Sing for health

The Covid-19 pandemic hit the world in 2020, and left many people with lingering physical, emotional and psychological complaints. Together with lung specialists from one of the major hospitals in the Netherlands, Wishful Singing has developed the Sing for Health course.

The online programme supports the recovery of Covid-19 patients through breathing, singing and relaxation exercises. The course consists of weekly online group sessions of 10 to 15 participants led by a singing teacher, followed by four homework days where breathing and singing exercises are done individually, using video material. Key aspects are the pleasure of singing, a renewed confidence in your own body, and meeting other participants. The programme offers participants a positive, playful way to improve their quality of life within the restrictions of the present moment, as well as making small steps towards recovery.

The course had a significant positive effect, compared to non-participants:

• Physical health: less shortness of breath, less pain.
• Mental health: fewer cognitive symptoms (forgetfulness, concentration difficulties, brain fog), less worrying, increased sense of calm, and fewer feelings of depression.
• Participants were very satisfied with the course. They gave the Zoom teachers an average rating of 8.9. The vast majority was happy with the difficulty level of the songs, tempo of the lessons, the number of participants per group, and the number of exercise videos per week. They found most elements of the course engaging.

In 2023, Wishful Singing wants to develop courses of Sing for health in English, and expand the scope to other people who may benefit from targeted singing training, such as patients with cancer and other long-lasting illnesses.

Feedback from the participants

‘The feeling of putting our shoulders to the wheel together really shone through. You didn’t feel alone anymore. The Zoom sessions were nice, with a teacher who radiated calm. Everything was at a gentle pace. The videos of the relaxations exercises were really nice. Good choice of songs, they gave you strength. After a couple of weeks, I noticed I felt less tightness in the chest after exerting myself. It was wonderful to realise that. This course works!’

‘I was pleased to find that I wasn’t coming up against my limitations using the videos and that I was able to take part without any problem, at my own pace and in my own time, and if not, then lying down. And it just made me really happy.’

‘High quality practice videos, really nice to have contact with fellow course mates, the programme is really well designed, nice songs that made me feel cheerful and enthusiastic.’

‘The exercises were fun and effective! Singing is fun and I shared a lot of experiences with people in the same boat as me, there was a lot of recognition and understanding for each other.’