Improving Wellbeing with the power of singing

Our Miindful Manchester Supporters group have been busy over the past months putting on events and sessions to promote Wellbeing.

Next on our agenda is a CPD event with a difference - an event where we will focus on the Power of Singing in Wellbeing.

Research has shown that singing can be good for you on many levels including helping enhance memory, improve mental health and help lower stress and can have behavioural benefits for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia.

Some of us may be suffering from Zoom fatigue, but this session may be just the tonic! Give your Vocal chords a workout and experience it for yourself *

Some may think that it’s ‘not for me as I can’t sing’, but one of the best things about singing is that you don’t have to be good at it to reap the rewards, which you will hear about on the day!

This is also about the insurance community collaborating and doing something together which will be fun and memorable.

The objectives of this session:

• To understand how singing can help wellbeing and mental health.
• Hear from a choir member about her experience of being part of a choir and the benefits to setting up and workplace choir.
• Have some fun and experience it for yourself - exercise your vocal chords with Dan and learning the chorus of a song that Dan and his choir (Bee Vocal) sang with Emeli Sandé at the Royal Variety performance.

It is entirely up to attendees if they participate in the singing section but we encourage as many people to take part as possible.

It’s your CPD hour and if taking part either working from the office or home simply check your surroundings are suitable, and you preferably have audio and a video camera activated for the session.

We are extremely delighted to have secured Dan McDwyer and Elaine Craig to join us for our event and they will inform and entertain us.

Elaine Craig
Prior to becoming a Psychologist, Elaine had a ten-year extensive career in television directing and producing life-stories with trauma victims and vulnerable populations. Her work included interviewing groups and one-to-one in schools, drug addiction units, with victims of trafficking, sex workers and with the homeless. In 2015 Elaine traded the camera for academia and gained BPS status with a BSc in Psychology & Abuse and a MSc in Psychological Wellbeing in Clinical Practice. Laney is now an early career Psychologist & Research Assistant working in the interdisciplinary Mental Health team of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Nursing Department.

Dan McDwyer
Dan is an established Musical Director, arranger, and vocal coach. He currently holds the position of Musical Director of several choirs including Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus, The RNCM Northern Session Choir and staff choirs at Manchester City Council, RNCM and Deloitte. In 2018 Dan set up Manchester Mental Health choir which is run voluntary, they rehearse weekly at Bridgewater hall, set out to support anyone suffering from mental health problems through music and song. the choir have featured on ITV Carols at Christmas, sang at Wembley for the community shield and performed at the prestigious Royal Variety Show with Emeli Sandè. Dan also recently set up a similar voluntary run youth choir ‘Manchester Contemporary Youth Choir’ set out to nurture talent and look after wellbeing and mental health providing exciting opportunities for young people, the choir have already been featured on Sunday Morning Live and BBC Breakfast for their positive use of music to inspire. 2018 Also became the birth of 'The Choir Project', aiming to bring communities together through song, giving everyone the opportunity to sing with confidence, meet new people and improve well-being. Due to his choir work and exciting projects, he has appeared on BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 National news, as well has appearing frequently as a guest on BBC Radio Manchester and is extremely passionate about the positive effects of singing in a choir. He has conducted choirs at most major stadiums and arenas across the UK, leading choirs for the rugby league World Cup and previously working with choirs for Blue Peter, BBC Children in Need, Songs of Praise and C5’s ‘Jane and Friends’. He has worked on several musical theatre shows as musical director including Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, Cabaret, Witches of Eastwick and West Side Story in both London and Manchester.

Mental Health Awareness week 10th – 16th May 2021