Singing for Your Health

I am very lucky to have a super-smart younger brother who is studying Alzheimer's, as well as other forms of dementia.  While we don't understand the causes exactly, we do know that patients with Alzheimer's are unable to get rid of the 'plaque' that builds up between and inside nerve cells in the brain over time.

Here's where singing comes into play.  We do know that people with higher levels of education seem to be less at risk to developing Alzheimers' than others.  While the role of education is unknown, there are two possible theories.  One, that the brain is like any muscle; if you keep it active, it resists disease more effectively.  And two, that learning strengthen and creates new connections between nerve cells to resist this buildup of plaque in the brain.

When you take voice lessons, you are engaged in a very diverse and broad form of education that engages numerous functions of the brain.  While music certainly engages the creative sections of our brain, music also engages the more 'logic' oriented parts of our brain.  Music is actually a form of math (frequencies and harmonies).  Singing also develops our motor skills and languages (especially if you are learning to sing in multiple languages!). In addition to giving your brain a mental workout, we do know that singing reduces stress, enhances your lung capacity, and reduces your heart rate. 

Now, I don't want to give the impression that taking voice lessons stops Alzheimer's (it doesn't).  But voice lessons are not just about 'singing better.'  It is a form of continuing education for people of all ages that enhances our physical and mental health. 

DS