“Don’t listen to limitations”: how Shared Harmonies have used singing groups to support with social isolation, lung health and long term conditions

Shared Harmonies is a community interest company (CIC) providing safe spaces in communities to address health and wellbeing through singing in groups.

It was founded in October 2013 and before the pandemic it provided groups across multiple cities and towns in West Yorkshire but since 2020 has gained a wider engagement in the UK and internationally. One of the impacts of the groups is reducing isolation in older populations including in care homes, as well as benefitting people living with long term health conditions including Parkinson’s disease, cancer, dementia, lung health and mental health conditions.

The project was inspired by evidence that, “Regular group singing can enhance morale and mental health-related quality of life and reduce loneliness, anxiety and depression in older people compared with usual activities,” described in Music, Singing and Wellbeing in Adults - a 2016 report by What Works Wellbeing.

The programmes created by Shared Harmonies utilise singing in groups as a wellbeing tool for people in the community to learn and use. Whilst community members can be encouraged to join community choirs due to benefits for physical and mental wellbeing, this is likely to only attract people who already like to sing or are looking to sing. Shared Harmonies wanted to approach the issue from a different angle putting improving wellbeing, inclusion and accessibility at the centre of provision.

The project leader described, “We looked at where we had the strongest evidence base and we designed programmes to meet that need… My aim was to take singing out to people where I knew they would get the benefit but singing wouldn’t be something they would usually have explored. In my area there are many community choirs, I didn’t need to duplicate that provision, so I wanted to do something different. I wanted to make singing accessible to those who needed encouragement to access singing as a wellbeing tool.”

There is stronger evidence of the benefits of group singing in a face-to-face setting but, as is often the case in arts and health projects, Shared Harmonies has adapted - offering groups online during the pandemic and continuing to offer live teaching sessions on Facebook every week, Zoom singalongs and a telephone service for those participants who need that connection with someone. “I’ve got a member of staff who would ring participants every week and they would chat and sing together on the phone. This worked well for people who were older, didn't get on with Zoom and were missing the connection of meeting to sing. We were inspired to create this 'Ring & Sing' service by one lady who would ring regularly asking when the group would be able to start again and saying how much she missed that contact.”

Consistent with the research, Shared Harmonies has found positive impacts through the group singing programmes and received awards. Within the Singing for Breathing group, “participants who were told they would never see improvement in their lung function reported that because of the group they saw reduced inhaler use and oxygen tank use.” In Singing for Mental Health, participants report regularly that “it’s the only time where I feel present and calm”. The songs people learn have become vital tools while away from the group. A beneficiary recalls travelling back from work and becoming suddenly overwhelmed, “I had a panic attack in the car after being overwhelmed, I just repeated one of the songs and it got me home safely.”

To evaluate the project a song was created with group members invited to use three words to describe what it’s like to be a part of the service. Lyrics of the song were then influenced from the words of the participants, displayed in a word cloud. A project leader explained “what we see is people start to gain the tools from within the groups that help them self-care and self-manage their condition more effectively”. Although the singing groups were intended to enhance wellbeing, the feedback received demonstrated how much they can help in everyday lives in West Yorkshire, so much so that according to a project leader “people have described our services as a lifeline”.

The diversity of the groups that are provided - from singing for lung health to dementia - can bring its difficulties and to support members of their team Shared Harmonies uses
various methods of evaluation, reflective practice and team training. A project leader describes, “we do a lot of reflection, we are constantly observing and adapting during the sessions, we reflect directly after groups and in team development time.” The focus of the reflection is not only to ensure the beneficiaries get the most out of the project, but also that the team is able to adapt to anything that may need change while the group is in session, such as pace or song choice. The group's leaders are not only skilled musically but also highly skilled in facilitation.

Adaptation comes from learning how people respond to things while singing in the group. Discussing and collaborating internally with the team challenges itself with questions like “How do we respond if someone gets upset because music triggers something? How do we hold all participants in that experience?" And "how do you manage a situation while being an authentic facilitator?” The collaboration between the team members means that “we find something that works for the team and participants. And we don’t stop, we adapt and try other things, we want to keep developing,” such as in the dementia singing group where the project team noticed and adapted to a need to change the pace of the session.

The project owns a remarkable legacy and an inspiring story but, the project leader continues, “it’s about having the intention of doing something, seeing what happens and letting the journey take us… and then you have to believe that something’s possible.” They’ve been able to achieve this because of a firm belief the project leaders hold close capturing their ethos: “don’t listen to limitations”. The project lost its main source of income due to the pandemic but has found ongoing financial support through Community Foundations in Wakefield and Calderdale, the National Lottery Community Fund and Big Local Keighley. Shared Harmonies continues to work with participants in any way it can whilst building up revenue again with its leaders, participants and beneficiaries proving they can continue by adapting their methods while facing uncertainty.

For more information on Shared Harmonies visit their website https://www.sharedharmonies.co.uk/, email emma@sharedharmonies.co.uk or call on 07739339302.

This case study was written with LAHWN story teller, Gareth Dakin. Please contact our project officer to learn about telling stories of your arts and health work.