SINGING: THE NATURAL HUMAN ART
Science confirms the positive effects of singing on physical, intellectual, emotional, and social skills. Songs – lyrics and music – trigger, develop, and connect both sides of our brains – the rational side and the intuitive side. The world is in desperate need of this connection, of insight, imagination, and creativity.
THE VISION IS BORN
Claudia Castro, flautist and interna-tional arts manager, and Philippe Rixhon, song lover and a leading expert in the convergence of media, enter-tainment, and technology, formulated an ambitious vision. In 30 years, within the span of a generation, hundreds of millions of people will have trained their voices and will be singing together. To realise this vision, Claudia and Philippe consulted with experts in music, science, and education, and they ultimately founded Aarya.
SCIENTIFIC JUSTIFICATION
With great commitment, thousands of people worldwide have been working on singing initiatives. Aarya has asked their advice in making its vision a reality. Their recommendation is to bring the effective learning of singing into the curriculum of all kindergarten, primary, and secondary schools as a right for every
The Ewha Alumnae Choir from Seoul,
South Korea. © Mike DuBose
young person. And in order to do so, they advise that Aarya present scientific evidence of the benefits of singing.
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING
Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors report that for many people natural breathing, speaking, and singing are becoming more and more disturbed. Their studies show that many children are loosing their natural voice and are replacing it with an artificial – phonasthenic – sound production.
ENT doctors’ studies prove that natural breathing and singing positively affect our blood pressure and circulation. This leads to stronger heartbeats and better oxygenation of the blood. As the brain receives more oxygen, we focus better, we digest better, we heal better, and we handle emotional stress better.
For example, some ENT doctors recommend singing for asthmatic patients. Most of us have breathing disorders, at least breathing weaknesses. Melodic singing could help us to reclaim our natural voice and our health. But how can we go back to proper breathing and our natural voice when there is hardly any melodic singing in families, kindergarten, schools, or in public?
EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING
The effects of music on the soul have been recognised as far back as 900 CE. Eleven centuries ago, the Turco-Persian psychologist and music theorist al-Farabi described these effects in his treatise "Meanings of the Intellect". Scientific research confirms the positive effect of music not only on physical but also on intellectual, emotional, and social skills.
The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that houses rational functions. It is divided into two hemispheres connected by a thick band of neural fibres that send messages back and forth between the hemispheres. The left side of the brain is the seat of language and processes in a logical and sequential order. The right side is more visual and processes intuitively, holistically, and randomly.
The right side is the seat of insight, imagination, intuition, and creativity. It is also the seat of music. The left side is the seat of language, where lyrics originate. Brain research confirms that both sides of the brain are involved in nearly every human activity. Songs – music and lyrics – trigger, develop, and connect both sides of our brains.
