Join the Connection Revolution - because healthy communities create healthy individuals
Sing to Health with Ruth Routledge is a creative health organisation
using group singing to support health, wellbeing and quality
of life.
Whether you are living with a chronic condition such as COPD,
hypertension or depression or are looking to belong to a community,
CAYA provides friendly, inclusive singing groups to support this.
Scientific research shows that humans are evolutionarily hard-wired to connect through shared movement and song and that doing so improves our mental and physical health. It’s not about being a “singer” or sounding “good” - come as you are!
We have weekly in-person and online sessions built around singing and breathwork, which blend movement, breathwork, mindfulness, vocalising, and song-singing. We use techniques that are firmly rooted in evidence for promoting health - and which conveniently align with the best practices for keeping our voices healthy, too. The songs we sing are varied and fun so that we can explore and develop both our voices and cultural experiences. We sing anything and everything from pop, folk, world, gospel, original songs and much more.
As part of our commitment to evidence-based practice we also conduct research into the health and wellbeing benefits of our groups, along with providing resources and training for singing leaders, teachers, health professionals and anyone looking to incorporate a holistic, accessible practice for all ages into their work.
Our values
Find Your Voice
The voice is about more than just a sound - it’s fundamentally connected to our identity and means of expression. Being supported to use your voice expressively and creatively is essential to our basic communication and being seen, heard and understood. This has a profound effect on our sense of self, our confidence and our health and wellbeing.
‘CAYA' - Come As You Are
Singing with others is personal and vulnerable so come as you are is a core inclusive value. It’s your permission to show up without any pressure - no prior talent, no experience, and no special kit needed. Just bring your authentic, wonderful, vulnerable self and share in a moment of joyful connection that promises to leave you feeling lighter, brighter, and deeply connected. We'd love for you to join us
“we sing but are not a choir, we do movement but not dance, we support and care for each other” - Wendy, Joyful Voices
Why Vocal Expression & Singing Matter for Our Health & Wellbeing
Life can be tough, and sometimes it's the simple things that make the biggest difference. Expressing yourself vocally with others is one of them. Here is how group singing and vocalising fit into the 5 Ways of Wellbeing model:
Connect with others: When we join our voices, our bodies release feel-good hormones that help lift our spirits and calm our minds. Additionally when we sing together our hear rates synchronise (entrainment) so the feeling of connection we experience is more than that - it’s actually happening to our hearts. Our groups are safe, non-judgemental spaces where you can connect with people, make new friends, and feel a sense of belonging.
Be active: Group singing has been shown in lung health research to be comparable to a brisk walk in terms of its effect on our heart and lungs. In addition, our sessions involve the whole body and include gentle movement and stretching, breathing, voice and body-rhythm exercises carefully designed and evidence-based to support optimal lung, heart and brain health.
Take notice: Music happens over time so concentrating on a song, coordinating with others to sing together along with the body and breath awareness exercises we incorporate into our sessions, means that we are actively taking notice of ourselves and what is going on around us without even trying. It is mindfulness in action.
Keep learning: All our sessions are paper-free which means that songs and exercises are learnt by heart. We take the time to do this is in a relaxed, fun and co-creative way, supporting different learning styles. This also means that people can go away having learnt something, which they can then share with others at home or do themselves outside of sessions.
Give: Turning up to a session and using your voice and whole person to contribute to the whole sound is an act of giving. Similarly a fundamental part of what we do is going out into the community to share the joy, fun and connecting power of music and songs with the wider community in sharing events