The Men of Harmony
Growing up in the old neighborhood, me and the boys, wearing our jeans and white t's, would wonder down to the local street corner to hang out and sing, in harmony. One of my favorites songs to perform was "Where and When" by Dion and the Belmonts. Every time I listen to this song it transports me back to my youth and simpler times serenading those strolling by in the old neighborhood.
- Mike P. (7 1/2 Years with the Men of Harmony, Baritone)
Source: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUwBfwtvssw
I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. There are so many memories attached to turning on the Sony CD/Radio combination stereo that was nestled under the small bar in my childhood home’s dining room. However, this memory doesn’t even come from that CD player; it comes from the silver screen and eventually, the Broadway stage (two other media I love!).
Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” was a common singalong between my mom and I. The British comedy troupe Monty Python always made us laugh hysterically with their witty, often dark humor. This song is often associated with gallows humor, telling the listener “to look on the bright side of life” even in the most difficult, morbid, or saddest of times. I lost my mom to cancer when I was 16, she was only 47; this event changed my life forever. Yet I’ve always tried my best to “look on the bright side” and remember her and I singing this song together, or seeing the original cast of SPAMALOT on Broadway in 2005, which are some of the best memories I hold of her and I.
“When life seems jolly-rotten, there’s something you’ve forgotten, And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and SING!”
- Marc (6 months with the Men of Harmony, First Tenor)
Source:
Monty Python - Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life (Official Lyric Video) (youtube.com)
I am a trombone player and enjoy listening to trombone ensembles. There is an album called The London Trombone Sound. On there is "Someone to Watch Over Me" performed with only trombones and no vocals.
I would sit in my car, parked in my driveway, and listen to that song with my eyes closed. Something about it was relaxing and peaceful. It is still one of my favorite versions of "Someone to Watch Over Me" to this day.
-Allan F. (13 years with the Men of Harmony, First Tenor, Asst. Director and Trombone player)
https://www.calarecords.com/acatalog/info_CACDS4108.html(Listen to #3 “Someone to Watch Over Me”)
Source: Cala Records (www.calarecords.com)
I was present when my sister Donna sung her version of “I Believe in You and Me”, by the 4 Tops, at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. It gave me goosebumps then and the song still does now whenever I hear it.
Steve C. (10 years with the Men of Harmony, Bass)
Update: Here is an actual video of Donna's performance, we are grateful for being able to experience her beautiful performance and voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mF9r-SDtIA
Source YouTube 4 Tops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7fBw3ksYQU
A song that triggers memories from my childhood, as well as parenthood, is Don McLean’s Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie. Released in 1971, the song brings me back to when I was 10 years old. I would always ask my parents to turn up the radio when it came on. It is the first song I taught my daughter to sing whenever we were on an errand together in the car. At three years old, the expression on my wife’s face, when the chorus part came on and our daughter started singing “…drinking whisky and rye….” was priceless!
-Bernie (23 years with the Men of Harmony, Baritone, and Asst. Business Manager)
Source: YouTube: Don McLean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRpiBpDy7MQ
The Mental-Health Benefits of Singing in a Choir
A body of research finds singing in a group boosts mood, outlook, and health.
Updated July 6, 2023 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
KEY POINTS
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You may be asking yourself, how can singing help health and wellbeing? Well, the evidence is overwhelming...
There's a wealth of research that proves the benefits of singing on health and wellbeing across the lifespan. One of the Sing Up Foundation's goals through our work is to expand upon the knowledge base for studies specifically involving young people. Below, we've highlighted a few of the benefits of singing in relation to overall health and wellbeing which can be categorised into four main areas - psychological, social, physiological and behavioural.
There are many more studies available and more research is being published all the time. Keep an eye on our site where we will aim to highlight relevant and interesting developments in the area.
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We've all experienced this: hearing a song triggers a memory. For me, for example, the song Peggy Sue (Buddy Holly and the Crickets, 1957) triggers a memory of a car ride in the 1950s, driving through my hometown, with the song on the radio, and my Mom at the wheel of our rounded, light-blue Plymouth. I could go on and list dozens, or hundreds of songs and associated memories. There's something special about music and memory.
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Source: https://www.brainfacts.org/Thinking-Sensing-and-Behaving/Learning-and-Memory/2013/Music-and-Memory
Several studies support the use of music therapy and other musical activities to help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms. Different types of music interventions have been shown to affect different symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Source: https://www.healthline.com/health/alzheimers/music-for-alzheimers
"Music therapy helps speech, but also motor skills, memory and balance. Also emotionally uplifting."
"Music therapy, to me, is music performance without the ego. It’s not about entertainment as much as its about empathizing. If you can use music to slip past the pain and gather insight into the workings of someone else’s mind, you can begin to fix a problem. "
"When we look at the body of evidence that the arts contribute to our society, it's absolutely astounding. Music Therapists are breaking down the walls of silence and affliction of autism, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease."
"(Rhythm) is there in the cycles of the seasons, in the migrations of the birds and animals, in the fruiting and withering of plants, and in the birth, maturation and death of ourselves," Hart told a Senate panel studying music therapy.
“I think music in itself is healing,” American musician Billy Joel once said. “It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.” Most of us would wholeheartedly agree with this statement, and it is this universal bond with music that has led researchers across the globe to investigate its therapeutic potential.
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