation and relaxation techniques is
Speaker 1: deep you know, controlled breathing and singing. An acquir requires
Speaker 1: you to do that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. I remember talking, Oh, when was it,
Speaker 2: I guess it was sometime light last year when or
Speaker 2: I guess early last year, when I was very upset
Speaker 2: a lot about politics, not like I am now, which
Speaker 2: is like just super stoked all the time, right, But
Speaker 2: I remember talking about sing therapy, and that's what I
Speaker 2: did for a little while. I would like put on
Speaker 2: my piano as a little player piano, so I would
Speaker 2: put that on and I would sing as hard as
Speaker 2: I could sing, and it really really felt good. It
Speaker 2: made a big difference in how I felt.
Speaker 1: What were you singing whatever?
Speaker 2: A lot of billy joel?
Speaker 1: Oh that's great.
Speaker 2: No, Like I was singing whatever. Whatever You could really
Speaker 2: belt out, you know.
Speaker 1: Okay, I think that's wonderful that you did that for yourself. Man, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it was.
Speaker 2: It was fun.
Speaker 1: So one of the things that you could have also done,
Speaker 1: since you probably know every word to every Billy Joel song,
Speaker 1: you could have learned some new songs, right sure. And
Speaker 1: had you done that, you would have been working your brain,
Speaker 1: which is another benefit of singing, especially in a group.
Speaker 1: You have to learn new stuff every week.
Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. And if you're learning things, and if
Speaker 2: you're concentrating, like all right, I got to work out
Speaker 2: my alto part on this thing. I'm a tenner. Actually
Speaker 2: work on your tenor part. And then when you get
Speaker 2: together with your little choir or big choir and you're like,
Speaker 2: all right, I got to remember my part here where
Speaker 2: I come in. Like, that's what you're thinking of, that's
Speaker 2: what's on your mind. You're not thinking of the stress
Speaker 2: at work or the stress at home, or the stress
Speaker 2: in your life. Or your health stress, Like it's your
Speaker 2: chance to park that stuff and really dwell on something
Speaker 2: else for a while.
Speaker 1: Right, And then we finally arrive at one of the
Speaker 1: big reasons why, probably the biggest reason why singing an
Speaker 1: a choir actually has the most benefits of any kind
Speaker 1: of scene is because you are becoming part of a group. Yes,
Speaker 1: Like if you've ever been a member of any kind
Speaker 1: of choir, like, that's a fairly tight group. Everybody knows
Speaker 1: one another. You're required to rely on one another, Like
Speaker 1: you are needed by this group. Your voice is needed,
Speaker 1: your part is needed. Like there's a sense of belonging
Speaker 1: and inclusion that comes from being a member of a choir.
Speaker 1: And then on top of that, adding in all of
Speaker 1: the benefits of singing again like this is it's just
Speaker 1: really good for you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's amazing. When we were I think I told
Speaker 2: you this backstage. But when we were in Madison, I
Speaker 2: went a day early and I woke up the next
Speaker 2: morning and I was My hotel was like kind of
Speaker 2: right on the water, so I had the windows open,
Speaker 2: and because I could hear the water gently laughing, and
Speaker 2: it sounded really nice. But I heard singing, and I
Speaker 2: was like like group singing, and I was like, where
Speaker 2: is that coming from? And I went and looked out
Speaker 2: of my window and there was It turns out that
Speaker 2: in the hotel there was a choral festival going on,
Speaker 2: so there were a bunch of choirs staying there, and
Speaker 2: there was a group of young people, like probably twenty
Speaker 2: of them on a dock on a pier singing a
Speaker 2: Radiohead song. And it was the most lovely thing I
Speaker 2: had ever heard. You can't imagine a better way to
Speaker 2: sort of start your morning than just by hearing that.
Speaker 1: In reality, though backstage everybody he told me that he shouted,
Speaker 1: piped down, shut up kid, that's cool man.
Speaker 2: It was great. It was so so lovely.
Speaker 1: Right well, I think since we ended that on a
Speaker 1: high note from one of Chuck's good memories, good recent
Speaker 1: memories from our visit to Madison, I mean short stuff
Speaker 1: is out.
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