Singing: The Key to a Long Life

King's Singers a capella group

This is an excerpt from an interesting article from Brian Eno:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97320958

I believe in singing. I believe in singing together.

A few years ago a friend and I realized that we both loved singing but didn't do much of it. So we started a weekly a capella group with just four members. After a year we started inviting other people to join. We didn't insist on musical experience — in fact some of our members had never sung before. Now the group has ballooned to around 15 or 20 people.

I believe that singing is the key to long life, a good figure, a stable temperament, increased intelligence, new friends, super self-confidence, heightened sexual attractiveness and a better sense of humor. A recent long-term study conducted in Scandinavia sought to discover which activities related to a healthy and happy later life. Three stood out: camping, dancing and singing.

Well, there are physiological benefits, obviously: You use your lungs in a way that you probably don't for the rest of your day, breathing deeply and openly. And there are psychological benefits, too: Singing aloud leaves you with a sense of levity and contentedness. And then there are what I would call "civilizational benefits." When you sing with a group of people, you learn how to subsume yourself into a group consciousness because a capella singing is all about the immersion of the self into the community. That's one of the great feelings — to stop being me for a little while and to become us. That way lies empathy, the great social virtue.

So I believe in singing to such an extent that if I were asked to redesign the educational system, I would start by insisting that group singing become a central part of the daily routine. I believe it builds character and, more than anything else, encourages a taste for co-operation with others. This seems to be about the most important thing a school could do for you.

The Sound of Sexy

A resonant voice can help your love life!

Here's more proof that the sound of your voice does matter!  In fact, a 2004 study showed that a deep, resonant voice (in both men and women) can actually help your love life!  The study found that men and women with more attractive-sounding voices reported having more sexual partners, had their first sexual intercourse at a younger age, and were more promiscuous.

I'm not advocating any of the above, mind you, but all of us want to feel that we're attractive to others, so cultivating a pleasing, resonant voice may be just the ticket if you're looking for a relationship - casual or otherwise!

Vocalizing everyday really helps and is easy to do.  It only takes a few minutes and easy vocal exercises can be done while driving to work, to school, or on daily errands.  If you're shy about vocalizing, the car is a perfect place to practice singing.  No one can hear you, and it utilizes otherwise wasted time while sitting in traffic!

You can change the sound of your voice with a little bit of instruction and practice.  Remember that your voice is a valuable tool in increasing not only your business, but also your chances for enhancing your love life!