National Sing Out Day

 from Catherine Castle

May 25, is National Sing Out Day—an unofficial fun holiday when people are encouraged to break out in song, belt out a tune, sing like a bird welcoming the morning sunrise.

You don’t have to ask me twice to sing. I’ve been singing ever since I was a toddler when my farmer grandpa and my dad taught me to sing “In The Garden”.  The old hymn was Dad’s favorite song. I still remember them going over and over the same phrase I kept missing. Don’t remember that phrase, just the endless repetition of a measure of music when I just wanted to go on singing the rest of the tune. That first performance in a little country church hooked me on singing for the rest of my life.

Singing has always been second nature to me. When I was a teenager all I wanted to do was sing on stage professionally. That never happened, but I spent plenty of time singing anyway.

I passed the time singing while washing dishes as a teenager, and no, we didn’t have a dishwasher—my sister and I were it.  I sang in every choir I could get into: high school chorus, the elite high school singing group Studio choir, and the college women’s chorus. In the high school variety show, I sang “What’s it all about Alfie” as a soloist. I sang in the high school musicals in the chorus. While attending Cincinnati Conservatory of Music I sang in the city’s May Festival chorus, which was not my favorite thing since I had to travel downtown, alone, in a not-too-great-area of town after dark. I’ve sung in church choirs, and as a soloist, at all the churches I’ve attended. I’ve even sung in shopping malls at Christmas and as lunch-time Christmas entertainment at my daughter’s office. One of the most fun summer jobs I had as a teen was singing and playing my guitar for children in a summer school program. Although I never reached my dream of being professional singer, I even recorded a song that was played on the local radio show.

If it involved singing, I was there ready, willing and able. And, yes, I’ve even been known to sing in the shower. So, having found this fun holiday, you can bet I’ll be belting out a tune or two to celebrate.

If you’ve ever turned the radio on full blast to your favorite rock and roll songs, so you could hear it over the vacuum cleaner, and burst into song at the top of your lung capacity while sweeping the carpet, you probably know the uplifting and invigorating stimulus of singing. But singing has more benefits than just being fun. Studies have shown that singing can:

1. relieve stress
2. stimulate the immune response system
3. increase your pain threshold
4. help keep you from snoring
5. increase your lung function
6. enhance your memory (especially in people with dementia)
7. improve mental health and mood
8. help with grief
9. help improve speech among people with speech problems
10. and develop a sense of belonging and connection when you sing in a group  

Data from Benefits of Singing: 10 Ways Singing Boosts Your Health (healthline.com)

I can personally attest to benefits 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10. Singing praises in church always relieves my stress. I’ve been singing all my life, and I’ve got a high pain threshold that’s strong enough to drop a 16-pound bowling ball on my foot and then bowl three games afterward on a broken big toe.  I don’t snore—or so the hubby says. I’ll have to take his word since I can’t hear myself when I’m asleep. ☺ I’ve had to expel my breath for more than eight counts while singing a note and increasing the volume of the sound, and I haven’t passed out in the process—yet. I can still remember words to songs I learned in my youth, and I’m still memorizing new things rather quickly. Belting out a rock and roll tune from my teen years always puts me in a good mood, and I’ve experienced the camaraderie of singing with others who love to sing as much as I do.  

So, on May 25, join me in celebrating National Sing Out day. Jump on the singing bandwagon and belt out your favorite songs. Don’t worry if you can’t carry a tune. Just have a good time. Make a joyful noise and get ready to revel in the benefits and fun of singing. ♫

After you’ve exhausted your song repertoire, check out Catherine’s romantic comedy, with a touch of drama, A Groom for Mama. Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.