Did you know that there are a variety of health benefits of singing? [1] The thought of using one’s voice to sing can bring up a variety of feelings for a person. For some people, it’s something that they enjoy. Or at least it may have been enjoyable in the past to sing. Whereas for other people, the idea of needing to sing can bring up feelings of fear, anxiety, and insecurity.
In this post, I will describe some of the health benefits of singing. As well, I’ll offer tips for feeling safe and comfortable using your voice even if it has been hard for you to sing in the past. This is because I believe that the voice is a powerful tool and instrument for health and well-being. It is this belief that inspires my desire to support people in discovering and uncovering their voices.
Whole Health Benefits of Singing

The “whole health benefits” I’m referring to are the 5 domains of health. These domains are physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual. As a transpersonal music therapist and counselor, I believe that all 5 of these domains contribute to overall health and long-term well-being. By experiencing benefits in these five areas, vocalizing can help you to become your authentic self.
Physical Health
There are a variety of benefits affecting our physical health when we sing. Below are a few ways that using our voices to sing can improve one’s physical health and function. Because of how our bodies and minds are connected, some of these physical benefits have an influence on our other areas of health.
Breathing
Breathing is foundational to singing. Perhaps not surprisingly then, we can help enhance or maintain respiratory health when we sing. [2] That is because using our voices in this way involves deep breathing, which includes sustained exhalations. Music therapists have often used singing to help people with respiratory illnesses, such as COPD. It’s even thought that singing could be a beneficial treatment option for those with long COVID. [2] The act of singing can make breathing exercises more enjoyable and motivating.
Stress Relief
Because of the breathing involved with singing, we can also experience some stress relief or relaxation benefits similar to the breathing exercises that are often used in therapy. [3] Cortisol levels can drop with singing [1]. As well, singing releases endorphins. [1] Further contributing to the stress relief benefits of singing, is the stimulation of the vagus nerve, which also has a soothing, self-regulating effect.
Speech
Speech is another area that can benefit from using our voices to sing. For example, a person with aphasia after a stroke could regain speech through singing. [4] The reason for this is because music involves the entire brain, and singing can bypass those areas that had been affected by the stroke.
Likewise, the speech of a person living with a neurodegenerative disease like Parkinson’s can also be positively impacted by singing. [5] The reason for this is related to the breath support and vocal skills gained through singing. These things can help develop or enhance the muscle strength and vocal production needed for being heard when speaking.
Emotional Health
Singing can help us feel good emotionally because of how it can reduce feelings of stress. However, it can also be cathartic and serve as an emotional release of sorts. This release can be the release of tension, anger, sadness, or an expression of joy and belonging. When singing music that you find to be enjoyable, you can have fun. Whereas singing a song that touches you can cause you to feel and express sadness, love, or care. There is power in using your voice to express emotion through sound and/or through lyrics that move or inspire you.
Mental Health
In terms of singing and mental health, studies show that there are different ways that singing can improve a person’s mental health and mood. A 2018 study looking at bereaved individuals found that singing reduced feelings of depression and improved self-esteem. [6] Singing can also decrease a person’s feelings of anxiety. That is, as long as the person isn’t feeling anxious about singing. [1] This, I think, speaks to the importance of having a healthy relationship with yourself and your voice.
Social Health
As humans, we need relationships in our lives. Because of this, part of the mental health benefits of singing comes from the social aspect of group singing. [7] Coming together in a group to sing leads to bonding and the release of oxytocin. [8]
When you sing with a group, not only are you engaged in a social activity with others, but you’re also creating something with others. This kind of experience can help you feel good. Your voice has a part to play. It can help you feel like you belong because your voice truly matters.
Spiritual Health
This area is more subjective and perhaps esoteric, but I firmly believe in the importance of this health domain. There’s reason to believe that singing with others can contribute to spiritual well-being and expression. [9] While the exact terminology a person may use to describe it, music can lead to experiences of transcendence. Transcendent experiences can help us feel and discover more meaning and fulfillment in our lives. I believe that having these kinds of experiences is important as we face a variety of existential challenges that can make life feel meaningless at times.
How To Experience The Benefits of Singing
So now that you know some of the ways singing can benefit your health, you might be wondering how you can experience these benefits yourself. As we continue navigating a world with COVID, community choirs, community jams, song circles, and church choirs are all happening regularly for those interested in making vocal music with a group. Likewise, for those looking to sing alone, karaoke and open mics are an option again, as well as in-person or online private voice lessons.
While COVID has led to some changes in how a person can sing in person with others, there are ways that you can experience the health benefits of of using your voice in this way. Below are tips for those looking to experience the health benefits of singing in a group, as well by themselves.
Experience The Benefits of Singing In A Group

If you’re looking to sing with other people, I’m happy to say that some community singing groups are back. In Boulder County, these include:
- The Boulder Chorale and Boulder Chamber Chorale. You can learn more here.
- In Longmont, the Longmont Chorale is a longstanding community vocal music group.
Experience The Benefits of Singing By Yourself
However, as I mentioned earlier, singing may feel loaded or uncomfortable to you. Perhaps you don’t want to sing as part of a group. These concerns could be due to COVID or due to a fear of being seen and heard by others.

If this describes your situation, here are some things that you can do by yourself to experience the health benefits of using your voice to sing:
- Spend a little time singing or toning your voice. You can do this in a quiet place at home or in the shower. The key is to do it in such a way where you can focus on your breath and sound. What can you do with your voice when you’re having fun with it? Notice how you feel when you use your voice without a set goal or expectations beyond having fun or experiencing pleasure.
- Sing along with a recording. In this instance, you’re creating a group experience for yourself without the in-person group experience. When you sing along to a recording, you can sing in unison, explore harmonies, or create your very own part in response to the music. Again, the key is to have fun.
If you find yourself dealing with self-judgment or an inner critic when trying either of these activities, you may find these tips to be helpful.
Safety Considerations
You may have also noticed that I didn’t mention singing in the car. While I don’t discourage doing this in general, for the purpose of this blog post, I wanted to highlight some focused activities that would draw your attention to your breath, body, and voice without the distraction of paying attention to the road. That said, singing in the car can provide some cathartic release in healthier ways than road rage. Just remember that when you do sing in the car, the priority is always on safely driving if you’re the one driving, not so much on the experience of what it’s like to sing.
Experience The Benefits Of Using Your Voice In Music Therapy
So now that you’ve learned a bit more about the health benefits of using your voice, you may find yourself wanting to know more about how music therapy could help you. If you’d like to learn more about how voicework could be part of your therapeutic process, contact me. I offer a free initial 15-minute online/phone consultation that you can schedule here.
I’m also offering an online women’s voicework group in February. You can learn more and register here.
References
[1] Benefits of Singing: 10 Ways That Singing Benefits Your Health – Healthline[2] How Singing Could Help People With Long COVID Breathe Easier – PBS News Hour
[3] Diaphragmatic Breathing – Healthline
[4] How Music Therapy Can Benefit Stroke Survivors – Saebo
[5] ‘ParkinSong’ and Other Song Therapy Programs May Help Preserve Speech, Study Says – Parkinson’s News Today
[6] Fancourt D, Finn S, Warran K, et al. Group singing in bereavement: effects on mental health, self-efficacy, self-esteem and well-being
[7] Shakespeare T, Whieldon A. Sing Your Heart Out: community singing as part of mental health recovery Medical Humanities 2018;44:153-157.
[8] Keeler JR, Roth EA, Neuser BL, Spitsbergen JM, Waters DJM and Vianney J-M. (2015). The neurochemistry and social flow of singing: bonding and oxytocin. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 9:518. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00518
[9] Hilary Moss (2019) Music therapy, spirituality and transcendence, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 28:3, 212-223, DOI: 10.1080/08098131.2018.1533573