So, what is SOS all about?  The clue is in our name – Sing-Out-Social!  The idea that singing in a social context is not only great fun and entertaining, but hugely beneficial for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

SOS historically is of course a recognised international signal of distress, especially by ships, for a call or request for help or rescue – “Save Our Ship!”

It could be argued that our modern-day society and the environment in which we live, are sending distress signals on multiple levels in a bid to be rescued from the malaise that blights our modern world – from disease; cancer; diabetes; obesity; heart failure; Alzheimer’s; depression; anxiety; ADHD; respiratory problems; to pollution; deforestation; rising sea levels; decrease in biodiversity; overpopulation; ocean acidification; and the list goes on… 

Well, I don’t imagine we can save the world with song, but every person on the planet knows the joy that music and song brings, and that’s a good starting point.  But more than that, it is the togetherness of synchronised singing that powerfully transforms us not just emotionally and physiologically but on a cellular level too.  Scientific research abounds with the unequivocal evidence that substantiates the connection between singing and well-being.

The historians tell us that music has always been an important part of human society and has played a key role in the connectedness of communities in every corner of the world. 

‘Traditionally music was also used for communication, often over large distances, using instruments such as drums or horns.  Another obvious reason for music is entertainment, which can be personal or communal.  Yet another reason for music is ritual, and virtually every religion uses music.  However, the major reason that music arose and persists may be that it brings people together.’ “Music leads to bonding, such as bonding between mother and child or bonding between groups,” explains Jeremy Montagu (Frontiers in Sociology,2017). “Music keeps workers happy when doing repetitive and otherwise boring work, and helps everyone to move together, increasing the force of their work.  Dancing or singing together before a hunt or warfare binds participants into a cohesive group.” He concludes: “It has even been suggested that music, in causing such bonding, created not only the family but society itself, bringing individuals together who might otherwise have led solitary lives.” (Jeremy Montagu. How Music and Instruments Began: A Brief Overview of the Origin and Entire Development of Music, from Its Earliest Stages. Frontiers in Sociology, 2017; 2 DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2017.00008)

‘When people listen to the same song, their brain waves can synchronize. It’s one way that music creates a sense of connection and wonder… The experience of “being on the same wavelength” as another person is real, and it is visible in the activity of the brain…  Neural waves in certain brain regions of people listening to a musical performance match those of the performer—the greater the synchrony, the greater the enjoyment. Couples exhibit higher degrees of brain synchrony than non-romantic pairs, as do close friends compared with more distant acquaintances.’ (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170620093153.htm)

‘If you enjoy listening to music, a live performance is where that enjoyment will peak, according to a new study led by Western researchers.

When individuals attend a live concert and listen to music as a group, their brains waves synchronize – a bond that indicates each individual is having a better time as part of a collective. The new findings, reported last month at a Cognitive Neuroscience Society meeting, are a reminder that humans are social creatures, said neuroscientist Jessica Grahn, a Western Psychology professor in the Brain and Mind Institute who co-led the study.

“It turns out that in the live music condition, you get greater synchrony between the audience members than you do in the recorded condition or the condition where it’s recorded and you don’t have much of an audience to interact with,” Grahn explained.

This indicates greater enjoyment of music in the presence of a live performance, as well as greater enjoyment when experienced as part of a group.

“It turned out people who had more synchronized connections to other audience members enjoyed the concert more and they also felt more connected to the performers than the people who showed fewer audience connections,” she continued.

“There’s something about the live performance that increases synchronization but also, if your synchronization is greater, the amount of social connectedness you have in terms of measures and brain synchrony, the more you are connected to the performers and the more you are enjoying it.”

There’s some evidence that shows one of the reasons music evolved is because it allows large groups of people to synchronize their movement. When people move together, there is evidence they feel a sense of community and more altruistic, Grahn added.’ (https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-04-brain-synchronize-music.html)

A further study goes on to say: ‘When a listener is engaged with music, their neural responses are in sync with that of other listeners, thus inter-subject correlation of brainwaves is a measure of engagement.’ (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190308133358.htm)

Music may facilitate social cohesion, improve group effort, reduce conflict, facilitate perceptual and motor skill development, and improve trans-generational communication.

When we add singing into the mix, positive benefits are amplified.

Oxytocin (a natural hormone produced in an area of the brain called the hypothalamus) also enhances feelings of trust and bonding which also explains why singing improves depression and feelings of loneliness.  Singing boosts confidence.  The release of endorphins gives singers a positive feeling and an energy boost.

Your brain is even triggered to release the feel-good hormone dopamine, which soothes nerves and lifts the spirits. And it is part of the human condition to sing when we want to release emotion.  Opening our vocal cords helps lower stress, boost lung function and even enhance memory.

Contrary to popular belief singing is more a learn skill than a natural one!  Although some people are born with a greater ability to control their vocal cords and find pitching an easy and therefore more natural skill. For SOS performances, the participation of the crowd singing is a quintessential ingredient of the show.  Unlike other gigs or performances, SOS is not simply about entertaining its audience, it is about taking its audience on a journey.  A journey of nostalgia – revisiting memories of places, events and people left behind by the passing of time.  The sense of connection can be profoundly felt by a group of people singing whole heartedly together in unison, reuniting them not just in the moment but all the moments that went before.