Heliopolis Elderly Center

Can singing in a choir impact the quality of life of older adults, particularly those from diverse cultural backgrounds who never sang in a choir? We decided to start a choir in our senior center inside the Heliopolis community. The music institute, Instituto Bacarelli, houses our Senior Center so it was a fun project to create!

The most interesting part about our choir is that the lead teacher is a Senior from the community (look at attached photos). Our choir sings in Portuguese and they love to sing Brazilian folk songs, country songs, oldies, and classical music. “This was tailor-made for me,” says Rachel (the teacher). “I wanted to sing in Portuguese! I already knew a lot of the songs—folk songs, oldies, classics”—songs I loved singing with my mother.

When Rachel asked us about starting the choir we were thrilled about the idea. “This has been fantastic for me,” Rachel told us. She was doing something that she loved and it gave her a reason to get out of the house and make friends. “If someone doesn’t go, we call them: ‘Where were you? What happened?’ We learn a new song every week. I noticed that they all started learning faster after a while. I have them do exercises for breathing and rhythm—it is all very beneficial.” explains Rachel.

She and other choir members loved the choir so much that they started to perform at all our Elderly Center get-togethers! Maria, now 76, sings with the choir she loves it, “I do other things, too. I take classes. I go to concerts and the theatre with people from Projeto Velho Amigo. Singing is an expression of happiness—that also gives you happiness.”

We found that singing in a choir reduced feelings of loneliness and increased interest in life, compared with similar adults who weren’t in a choir. Other research has found that high rates of loneliness, social isolation, and depression among older adults can cause health problems.

Choirs offer a relatively easy way to develop novel approaches to help older adults stay engaged in the community. There are few requirements for joining other than a willingness to try singing. There are no instruments for participants to buy and learn, as with a band or orchestra. Some choir members felt at first that they couldn’t sing, but with patient encouragement from their teacher, “somehow it all works out,” said Rachel.

According to Maria, "They never make anybody feel they’re not doing it right. Their message is: ‘We’re here to enjoy singing, enjoy each other, and strive to be the best that we can be.’

The Heliopolis Elderly Center Choir performs at the senior center and during holiday celebrations.

"I’m grateful that the choir exists for me at this time of my life,” says Maria.