Why it's Time to make Choirs Mentally Healthy

There’s a quiet revolution happening in the world of choral music. It’s not about genre, technique, or even repertoire - it’s about wellbeing, emotional safety and nervous system regulation. And it’s long overdue.

Because choir has never just been about singing.

For many people, choir is the one hour a week they feel truly present. It’s where they reconnect with their breath, where their bodies feel in sync with others, and where, often without realising it, they come to heal. Group singing is one of the most powerful nervous system regulators we have; we breathe together, move together, and express emotion through sound. The body knows this, even when the brain doesn’t - that’s why so many singers leave rehearsal feeling calmer, lighter, and more connected.

But with great power comes great responsibility. When people are carrying grief, burnout, anxiety or trauma, those emotions often find their way into the rehearsal room, consciously or not. And when choir becomes their one lifeline, it can create pressure on the space, and on you, the leader, to hold more than just music.

Burnout amongst choir leaders is real. They’re navigating emotional overload, absorbing the unspoken needs of their singers, and trying to be everything to everyone - musician, mentor, therapist, administrator, and friend. This isn’t sustainable. And it isn’t what leading a choir should be.

That’s why we need to start reimagining what choral leadership looks like in 2025 and beyond, and why mental health should be at the heart of that vision.

Making choirs mentally healthy doesn’t mean lowering standards or walking on eggshells. It means being informed, intentional, and inclusive. It means understanding that your singers’ nervous systems are activated by more than pitch and rhythm, and that your gestures, your tone, even your pacing, can either soothe or overwhelm. It means creating structures that feel safe, rehearsals that feel steady, and cultures where boundaries are respected and wellbeing is normalised.

It’s not just about your singers, either. Your wellbeing as a leader matters, too. In fact, it’s vital. A calm, grounded choir leader creates the conditions for everyone else to feel safe, and that doesn’t come from pushing through - it comes from having healthy boundaries, knowing when to step back and having the tools to hold the space without holding the weight of everyone in it.

If we want choirs to be inclusive, emotionally sustainable, and truly transformative, we have to start leading with mental health in mind. Because when we do, everyone sings better, everyone feels better, and everyone stays.

A Practical Resource for Forward-Thinking Choir Leaders

If you’re ready to create emotionally safe, inclusive, and mentally-healthy choir spaces, my new guide Mentally Healthy Choirs: A Toolkit for Choir Leaders was made for you.

It’s a comprehensive, practical, and interactive PDF designed to help you:

• Understand how mental health and the nervous system affect choir dynamics
• Make simple, trauma-informed shifts in how you structure rehearsals
• Spot signs that a singer is struggling (and know how to support them)
• Set and maintain boundaries without guilt
• Protect your own mental health before, during, and after rehearsals
• Manage post-concert emotional crashes - for you and your singers
• Have honest musical conversations without causing shame or shutdown.
  
  

The guide is grounded in lived PTSD experience and professional training. As a conductor, sound-voice therapist, anxiety coach, psychological first aider, and founder of the world’s biggest mental health choir, I wrote this because I’ve been where you are. I’ve felt the joy and the emotional exhaustion of leading. I know how high the stakes can feel, and I want you to feel supported.

This isn’t about adding more to your plate, it’s about making what you already do feel easier, clearer, and more sustainable. Because music changes lives.

📘 Mentally Healthy Choirs: A Toolkit for Choir Leaders
💻 Interactive PDF | £29.99 + processing fee | Instant download
🌐 Available now at www.emmarowlandelsen.com/guidebook