12 Benefits of Singing in the Classroom and Beyond

Singing is one of the most joyful activities anyone can participate in, especially children. Whether they’re belting out some musical show tunes, nativity songs or assembly songs, your children are guaranteed to feel the benefits of singing!

In this blog, we’ve listed 12 reasons why children should sing to their hearts' content, in the classroom and outside of school, too!

12 Benefits of Singing:

1. Singing releases happy hormones!

There are many health benefits of singing, one being that it is the perfect mood booster. The simple act of singing releases a heap of happy hormones, such as endorphins, serotonin and dopamine. If your students have just taken a test, or you notice that they have less energy towards the end of the day, then it’s always a great idea to get them standing up and singing a class favourite.

Singing is also a great aerobic exercise as it introduces more oxygen into the blood, leading to better circulation and an improved mood.

2. It eases stress and anxiety

Singing can often be a great distraction from any stresses at home or school and leave you feeling rested, refreshed and relaxed afterwards. It can even be viewed as a wellbeing exercise that gets your students to reconnect with their body and breathing in a measured and controlled way.

3. They can express themselves!

There’s no denying that singing is a form of self-expression! With an endless catalogue of songs to choose from, whether it’s the upbeat Happy by Pharrell Williams or a closing nostalgic song in a Year 6 leavers assembly, your students can express whatever emotions they’re feeling through the medium of music!

Sometimes, it can be hard for a child to articulate their feelings, so giving them the opportunity to vocally express themselves in another way is another fantastic benefit of singing!

4. Singing boosts confidence

Performing in front of a crowd in any capacity at any age can be daunting, so having your students practise singing and performing together lets them work on building their confidence! One of the benefits of group singing is that they can relate to each other’s fears and motivate one another to sing a little louder or stand a little taller.

Singing is great practice for facing an audience, which most people have to do at some point in their lives. By making time to sing, you’re setting your students up for future success!

5. It’s an inclusive activity

The reality is that practically everyone has some kind of musical ability, regardless of whether your students say they can’t sing. Community singing, in a choir or as a school class, isn’t about finding the perfect pitch or note. It’s about bringing children from different backgrounds and communities together. A study by the National Library of Medicine has also found benefits of singing for hearing-impaired children, who have shown improved perceptive skills and cognitive performance as a result.

Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) can also play an active role in classroom singing without actually singing if they prefer! You can create non-verbal actions for them to do instead, incorporate easy-to-use instruments to play and prepare students before the activity by telling them the song you’ll be playing.

6. Singing in choirs is now cool!

Choirs, or singing in any kind of group like a class, have moved beyond traditional hymn sheets and become about singing whatever you like! As we’ve seen with the fabulous Flankfleet Primary School, which gave a stellar choir performance on Britain's Got Talent to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, children enjoy singing together to music they like. You can even choose a weekly class favourite song to sing as a warm-up activity in the classroom!

7. Your students can form social bonds

Another benefit of group singing is that it creates an opportunity for your students to bond and connect. Oftentimes, when we’re with a group of people doing the same action as us, who can relate to what we are doing and how we are feeling, friendships can bloom. Singing in the classroom is a community-based activity that unites your students and gives them a sense of belonging.

8. It can improve their speaking ability

Another great benefit of singing is that research has shown it can help children who struggle with verbal communication, whether due to a neurological condition or otherwise. Saying or singing words alongside a rhythm can help string the words together more clearly, and songs often prolong the sound of each word, making them easier to pronounce. 

9. Singing is easy to organise!

Singing in a classroom requires no preparation at all besides choosing a song and getting your students to stand up. It is completely free to do as it requires no equipment, unlike other activities such as sports or outdoor games, and a classroom is the perfect place to sing in because it comfortably fits all of your students!

We also work with Sing Up, whose mission is to help kids find their voice and make implementing singing at school even easier! Many of our much-loved songs feature in their song bank, and like us, they are incredibly passionate about working with your school and students to make music the heart of education.

10. It builds your students' character

On top of social skills like teamwork and communication, your students can develop many other skills by singing: concentration, time management, commitment, creativity and listening skills, to name a few! These are necessary skills that are worth building the foundations for in children, and a benefit of singing is that this is the most engaging way to do it!

11. It’s great for transitions

When your students come back from breaktime, are going from one task to the next or are feeling a little restless, singing is often a great way to resettle them. They can channel their excess energy into singing, which will leave them feeling relaxed and ready to tackle their next activity.

12. Singing promotes diversity

Finally, and importantly, a key benefit of group singing is the opportunity to diversify your students' worldview by exploring different genres of music. In fact, singing music in different languages can be really interesting and fun; for example, a class rendition of Feliz Navidad before the Christmas break would go down a treat! It is especially important if you have a multicultural class to explore different genres of music so your students can learn about each other’s heritages and traditions.

Embrace Singing at School

So, there you have it. We hope that you have found our blog about the 12 benefits of singing for young students inspiring enough to work singing into your school day! 

At The School Musicals Company, we have a range of fabulous songs for all occasions, from KS1 and KS2 assembly songs to a real toe-tapping catalogue of Christmas tunes. If you have any questions about our song packages, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.