Set your daughter up for success: 5 Benefits of being an International Girls Choir chorister
Welcome to the International Girls Choir (IGC), where every girl can find her voice.
In addition to gaining an excellent music education, there are many physical, psychological and social benefits to participating in a choir. By joining the International Girls Choir (IGC) specifically, girls are exposed to new academic and behavioural learning opportunities, the chance to build their confidence and meet other like-minded individuals.
As the IGC launches extension classes in Singapore this year, we plan to offer our choristers a number of high profile performance opportunities including prestigious events at Esplanade – Theatres by the Bay and Gardens by the Bay, and the opportunity for girls to audition to travel to Sydney to perform with the Australian Girls Choir at the Sydney Opera House. These rare opportunities are not only “money-can’t-buy experiences”, but also invaluable additions to a young woman’s resume.
How can one children’s activity tick the box of so many positive qualities? Read on as we delve deeper into the benefits of participating in a choir.
1. Future ready skills
A recent survey conducted by NTUC LearningHub found that 68 percent of employers identified soft skills (including confidence, presentation, leadership and resilience) as the top priority for their workforce. Participation in the IGC comes with a host of key transferrable skills that many parents find complement their daughters schooling and lay a strong foundation for future career success. In addition to developing musicianship, singing, dance and performance skills, the commitment to weekly classes requires balancing choir with other activities and homework, teaching girls time management skills. This commitment to attendance and working towards key events like concerts also teaches our choristers how to be resilient, setting them up with the communication and teamwork skills necessary to achieve a common goal.
“Friendships, presentation skills and social etiquette is built into every level of the choir. She gets such enormous joy out of singing and preparing for performances with her peers along with her other favourite part – caring for the younger choristers and making sure they feel good and a part of the bigger picture” – Parent of chorister
2. Improve academic performance
The benefits of arts education extend beyond the classroom. Research has shown that early exposure to music and performing arts improves verbal memory, reading ability, and overall cognitive function. Learning about rhythm helps to increase focus and boost spatial-temporal skills, which are key for subjects like math and science. Learning about music structure also involves recognising patterns which improves memory and develops problem-solving skills, all of which are transferable to the school classroom.
“Musical ability through education is a gift my daughter can have through her whole life. It’s great to hear her sing with such confidence and the songs that are chosen are age appropriate and bring joy and happiness to her every week” — Parent of chorister
3. Social Opportunities
Studies on participation in extracurricular activities have widely found that children who engage in activities outside of school have greater social connections and social development than those who do not. By deciding to join the IGC, our choristers have something in common with each other, and with this shared passion for singing comes friendship with other like-minded girls. Parents regularly remark on the strong, life-long friendships that the choir has fostered, and the confidence this has given them or their daughter through the feeling of being accepted.
“Even if we don’t necessarily talk to everyone in our choir, we might experience a general feeling of being connected with the group, leading to our sense of increased community and belonging.” – Jacques Launay and Eiluned Pearce, Postdoctoral Researcher in Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford
4. Pride in presentation
Unlike the world of social media where the confidence of teenagers is guided by filters and digital distortion, the IGC aims for choristers to feel comfortable in their own authentic skin. While presentation is a focus in our curriculum, we define this as focusing on ‘performance ready’ skills, including posture, standing tall and proud, taking pride in appearance and open body language. Our experience shows that when girls feel confident and ‘performance ready’, they also feel more equipped when it comes to public speaking and participating in all kinds of social settings – a transferable skill to set them up for career success!
“She has widened her circle of friends and we see so many benefits crossing over to her confidence at school, especially in public speaking.” – Parent of chorister
5. Movement for the mind
Along with physical benefits, the mental health benefits from singing are further reason to join the world of IGC. Singing in a group can be a mood booster from the sense of belonging it fosters, however from a deeper level, the “improved mood probably in part comes directly from the release of positive neurochemicals such as endorphins, dopamine and serotonin.” – The Conversation. Singing is exercise for the voice, providing a great workout for the respiratory system, the larynx, vocal tract and other articulators including the tongue, lips, and soft and hard palates. Unlike traditional choirs, the IGC incorporates movement and dance into our curriculum, allowing children to be physically active, without playing a sport.
“I can’t imagine a better place for her to learn how music brings people together, creating social harmony and healing for both performers and their audiences.” – Parent of chorister
Join us at February Open House
Are you ready to unlock your daughter’s potential through the power of the performing arts? We invite you to experience the junior@igc curriculum firsthand at our upcoming February Open House. Try a complimentary class, meet our experienced tutors, and explore how your daughter can blossom both socially and musically at the IGC.
Registration is free but essential, visit our Open House page for more information. We can’t wait to see you there!
