Can singing improve our health?
CrowdScience
BBC
4.8 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 7 June 2019
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Singing can lift our spirits, but research suggests it could also benefit our health, improving breathing for people with lung conditions and helping us cope with dementia. Could it even have a preventative effect?
CrowdScience heads to Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK county of Gloucestershire - one of the first places to pioneer this kind of “social prescribing” - to find out. Presenter Anand Jagatia teams up with panellists Dr Daisy Fancourt, Senior Research Associate in Behavioural Science, Dr Simon Opher, family doctor and Clinical Lead for Social Prescribing, and Maggie Grady, Director of Music Therapy at charity Mindsong to learn more. They’re joined on-stage by their Breathe In Sing Out and Meaningful Music volunteer singing groups to find out what this much-loved musical pastime can do for us.
Producer: Jen Whyntie
(Photo: Students singing in a choir with their teacher. Credit: Getty Images)
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of |
| 0:07.0 | Happiness Podcast. |
| 0:08.0 | For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want |
| 0:14.4 | to share that science with you. |
| 0:16.1 | And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley. |
| 0:19.4 | I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that |
| 0:25.4 | calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.3 | Oh, Shannon O'O, no, I long to hear you. |
| 0:37.0 | Away you rolling river. |
| 0:42.0 | Oh, Shenandoendor, I long to hear you. |
| 0:47.0 | A way I'm bound to go. |
| 0:51.0 | Cross the wide misery. |
| 0:57.0 | Hello and welcome to crowd science from the BBC World Service which this week comes |
| 1:04.7 | from the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK where we are asking and hopefully |
| 1:09.2 | answering the question can singing improve our health. I'm Anan Jagatier and the wonderful |
| 1:15.0 | singing you've just heard came from |
| 1:16.0 | singing groups Breathe in Sing Out |
| 1:18.0 | and Meaningful Music, which are both part of local charity Mindsong. |
| 1:22.0 | Also joining me is a guest panel who are doing both parts of local charity Mindsong. |
| 1:23.0 | Also joining me is a guest panel who are doing some fascinating work |
| 1:26.1 | in this area and a crowd. |
| 1:28.2 | Say hello crowd. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.