Singing helps us live

Many do not even realize that they love to sing – they simply sing along (to themselves or out loud) to their favorite tune while driving a car or quietly hum something while washing dishes or other monotonous work. Others enjoy the sound of their voice in full force – in a karaoke bar or with a guitar in a circle of friends.

“Singing compensates for our technocratic “stifling,” says Dina Kirnarskaya, Doctor of Psychology and Art History. “Modern man exists to the sound of cars in an anthill city, sits at a computer for hours, and singing brings us back to the origins, gives way to primitive musicality. It brings pleasure and fills with energy, like relaxing on the ocean. That’s why the Japanese invented karaoke – a special way to have fun and relax through singing, “recharge batteries.”

Voice of the ancestors

Sound is the oldest form of communication. “Singing is older than speech, just as emotions are older than reason. People sang before they started talking,” explains Dina Kirnarskaya. The need and ability to express certain semantic accents with the voice is inherent in our nature and deeply natural – once it was the prototype of articulate speech.

“In primitive times, community singing was a way to join collective values,” continues Dina Kirnarskaya. – There was no such thing as “off-key singing”. In the context of a religious trance that made people sing and dance, it didn’t matter if it was good or bad. Now singing has become an artistic activity: asking a person to sing in public is like saying, “Dance like a ballerina, Dance of the Little Swans.”

But the need to “sound” is so strong for many that some are ready to overcome their embarrassment and go to vocal classes.

“Mostly adults come to learn to sing, all from non-creative professions,” says Anna Meili, a private jazz and pop vocal teacher. – Some want to realize their childhood dreams, others want to learn how to sing karaoke. When you can do something that others can’t, self-esteem rises. And this is inspiring – you want more and more applause.”

(Not) with your voice

In singing, more than the purity of the voice, its connection with emotions that deeply affect us is important. In other words, before trying to make “beautiful” sounds, it is better to focus on your feelings, abandon the dictates of classical ideas about vocals and find your own voice, not trying to imitate the timbre of others.

Such a moment of discovering the “true self” for the singer and actress Tina Georgievskaya was a meeting with Andrey Kotov, the head of the Sirin ancient sacred music ensemble, who helped her discover her real voice.

“It seemed that a third arm had grown out of my chest. It turns out that something huge fit and always lived in me, which I had no idea about, ”recalls Tina. “I walked around the house and enjoyed the sound, which was still rough, non-plastic, but mine, alive.” Now Tina Georgievskaya teaches others to “sound” using her own psychotherapeutic technique.

And just singing alone with yourself is very useful, Vladimir Korobko, a vocal teacher at the Gnessin Musical College, a teacher of the Star Factory projects, is sure.

“People feel euphoria when they hear Whitney Houston’s song “I will always love you”: with its sound, it harmonizes our energy – hence the feeling of delight from listening. In professional jargon, this technique is called “pump the listener” and has long been used by American producers. Singing along with Houston, you strive to embody harmony, balance energy, ”says Vladimir Korobko.

“Each voice is extremely individual, so it’s hardly worth trying to sing exactly like Houston,” Tina Georgievskaya believes. – Another thing is the resonance with oneself, with space and with another person. It gives tremendous pleasure and benefit.”

Sing with your whole body

“Our body can sing from birth,” says French orthophonist Philippe-Nicolas Melot. He teaches vocals, but prefers to say that he “does not teach singing, but helps voices be born.” “In the process of singing, energy constantly circulates in us – it is not only spent, but also accumulated,” he explains.

“After two hours of singing, I feel tired, like after playing sports, and I sleep like a baby. This is my personal yoga,” says Christina, a bank employee. Like the practice of yoga, singing teaches us to control our breath. And not only.

“The process of singing affects literally every cell of the body. The vibrations of the voice spread and capture us from head to toe,” confirms Philippe-Nicolas Melo. This is both a psychological and physiological phenomenon: the sound that fills the body propagates through the skeleton, causing the vessels to vibrate. We are involved in this process emotionally and bodily – this allows us to experience the moment of integrity of our being.

The positive effect of singing can be used to improve well-being – this is the basis, for example, of singing during pregnancy and childbirth. “Sound vibrations at the brain level increase the secretion of endorphins, neurotransmitters suppress pain and give a feeling of well-being,” explains obstetrician Samira Ben Haj Yaya, a specialist in prenatal singing.

Singing is closely related to breathing, so it is used to get rid of snoring and insomnia, to improve metabolism and strengthen immunity, helps to quit smoking and get rid of excess weight. The cosmetic effect of singing is also known – this is a consequence of the articulation exercises that accompany vocal exercises.

Ability to hold back feelings

Social norms force us to be restrained, but when we start to sing, we are reincarnated. “I am no longer me, but an artist who can afford to be more relaxed,” this is how Tina Georgievskaya explains such a widespread karaoke hobby.

“In most situations, you cannot fully express your true feelings,” says psychologist Dina Kirnarskaya. – In singing, you express your feelings openly, without embarrassment, sometimes even exaggeratedly. This has a psychotherapeutic effect: we give vent to emotions in conditions of forced restraint and political correctness, which a civilized society prescribes for us.”

In this, singing is akin to dancing: to express strong emotions through sound means to release the energy that is contained in them. This is one of the most effective ways to relieve stress, which is why many singers say that mastering your voice helps you master yourself. In other words, to live out our sorrows by performing classical Russian romances, or, on the contrary, to experience a moral uplift, singing Verdi’s arias in the shower, will be equally beneficial for us.

“A song is an expression of our human essence”