The Power of the Voice
The Prep School has been overflowing with singing for the last few weeks as all of our pupils have been preparing for either a Nativity Performance or our Carol Service. We love to sing all year round and do so in our weekly assemblies and choir lessons, but the festive season takes that commitment to communal singing to the highest level. But it isn’t just something we do because Prep Schools always have, there are an incredible number of benefits.
In Jacques Launay’s article, Launay is a Postdoctoral Research in Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, the physical, mental, emotional and social benefits of singing together are set out. Making music activates the brain in ways very few other activities can, activating multiple areas affecting our emotions, influencing the autonomic nervous system, the hormonal and immune systems. It can even help with pain relief as making music releases neurochemicals such as endorphins and reduces cortisol levels which can make us feel stressed. As Mrs Romhany, our Director of Music at the Prep, leads the pupils in singing she teaches them about the importance of their posture, about how to breath well and to release tension in their muscles. You can see the physical effects immediately as the pupils let go of their worries that day and become present in that moment. There is something even more special about making music together, singing as a group helps to build social bonds and even though we may not realise it, it makes us more likely to care for each other.
Making music is certainly not something new, it is ancient and global. All peoples have made music for thousands of years and it is an intrinsic part of our ceremonies, celebrations and communities. The oldest musical instrument known so far is the Neanderthal flute, believed to be as old as 40,000 years. These flutes were made from bird bone and mammoth ivory and come from caves in southern Germany. Many ancient musical instruments have been discovered, such as percussion instruments in Ukraine and string instruments in France and China. We at the Prep are certainly going to keep the tradition of music making alive and with our Endangered Instrument scheme in its 6th year we continue to contribute to the survival of less popular instruments such as the Bassoon, Clarinet and Oboe.
This week has also seen the power of the voice through a pupil led social movement. A group of motivated Year 5 pupils approached me about our Early Lunch system for pupils with lunch time clubs. They had a number of aspects they would like changing and had collected a list of names in support, our first petition! Children feel injustice keenly and the desire to bring about change should be encouraged. I am proud of them for taking action and for doing it in a polite and positive way. As a result we have reviewed our Early Lunch system and are already trialling a different approach.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend,
Alice Goodfellow
