Jennifer Shaw, behavioural specialist at Toronto Rehab, plays music with colleagues for patients.UHN Foundation
Earlier this month, patients and staff at the University Health Network (UHN) were treated to a special concert, not by a hospital music therapist, but by Toronto indie rock band, The Beaches.
Known for their viral hit Blame Brett, which boasts more than 90 million streams on Spotify, the band swapped sold-out arenas for a more intimate hospital setting, playing for just a few dozen attendees in one of their most personal performances. Moments of such visible joy are rare in hospital settings, and this one struck a powerful chord as the band played a relaxed set of tunes in support of UHN’s music healing programs, which assist patients with breathing challenges in rehabilitating and regaining control of their health.
“It was such an honour to perform,” said The Beaches’ guitarist and keyboard player, Leandra Earl, who used to play for her grandmother when she had Alzheimer’s disease. “How much music helps people heal – not only the mind, but also the soul, the body – it’s really just all encompassing.”
The TRI Hards musical group playing music together at Toronto Rehab.UHN Foundation
The band’s excitement reflects the increasing public interest in the link between music and health. Across the country, researchers, clinicians, and community groups are exploring how singing can do more than just entertain. According to some health experts, it can even physically heal.
Research indicates numerous benefits of singing for patients dealing with breathing challenges. According to a study by the British Medical Journal’s Open Respiratory Research, participants experienced reduced shortness of breath and improved oxygen saturation during singing sessions.
“Lung disease is extremely challenging and takes a lot of determination to overcome,” said UHN Foundation CEO Julie Quenneville. “Music has an incredible healing power; the patients are doing physical rehabilitation and enjoying it.”
At UHN, two programs help patients with breathing challenges: Singing to Breathe and The Tri Hards.
Singing to Breathe, launched nearly a decade ago, brings together patients with chronic lung disease or those with pre- or post-lung transplants for biweekly singing sessions.
Meanwhile, every Friday, The Tri Hards, a band of health care experts, play a concert for patients at Toronto Rehab. At the shows, patients are encouraged to sing along, move and unwind. The UHN therapists love the group because it’s an easy way to encourage exercise. It also helps to create a positive and lighthearted environment during situations that are often challenging.
“Physiotherapy in these cases can be difficult,” Quenneville said. “So, incorporating songs into exercises provides an enjoyable means of achieving similar outcomes in health.”
Vanessa Ong, physiotherapist at Toronto Rehab, plays a ukulele while wearing her TRI Hards t-shirt.UHN Foundation
While the UHN is quick to point out that neither program is technically music therapy – they’re voluntary groups for patients – they still highlight how music, especially singing, can be a powerful tool for mental and physical well-being. And they’re not alone.
SingWell, a Canada-wide research project led by Dr. Frank Russo at Toronto Metropolitan University, is studying the effects of singing on people with chronic conditions. SingWell collaborates with numerous community choirs and rehabilitation programs throughout Canada, focusing on individuals with lung disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and other disorders.
“Singing is interesting because it engages the body in ways that are kind of similar to physical therapy,” he said. “It involves posture, breath control, using your core, coordinating speech and movement. And so the physical activity of singing is itself therapeutic.”
One of SingWell’s major goals is to make singing groups for health accessible and available for those seeking additional therapeutic options for their conditions, in hospitals, community centres, or long-term care homes. This means training choir leaders to work with vulnerable populations and embedding choirs within these communities.
The Beaches visit UHN for a music session to support We Walk UHNITED.UHN Foundation
Initiatives such as SingWell represent a form of “social prescription,” Dr. Russo said. He believes that being in a community with others can help those struggling with health challenges and collectively rehabilitate individuals with diverse health conditions.
“That social connection can even translate to physiological changes,” stated Dr. Russo. He indicated that evidence shows group singing increases oxytocin, the ‘love hormone,” while lowering cortisol, a stress hormone.
SingWell’s preliminary findings echo what UHN is seeing on the ground. People who participate in singing programs report improved respiratory function, better mood, enhanced social connection, and even better sleep. These programs also offer something harder to measure: joy.
“What we’ve seen from participants in our research is that they keep coming back, that they’re reporting it as something they enjoy, they feel a sense of belonging,” Dr. Russo said.
