The power of community song

"It's not so much the singing that's sacred, it's the bond it creates between beings."

Chanting has a variety of effects on collective learning, influencing physiological aspects such as heartbeat, breathing and muscle tension. Singing and vibrating together is one of the most powerful ways of building community.

1. Tribal and team songs
   These songs reinforce cultural identity and social cohesion. For example, the Maori haka is used to convey ancestral stories and values. The haka, with its synchronized movements and powerful chants, creates a sense of strength and unity among participants, while improving synchronization and motor coordination (Ka'ai, 2004). Think of rugby players entering a field galvanized and ready to do battle.
   
   
2. Traditional work songs
   Traditional songs, such as Japanese harvest songs, teach work techniques and reinforce solidarity. These chants punctuate movements and reduce fatigue, creating synergy between workers while improving collective efficiency (Nettl, 2005).
   
   
3. Ritual songs
   Ritual songs, used during religious ceremonies or rites of passage, play a role in transmitting spiritual and cultural values. For example, Native American healing songs are used to invoke spirits and promote healing, reducing stress and bringing a sense of peace and spiritual connection (Levine, 2009).
   
   
4. Religious songs
   Hymns and religious songs, such as Gregorian chants, have calming effects. They can slow the heart rate, regulate breathing and induce a state of deep relaxation. These chants, housed in stone naves, create a contemplative atmosphere that encourages introspection and community cohesion (Hiley, 1993), and their sound, soaring in cathedrals, provokes a collective mystical experience.
   
   
5. Regional songs
   Regional songs celebrate local traditions and reinforce regional identity. In Brittany, "gwerz" and "kan ha diskan" maintain the local language and customs, while creating a sense of belonging and regional pride (McDonald, 1989), as in Corsica or the Basque country, where men's choirs flood the mountains with their rebellious strength.
   
   
6. War songs
   In France, the lyrics of the Marseillaise evoke a warlike and bloody imagination. War songs, like those of the Zulus or the Maori haka, are used to motivate warriors before battle. These songs increase adrenalin, raise the heart rate and muscular tension, preparing the body and mind for intense physical effort (Smith, 2000 ). The sometimes guttural and primitive sounds come from deep within the common being.
   
   
7. Initiation songs
   Initiation songs mark important stages in life, such as the transition to adulthood. These songs transmit essential knowledge and values. For example, among the Dogons of Mali, initiation songs include teachings on the tribe's cosmology and traditions, reinforcing identity and social cohesion (Griaule, 1965).
   
   
8. Shamanic chants
   To the sound of drums, the sometimes repetitive, haunting shamanic chants used in healing rituals induce states of trance and promote psychological and physical healing. The vibrations of shamanic chants can influence brain waves, inducing altered states of consciousness conducive to healing(Winkelman, 2010). Sometimes a trance-like state takes hold of an entire group, as if transported into another possibility.
   
   
9. Sea shanties
   Sea shanties were used to coordinate crew efforts and maintain morale at sea. These songs punctuated arduous tasks, reducing the perception of effort and increasing crew cohesion (Lloyd, 1967) .

Physiological and social effects

Singing has significant effects on the body. Depending on their nature, songs can slow down or speed up the heart rate. For example, soothing songs such as Gregorian chants reduce heart rate, while war songs increase it. Singing regulates breathing, encouraging deep, rhythmic breathing, which can reduce stress and increase lung capacity. Synchronized chants, such as those used during work or ceremonies, can reduce muscular tension by regulating movement and promoting relaxation.

All these songs form part of humanity's heritage as an unrivalled means of expression. The various types of song influence collective learning by reinforcing identity, transmitting knowledge and values, and offering emotional and social support.

Their physiological effects reinforce these benefits, promoting physical and mental health. They are central to community development. Today, choirs are taking up the baton, offering new spaces for bonding. That's something generative AI won't take away from us!

Illustration: Unsplash: Choir

Sources

Griaule, M. (1965). Conversations with Ogotemmêli: An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas. Oxford University Press. https://archive.org/details/conversationswit0000gria

Hiley, D. (1993). Western Plainchant: A Handbook. Oxford University Press. https://archive.org/details/westernplainchan0000unse

Ka'ai, T. M. (2004). Te mana o te reo me ngā tikanga: Power and politics of the language. Auckland: Pearson Education New Zealand. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328490517_A_Maori_perspective_of_being_and_belonging

Levine, V. L. (2009). Medicine Bundle: Indian Sacred Performance and American Literature, 1824-1932. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Lloyd, A. L. (1967). Folk Song in England. Paladin. https://archive.org/details/folksonginenglan0000lloy

McDonald, M. (1989). We are all Celts Now: The Construction of a Breton Identity in Brittany. In Ethnic and Racial Studies, 12(2), 195-215. https://archive. org/details/celtsconstructio0000chap/page/n5/mode/2up

Nettl, B. (2005). The Study of Ethnomusicology: Thirty-one Issues and Concepts. University of Illinois Press. https://archive.org/details/studyofethnomusi0000nett_k8g4

Smith, D. (2000). Zulu Shaman: Dreams, Prophecies, and Mysteries. Destiny Books. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/481397.Zulu_Shaman

Winkelman, M. (2010). Shamanism: A Biopsychosocial Paradigm of Consciousness and Healing. Praeger. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323755883_Shamanism_A_biopsychosocial_paradigm_of_consciousness_and_healing