The science that supports the benefits of singing to health and wellbeing is well established and you’ll find no greater proponent for it than Gavin Carr, conductor and Chorus Director of Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, the resident choir at Lighthouse. 

Every year since 2014 he has hosted the Big Sing, a biannual community singing workshop in which singers of all abilities come together for a day to work on music that they perform that afternoon. In the latest, Broadway Melodies, last Sunday (26 January) he coached 500 singers learning songs for three medleys from Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar and the Rogers and Hammerstein songbook. 

“We’ve had a lot of fun recently with Queen and Abba, so Broadway Melodies was always on the cards,” he says. “I love Rogers & Hammerstein, but I have to confess Guys & Dolls was a new one on me – they’re fabulous songs and great to sing.” 

Explaining the popularity of Big Sing is simple – it’s great fun – but in relatively recent years something that has been known about since human beings could speak is now backed up by good science. The endorphins released when we sing help promote positive feelings, particularly when singing with other people. Group singing also induces the production of the bonding hormone oxytocin, which has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety as well as increase feelings of trust and wellbeing. 

“It’s a good 10 or 15 years since science showed the movement of air from the lungs and across the larynx and the vocal cords releases endorphins in a constant stream to produce a pleasant glowing feeling – it’s athletic activity and a really important part of singing. 

“The synaptic benefits of organised music on mental health have been known about for 20-plus years and the developmental effects of music on the brain, the Mozart Effect, were established even before that. So, this isn’t new, but it is being spoken about more widely – people like singing and now we know more about why.” 

And Gavin is determined that those taking part enjoy it as much as possible, not least because the more they put into it the more fun they have and the better it sounds. 

“There’s something about singing in a large group where your individual voice will not be heard,” he explains. 

“It means there is no pressure so you can sing with more confidence and if everyone does that the whole choir sounds better. I try to take people to the edge, and well beyond, what might be considered good taste. 

“I want them to let go and lose their inhibitions. Less Twickenham, more Cardiff Arms Park, that’s what I’m after!” 

But what about the performance; are singers ever struck by stage fright? 

“The performance is an important part of the day, but the last thing I want to do is make anyone nervous about it, so I try to keep it as part of the continuum of the day – it's just another sing through for family and friends. 

“The members of Bournemouth Symphony Chorus play a vital role in this. Not only are they wonderful in taking on the organisation of Big Sing, but they’re there to back up the community participants, to help pick out some of the written parts and to make sure we get the chords. 

“For them it’s a welcome change of diet from some of the other music we’re preparing, like Spem in Alium, which is wonderful but very demanding. They end up having a riotous time!” 

Big Sing returns in the autumn. 

All photos - Jayne Jackson Photography 

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