Singing on Prescription
Imagine the day when your GP says: “Go and have a sing with that lot down the road” instead of “take these pills three times a day!” - Grenville Hancox MBE Centre Director
The idea of prescribing physical activity or exercise for its health benefits has gained widespread acceptance and ‘Exercise on Prescription’ schemes have been established across the UK, especially in the context of cardiac rehabilitation. Healthy Walking Schemes and Green Gyms have also been established, and all of these approaches to encouraging activity have been subject to careful evaluation.
Arts on Prescription is also a growing area, with pilot projects established by Healing Arts on the Isle of Wight (Time Being) and East Kent Health Promotion Department. There are also many examples across the UK of the arts being used as a vehicle for promoting health, well-being and social inclusion and addressing mental health issues. The research literature evaluating such initiatives is actively expanding.
In the context of such developments, the specific idea that involvement in group singing can be beneficial to well-being and health is gaining currency – both for people who are generally in good health, but also for people with physical and mental health problems or who are socially isolated or excluded. A number of projects have been established to promote singing for its well-being and health benefits:
Singing is Good for You, Voices Foundation
Singing Medicine, Birmingham Children’s Hospital
Sounds Lively Choir, Isle of Wight
Singing for the Brain, East Berkshire Alzheimer’s Society
Serendipity Singing for Health Choir, Midlothian
Sing Your Heart Out, Hellesdon Hospital, Norwich
The Centre is committed to providing a convincing rationale for ‘Singing on Prescription’ , and developing a practical scheme that can be tested for its effectiveness through controlled evaluation.