Amanda Bumgarner

The latest issue of Choral Journal is online and features an article titled “The Biochemical Power of Choral Singing” by Nicholas Sienkiewicz. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Following is a portion of this article’s introduction.
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In a time where the state of the arts is ever more fragile, it is important to be reminded of the profound benefits of choral singing. It is well understood that music, in general, contributes to our emotional, physiological, and spiritual well-being. But what about choral music specifically? What if I told you that choral music could have an impact on our biochemistry, affecting areas including stress, social bonding, and our immune response? In the midst of a global health crisis where the fate of near-future singing is uncertain, discussing the biochemical benefits of choral singing is an essential concept.

Science has firmly established that music has profound effects on the mind and body. Moderate, early musical training has been shown to decrease age-related auditory declines, even if the training is discontinued. A study done by Toyoshima et al., found that playing the piano significantly reduced cortisol stress levels and anxiety. The effect of playing the piano was more profound than other activities, including calligraphy and clay molding. Even just listening to music has been shown to increase dopamine levels, make you consume less calories, and reduce pain. And those are just naming a few!

In a choral rehearsal, although we may not consciously think about it, physical and mental health are often emphasized. Warm-ups involving motion and stretching are common practice and allow our bodies to feel alive and rejuvenated. Intimate connection to the music gives choristers a means of healthy emotional output, allowing them to be vulnerable in a safe space, reaping positive benefits for the collective mental health. But what about what’s actually happening inside our bodies? Could the practice and performance of choral music really be modulating our biochemistry, affecting things like hormone, protein, and neurotransmitter levels? What if we could argue that choral music not only contributes to the wide range of musical, artistic, mental, and physical health benefits, but also benefits our immune system and modulates our brain chemistry?
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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the October 2020 issue of Choral Journal.

The September 2020 issue of Choral Journal features an article titled “Resilient Choral Teachers” by Alex T. Favazza, Jr. and Amon Eady. You can read it in its entirety online at acda.org/choraljournal. Below is a portion of the article from the introduction.
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The study of teacher resilience, especially thriving teachers, is a somewhat nascent field of inquiry. Gu and Day indicate that only as recent as the 1980s, and continuing through the decades to follow, has the research on resilience shifted focus to the positive traits and strengths of the resilient, rather than the negative situations they overcome. Beltman, Mansfield, and Price compiled a review of fifty educational research studies on teacher resilience from 2000 to 2010 focused on “quality retention.”

These researchers identified recurring concepts of resilience:

Individual characteristics such as self-efficacy, confidence and coping strategies are important in overcoming challenging situations or recurring setbacks. Difficulties are not simply managed, but individuals are able to bounce back quickly and efficiently, persevere and thrive. Successful adaptation occurs despite obstacles, and personal well-being is maintained. Reciprocal, mutually supportive personal, professional and peer relationships are important in this process. The outcome is that teachers maintain job satisfaction and commitment to their profession.

What does resilience look like for the choral teacher? We have focused these recurring concepts of resilience in the research literature into three areas concerning the pre-service music educator and beginning choral teacher:
• Self-Efficacy and Skill sets
• Personal Magnetism
• Support Systems

We will explore these factors of resilience-building for the pre-service and early-career choral conductors through three reflective personal essays.

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Read the rest of this article (and more!) in the September 2020 issue of Choral Journal, available online at acda.org