SINGING IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
"Singing also has physical benefits," Slater says. "When you sing, your posture and breathing is different to when you speak. It's like a sport. And just as in playing sport, singing promotes mental and physical fitness; it creates endorphins and it leaves you feeling uplifted and energised."
A physical activity involving the lungs and respiratory muscles, singing - and the increased control of breath that's associated with it - is believed to be beneficial for everyone, from expectant mothers (helping them to prepare for labour) to people with asthma, lung disease and respiratory disorders.
Asthma sufferer and Sing Australia member Lady Geraldine Currie, aged 85, says that singing has done her the world of good. "All my life I'd sung, and then for one reason or another, I didn't sing for a while," Lady Currie says. "And then I was diagnosed with late-onset asthma. I joined a singing group, and saw immediate benefits. Singing has improved both my lung capacity and my breathing. It's a wonderful social outlet too. I get an enormous amount of pleasure from singing - it makes you feel good.