Appear and Inspire: Exploring Music as Community

For an Adult Forum in October of last year, I had been asked to present briefly about creativity in music. As I began to explore this topic of celestial fire and heavenly inspiration, the talk took a turn. Since the pandemic, so much has been written about our collective mental health and the role that disconnectedness has come to play in our post-COVID society. We seem to be searching for grounding, for a center, for a place to belong. We worry about our young people who seem overly busy, highly functional, yet troubled. We are watching institutions challenged to their cores and sometimes overthrown altogether. Nothing seems normal.

In May 2023, the Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued a profound statement addressing the epidemic of loneliness that silently afflicts our society. He wrote, “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health. Our relationships are a source of healing and well-being hiding in plain sight — one that can help us live healthier, more fulfilled, and more productive lives. Given the significant health consequences of loneliness and isolation, we must prioritize building social connection the same way we have prioritized other critical public health issues such as tobacco, obesity, and substance use disorders. Together, we can build a country that’s healthier, more resilient, less lonely and more connected.”

Despite the digital age and the seeming omnipresence of social media, we long for real human connection that can be a source of healing and well-being. Our evolutionary history teaches us that the ability to create and maintain social bonds in larger groups is essential for survival. I began to wonder what the role of the 21st-century church might be in this regard — how this institution might be able to make an impact on our loneliness epidemic. Then, I came across a series of articles about group music-making — an activity that has been and continues to be at the heart of communal worship.

In the December 2015 issue of Greater Good Magazine, an article titled “The New Science of Singing Together” suggests that “Being part of a cohesive group has been essential for survival throughout our evolutionary history, but being part of a group also raises challenges, such as conflict over resources and mates. In order to survive, our ancestors needed ways to keep the group together through these conflicts. Music is found in all human cultures around the world. The oldest bone flute is 40,000 years old, so music has been around at least this long. This, and the fact that music often occurs in social settings, from religious rituals to football games, suggests that music might be an evolved behavior for creating community cohesion.”

This led me to consider why music, above the other Fine Arts, has held a privileged, elevated position in the life of the church. Certainly painting, sculpture, and dance can be divinely inspired, yet music is nearly always part of group religious ritual. From the earliest days of the church, music has been an integral part of our spiritual journey. It has the power to evoke emotions, inspire devotion, and connect us with the divine. But why? Recent neurological studies have now revealed that the act of singing and participating in music during worship, actively and passively, has a profound impact on our brains.

In their article “Singing and social bonding: changes in connectivity and pain threshold as a function of group size,” the authors reported a study that “recruited individuals from a community choir that met in both small (n = 20–80) and large (a ‘megachoir’ combining individuals from the smaller subchoirs n = 232) group contexts. Participants gave self-report measures of social bonding and had pain threshold measurements taken (as a proxy for endorphin release) before and after 90 min of singing. Results showed that feelings of inclusion, connectivity, positive affect, and measures of endorphin release all increased across singing rehearsals and that the influence of group singing was comparable for pain thresholds in the large versus small group context. Levels of social closeness were found to be greater at pre- and post-levels for the small choir condition. However, the large choir condition experienced a greater change in social closeness as compared to the small condition. The finding that singing together fosters social closeness — even in large group contexts where individuals are not known to each other — is consistent with evolutionary accounts that emphasize the role of music in social bonding, particularly in the context of creating larger cohesive groups than other primates are able to manage.”

Singing in a large choir is essentially what our congregation does when it engages in hymn singing and service music. We do it every week. Within our community, we also have smaller choirs — the organized chorister choirs, the Senior Choir, and the St. Paul’s Ringers. We have the tools for building and maintaining social cohesion right here at St. Paul’s. Music can connect us.

In other research about the effects of music on our brains, it seems that even listening to live music as a group brings us together. Recent research has highlighted the concept of “musical synchrony” — when our brains and bodies align with the rhythms and melodies of music. This synchronization fosters a sense of togetherness within the congregation. Singing and listening together not only unifies our voices but also our hearts, minds, and spirits, creating a profound sense of belonging.

Music has an unparalleled ability to touch the depths of our souls, allowing us to explore and express our faith in a unique way. These recent neurological findings support the concept of emotional resonance through music. Choral music, whether congregational or ensemble, through its lyrics and melodies, enables us to connect with our emotions and express our faith in a deeply personal way. The old adage attributed to St. Augustine applies here, “He who sings prays twice.” Music is now known to activate the limbic system in our brains, which is associated with emotion and memory, enhancing our spiritual experience and strengthening spiritual bonds between us.

The neurological findings that have emerged reinforce the significance of music in our lives. Engaging in music, especially group singing, releases endorphins, enhancing our spiritual experience and creating a sense of unity within a congregation. Singing together synchronizes our heartbeats and brainwaves, fostering a shared emotional connection during worship.

The universality of music welcomes people of all backgrounds, fostering inclusivity and diversity within the church community. It acts as a bridge, connecting individuals and creating a sense of unity among the congregation. Listening to instrumental music during moments of reflection and prayer guides us on a spiritual journey, altering brainwave patterns and promoting a meditative state. The resulting increase in theta brainwave activity is associated with profound spiritual experiences and a sense of connectedness to the divine.

Beyond the individual benefits, music is a powerful tool for building the church community. It strengthens bonds, enriches relationships, and inspires acts of service. Congregants share their talents for the greater good, finding opportunities to support and serve one another. Music nurtures spirituality by encouraging the exploration of faith and promoting spiritual growth.

As a call to action, I challenge us to use this information in our weekly worship practice. Instead of running into worship at the last minute, arrive a few moments early, sit quietly, pray, listen to the prelude that is being offered, and allow it to wash over you in preparation for the Eucharist. The postlude, too, can serve as a vehicle to enable you to reflect on the Eucharist, reflect on the message of the day, the readings of the lectionary, and the sense of belonging you may have felt. Maybe offer a prayer of thanksgiving. Allow it to let you transition from the sacred to the world at large. When it finishes, say “Amen” so that you may be ready to “walk in love as Christ first loved us.”

In conclusion, the power of music in building a sense of belonging and community within the faith community is immeasurable. Recent neurological research affirms what has always been known in the hearts of the faithful: music unites, fosters inclusivity, strengthens faith, and binds the congregation as a loving community.