Singing with others is good for your health and wellbeing!
We’ve heard so many moving stories from choir members about how the choir has positively affected their lives so wanted to share a few here.
After being confined to my home for months due to the side effects of chemo, joining the choir was an absolute tonic. It forced me to get up and go meet new people, learn new things and make myself presentable to get out there. I remember, after the first sessions I was absolutely exhausted walking home from the bus stop. I mean exhausted. I felt I was dragging myself home. However, as the weeks went by and the treatment stopped, things eased. My breathing was better which helped my stamina. My confidence grew so much that by the time the next term started in January 2014 I stopped wearing a wig even though my hair was incredibly short and grey!! It might sound corny but the choir healed me a little. YvonneI have Bipolar Disorder type II. I am open about my diagnosis and I feel very strongly about encouraging hope in others who may be struggling with recovery. I think it is important to use opportunities to dispel misunderstandings regarding mental illness and share the positive actions you can take to stay well, which brings me to the choir! The music, company and laughter shared have been enormously beneficial for my mental health and improving my short term memory. Lynn
I am a full time carer for my husband who needs total physical and emotional support. I am on call 24/7 and so any time that I take for myself has to fulfil many needs, fun, enjoyment, stimulation, learning, social, etc. Love Music Community Choir fulfils all of these and more. First and foremost there is an atmosphere of relaxed fun during rehearsal. No one is made to feel that they cannot keep up; the ethos is one of encouragement that everyone can sing. People respond to this message and give their best in return. At the same time there is no compromise on musicality. The standard set is high and even those who have some musical training can be challenged by what is expected of us. It’s a winning combination and has provided me with something from which I can learn and that is highly enjoyable and always worth the effort that it takes to get there each week. I have made friends and feel very much a part of the Love Music community.
The choir has led me to take my interests in music further… just to have started on this journey gives me a self-confidence and purpose that pervades many aspects of my life. The caring role can take its toll on even the strongest of people and singing is well known to be a very valuable emotional outlet. Music and song, as practised by the Love Music team, is uplifting, fun and a true ‘cradle for the soul’. Anonymous
The last two years have been very difficult for me what with one thing and another – moving to a new city and divorce as well as a long term health condition and losing my job. I joined LMCC and was immediately made very welcome. I have met lovely, cheery folk every week and forget my troubles for a couple of hours. I have made some very good friends, my brain has been stretched… I have learned masses and achieved more than I thought possible. My choir friends have been so supportive; every rehearsal is fun, uplifting, demanding and joyous. If I am feeling fed up, I have discovered that listening to the sound files from last week’s rehearsal cheers me up, just hearing the laughs as well as our wonderful singing. Thank you, thank you, thank you to LMCC for giving me back my confidence, my smile and improving my health and emotional wellbeing. Anonymous
I moved back to Edinburgh to look after my very elderly father. The choir has been my time off and I love it – it lets me come back and tell him all about it and bring him news from the outside world. We had a real triumph when we managed to get him to a concert, the first time he had been out of the house in months. He enjoyed it and afterwards was more communicative than he had been for ages. Anonymous
I am a former mental health nurse and worked with people with dementia through Alzheimer Scotland. I have always felt passionately about the ability of music to touch people in a way that other forms of communication cannot. My particular interest is depression. I lost Mum to suicide 6 years ago and have experienced depression myself, though in no way comparable to Mum’s lifelong battle. My eclectic iPod playlist ranging from Elgar to The Proclaimers helped me through the very difficult time after Mum’s death.
I feel very strongly that singing is a powerful strategy in fighting depression, as is borne out by clinical evidence. I’ve sung in a wide variety of choirs during my life. I used to work on Iona and every week we used to rehearse in the Piano Loft in the Abbey; an amazing space. I never thought I would find as magical a musical experience again but LMCC has given me that. Like my staff singing on Iona, it has become my “therapy”, a non-negotiable time for me. Anonymous
Image by Mihaela Bodlovic