{"id":651551,"date":"2026-10-11T14:28:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T14:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/651551\/"},"modified":"2026-10-11T14:28:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T14:28:16","slug":"sing-for-joy-one-of-the-best-things-you-can-do-for-your-mental-health-is-join-a-choir-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/651551\/","title":{"rendered":"Sing for joy: \u2018One of the best things you can do for your mental health is join a choir\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Choirs may be synonymous with the magic of Christmas<\/a> and festive carolling, but the uplifting power of group singing has no seasonal sell-by date. On any given evening in local venues around the country, people are gathering together to sing. Some are seeking connection in an increasingly fragmented world, others an escape from the pressures of everyday life or a boost in self-confidence \u2013 but whatever draws them through the door, they all leave feeling lighter than when they arrived. Group singing is proving to be more than just an enjoyable pastime or Yuletide tradition. It\u2019s becoming an antidote to loneliness and diffidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we sing, we release oxytocin, the human love hormone,\u201d says Rachel Dempsey, founder of Singing for Change, an initiative within her Full Circle Change project, which aims to foster connection, wisdom and resilience for the benefit of people and the planet. Dempsey holds an MA in ethnomusicology from Queen\u2019s University Belfast<\/a>, a discipline she describes as \u201cthe anthropology of music and how it intersects with society and culture\u201d. While the physical and mental health benefits of singing are now well-established, she says it\u2019s the effect on human connection that fascinates her most of all. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe science of how singing creates and strengthens bonds between individuals is especially interesting,\u201d she says. A 2015 University of Oxford study followed adults taking part in weekly singing, creative writing and craft classes. After just one month, those in the singing group reported significantly greater feelings of closeness and social connection than participants in the other classes.<\/p>\n

The mother-of-two describes singing as \u201ca bio-psycho-social technology for connection and a pathway to wellbeing\u201d, and hosts regular singing circles in a cosy cabin in the back garden of her home in Newtownmountkennedy, as well as workshops in Dublin 2. They are all guided by the same philosophy: singing is for \u201cwellbeing and connection, not perfection or performance\u201d.<\/p>\n

For Dempsey, the greatest barrier for people isn\u2019t ability, but belief. \u201cPeople are so inhibited about their voices these days,\u201d she says. \u201cThey\u2019re so full of shame because someone once told them they can\u2019t sing. But really, it\u2019s denying people their human right \u2013 to sing with others.\u201d She argues that singing has become unnecessarily exclusive. \u201cIt\u2019s this niche activity that you either qualify for or you don\u2019t. Very few of us feel like we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tara Heffernan, founder of Waterford-based Sing for Joy, shares this view. The organisation was established to make singing accessible to everyone, regardless of experience or ability. \u201cWe take on outside beliefs so easily,\u201d says the music teacher and vocal coach. \u201cIf someone has told you you\u2019re not a good singer, then it becomes something you\u2019re simply not used to doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her choir actively challenges this mindset. \u201cWe\u2019re not in competition and we choose all of our soloists from within the group. Some other choirs bring in professional singers, but we pull from the people sitting in the chairs in front of us.\u201d Heffernan says that watching somebody step up to the microphone, who may never have sung solo before, is one of the most beautiful experiences. \u201cWhen you hear them sing, it\u2019s so perfect and everybody is clapping \u2013 it\u2019s just such an incredible confidence-booster.\u201d <\/p>\n

Over the summer, Heffernan posted a solo performance of Wild Mountain on Instagram. Within days, it had attracted more than 30,000 views. The former secondary schoolteacher explains that the soloist had recently been diagnosed with autism and had always found it difficult to communicate and to have friends. \u201cShe says the singing group has helped so much with her confidence, and really supported her through her diagnosis.\u201d <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Choir gives Beijing\u2019s retirees a reason to get upOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

For Dempsey, this is exactly what group singing is about. \u201cSinging out is learning to speak out … It\u2019s a wider interpretation of voice,\u201d she adds. The benefits of group singing extend beyond community and connection. \u201cMembers of the group have reported becoming more assertive \u2013 in the workplace, for example. In the past, they may have found it difficult to speak up, but working on their voice has helped them to advocate for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TaraTara Heffernan, founder of Waterford-based Sing for Joy, set up to make singing accessible to everyone, regardless of experience or ability. Photograph: Martin O’Brien Photography \"TheThe Casual Choir in Dublin’s Button Factory run through some warm-ups before starting their rendition of ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ by Kym Mazelle. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd \"Waterford-basedWaterford-based Sing for Joy has a waiting list of 250 people looking to join. Photograph: Martin O’Brien Photography <\/p>\n

Heffernan is currently completing a master\u2019s in mental health practices for young adults. One of her lecturers is Coleman Noctor, the child and adolescent psychotherapist, author and Ted Talk speaker. \u201cHe often says research shows that two of the best things you can do for your mental health is join a choir and volunteer.\u201d Sing for Joy embraces both. \u201cWe recently held a concert for the Solas Cancer Support Centre in Waterford, and I think it really helps to be part of something bigger than yourself. It helps you to feel positive about yourself and who you are as a person.\u201d <\/p>\n

For Dubliner Karen O\u2019Shea, singing has been a constant outlet since her school days. The lifelong choir enthusiast believes its benefits go far beyond music. \u201cSinging gets you out of your own head,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit like yoga. When you\u2019re practising yoga, you\u2019re learning to inhabit your body. When you\u2019re singing, you\u2019re accessing a different part of your brain.\u201d <\/p>\n

These days, O\u2019Shea is a regular at Casual Choir, the drop-in singing group founded in 2018 by musical director R\u00f3is\u00edn Savage. Its appeal is captured in its playful tagline: \u201cOne song, one session. No audition, no sheet music, no commitment\u201d. Participants arrive with nothing more than a willingness to sing \u2013 learning, rehearsing and recording a complete song in a single evening, which is then uploaded to social media. <\/p>\n

\u201cI love being able to turn up unprepared,\u201d says O\u2019Shea. \u201cBy the end of the session you\u2019ve had a great time, because R\u00f3is\u00edn is great fun, but also you\u2019ve created something tangible. The performance is recorded, so you have something to look back on afterwards.\u201d When the 51-year-old first became a primary schoolteacher, she took ownership of her school\u2019s choir. \u201cOur principal had been kicked out of her school choir as a child for \u2018not being good enough\u2019, so she had a very strong belief that everybody should get involved.\u201d <\/p>\n

Savage believes auditions and the fear of not being good enough are a barrier to entry for many. \u201cI wanted to set something up where people didn\u2019t have to audition, didn\u2019t need to know how to read sheet music and weren\u2019t under pressure to commit to a weekly choir. They could just come along for the evening and sing.\u201d After floating the idea on social media, the response was immediate. \u201cWithin a couple of weeks, I\u2019d sold out the first event, with 150 people turning up.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Facing the music: St Patrick\u2019s Cathedral Choir School struggles to attract boy singersOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Since then, Casual Choir has outgrown the lecture halls where it began, moving into larger \u2013 and livelier \u2013 venues, including The Sugar Club, The Button Factory, Whelan\u2019s and Vicar Street. Savage describes the evenings as closer to a traditional sing-song than a formal choir. \u201cAs Irish people, we\u2019re comfortable with sing-songs, but not necessarily with the idea of a choir,\u201d she says. \u201cEverybody has been part of a sing-song at one time or another.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SingSing for Joy embraces being in a choir and volunteering for worthy causes. Photograph: Martin O’Brien Photography \"TheThe Casual Choir belts out Young Hearts Fun Free in the Button Factory. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd \"TheThe appeal of Casual Choir, founded in 2018, is captured in its playful tagline: ‘One song, one session. No audition, no sheet music, no commitment.’ Photograph: Enda O’Dowd \"MenMen participate in the Casual Choir get-together at the Button Factory – a common misperception is that choirs are exclusively or largely the preserve of women. Photograph: Enda O’Dowd <\/p>\n

This informality, combined with the energy of singing in a crowd, is central to the experience. \u201cThere\u2019s huge comfort in being part of a big group,\u201d says Savage. \u201cI\u2019m not going to single anybody out for singing flat. It\u2019s the power of the group \u2013 and the bigger the group, the better.\u201d At the most recent gathering at The Button Factory, the Casual Choir did a rendition of Young Hearts Run Free by Kym Mazelle.<\/p>\n

This collective spirit is what keeps people coming back. Savage says the camaraderie at every event is remarkable, while Heffernan sees a similar sense of belonging at Sing for Joy, which currently has a waiting list of 250. \u201cMembers anchor their week around Tuesday evenings,\u201d she explains. \u201cThey tell me that no matter what they have going on in their lives, they can come here and leave it at the door. At the end of the session, people are slow to leave. Everyone is chatting and helping to clean up. There\u2019s a lovely sense of community. It\u2019s joyful.\u201d<\/p>\n

[\u00a0In pictures: Guinness Choir celebrates 75th anniversaryOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Dempsey describes her community of singers as \u201ca tribe\u201d. \u201cA lot of women in the group rely on one another; they\u2019ve become a source of support for each other.\u201d For anyone feeling intimidated by the idea of turning up alone, Dempsey has a simple message: everyone was a newcomer once. \u201cEverybody who\u2019s now a regular, or considers themselves part of the group, walked into the room for the first time feeling nervous and worried that they couldn\u2019t sing,\u201d she says. \u201cShowing up anywhere on your own can be difficult, especially if you\u2019re going through a tough time, but it doesn\u2019t take long to realise that everybody is incredibly laid-back and friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Shea likens group singing to a team sport, \u201cbut for people who are not into sports\u201d. It has the same sense of shared purpose, the same collective creativity and, above all, the deep feeling of belonging associated with being a team player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Choirs may be synonymous with the magic of Christmas and festive carolling, but the uplifting power of group…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":651552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9484,93,61,60,709,92832],"class_list":["post-651551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-christmas","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-magazine","tag-queens-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}