SINGING FOR HEALTH.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4384, 1 March 1922, Page 1

SINGING FOR HEALTH.

(By Leonard Arthur.) It us acknowledged by most people that the human voice is the most beautiful and certainly the most/ wont derful musical instrument in the world. But how many are there who real*ise the - healtlugiving possibilities which a development of vocal power will bring ? Yet it is only necessary to consider the rudiments of voice production to realise what an extraordinary, and at the same time perfectly natural, health-producer we have in the proper exercise of the voice. Everyone ought to sing I This sounds a rather startling statement to make, opening up a rather terrifying prospect when we recall the type off Voice possessed by some .of our friends .’ But, however much we may shrink from the possibilities opened out, it is, nevertheless, true; the only people excepted being, of course, those whose vocal organs are actually malformed. Let us, then, consider some of the more general effects of singing tn their relation to health. First, the breathing has to be got under control. Simple enough;, that l , you may say. Not one m,an in a thousand, breathes properly!! Rhythmic breathing helps to proi duce a control over the breath which, is the very first essential in singing, and while producing this control also brings, with it. a wonderful steadying of the nerves, In these days of nerve-rack, is Worth a King’s ransom.

Having attained the rudiments of breath control, we are then in a better condition to commence the actual voice production. The attempt to produce long-sus-taaned notes on each of the vowels, commencing with the broad “AH,” will reveal in a surprising manner how little under control is the normal person’s voice. Yet. here again practice will very soon bring in its train a mental feeling of stability as the pupilipatient begins to master and control! the sound production. In short, it is just that mental atiitade which is produced by truly artistic singing which results in real health. , Is not self-control one of the? first essentials to efficiency in any department of life ? And surely physical health is no exception. Then there is the matter of self- 1 expression. And in this connection dt is surely beyond controversy that the 'human voice is not only the natural endowment, but is the best-suited instrui ment for one type, at any rate, of expression, and and that the expression of the emotions. Only those who have experienced the marvellous relief to the feelings which singing gives can thoroughly appreciate what a truly wonderful avenue of expression our .vocal organs are, and how 'wonderfttl the effect upon the health-IffwhenS one has attained anything' like mastery over the production of sounds