The best sound comes from a choir that feels connected, calm and cared for...

Singing together is powerful.

It brings joy, connection, release - and even healing. Group singing taps into something ancient and human: shared breath, collective sound, and a deep sense of belonging. For many, choir is more than just music, it’s a lifeline.
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That’s why more and more choirs are recognising the importance of mental health in their practice. Leaders are investing in training and shaping their rehearsals to support not just vocal technique, but emotional safety and connection. Because every voice comes with a nervous system, a backstory, and unspoken needs - and the way we lead matters. Simple, intentional shifts in how we welcome, rehearse, and communicate can make our choirs more inclusive, more sustainable, and more human.

But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:

Leading a choir is emotionally demanding.

Singing can stir up strong emotions, unprocessed grief, or past trauma, and as leaders, we’re often taking on far more than just the music. We hold space for everyone’s stories and struggles, sometimes without even realising it. Creating a mentally-healthy choir isn’t just about supporting your singers, it’s about protecting your wellbeing too. And finding that balance can feel overwhelming.

That’s where this guide comes in.

Mentally-Healthy Choirs is your practical, compassionate toolkit for creating a choir culture that feels good for everyone - including you.
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Written by veteran choir leader, sound-voice therapist and mental health specialist Emma Rowland-Elsen, this interactive PDF guide is packed with real-life examples, trauma-aware tools, and strategies you can implement right away to lead with clarity, compassion, and healthy boundaries, for both your singers and yourself.

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Mental health isn't a bonus - it's the foundation of a sustainable, inclusive and joyful choir!

- EMMA ROWLAND-ELSEN

SUPPORT FOR YOUR SINGERS' MENTAL HEALTH

When your choir feels emotionally safe, the music gets better

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​What we do in rehearsals has a direct effect on how people feel in their bodies: whether they feel safe or anxious, regulated or overwhelmed, connected or isolated. And since people often come to choir carrying stress, trauma, grief, or burnout, how we lead can either support their healing - or unintentionally add to their stress.

This 40-page toolkit contains:

🎶 How to spot when a singer is silently struggling

​🎶 Scripts for setting boundaries with kindness

🎶 Tools for managing the “post-performance comedown”

🎶 Grounding exercises & vocal resets you can use anytime

🎶 Activities to build emotional safety into your rehearsals

🎶​ Guidance for having tricky conversations - with care

and much more!

This guide transformed my rehearsals.  Now I leave feeling uplifted, not exhausted.

- CLAIRE, COMMUNITY CHOIR LEADER -

SUPPORT FOR YOUR OWN MENTAL HEALTH

Lead with care - without losing ​yourself

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As a modern choir leader, it’s not just the music you’re carrying, it’s people’s stories, struggles, and silent expectations.

Mentally-Healthy Choirs is for you, if

🎶 You've been feeling emotionally worn-out after rehearsals and performances

​🎶 You care deeply but sometimes feel choir is all-consuming
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🎶 You wish you could lead with boundaries and clarity

🎶 You know that protecting your own wellbeing is the key to showing up fully for your singers.

Frequently asked Questions

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for anyone who leads a choir - community choir leaders, school or college conductors, professional groups, singing teachers, and directors of mental-health informed or inclusive vocal groups. If you care about your singers’ wellbeing (and your own), this is for you.

do i need to be a therapist to use this?

Nope. This guide is designed for choir leaders, not clinicians. It gives you practical tools to lead with care - while staying within your lane and protecting your own boundaries.

is this suitable for all choirs?

The tone is written for adult-choir leaders, but many of the tools (like grounding activities, check-ins, and boundary-setting) would also be helpful for leading youth choirs.

how is the guide delivered?

This is an interactive PDF. You’ll get instant access after purchase, and there are sections you can print/photocopy to use as many times as you like.

is this just theory or is it practical?

It’s highly practical. This isn’t a textbook - it’s a toolkit. You’ll find boundary-setting scripts, checklists, group wellbeing activities, post-performance rituals, and specific ideas you can try in rehearsal right away.

can i use this with my choir team/committee?

Absolutely. The guide works well as a shared reference point for rehearsal planning, inclusion audits, and leadership training.

what knowledge do you, the author, bring to this guide?

A valid question. I’m not here to tell anyone how to run their choir, but to offer a resource built from almost 25 years of hands-on experience leading choirs, including the world’s biggest mental health choir (Sing Out Strong), which reached over 100 countries during the pandemic.

Alongside my work as a conductor, I’m also trained in sound-voice therapy, stress and anxiety coaching, and psychological first aid. I’ve worked at the intersection of music and mental health for many years, both professionally and personally, and this guide brings together the tools, scripts, and strategies I’ve developed to support emotionally safe, inclusive, and sustainable choir leadership.

It’s not a rulebook, it’s a resource, created by a fellow leader who understands both the joy and emotional weight of this role.

If you want to be more Mental-Health Informed, but don't know where to start...

Let ​Mentally-Healthy Choirs help you create a space where people breathe, belong, and sing - safely.  Download instantly and start leading in a way that feels better for everyone.

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