I love singing. I could sing in many choruses in Chicago, but I sing in SGC because of the high level of professionalism of the staff members and quality concerts we produce.

I love the feeling of a job well done. I feel we work hard but it’s fun, never grueling. I look forward to rehearsals and spending time with my fellow chorus members. I have made some very dear friends. This is an amazing group, top to bottom.

Thank you all,
Cheers
Teel Miller

 

I sing because it is:
Fun
Has health benefits
Love the choice of songs
Lifts up my spirits

Sel Yackley

 

I sing because it’s fun, I enjoy it and I love music.
I sing because I can’t help it—singing is my love language.

Anonymous

 

​I sing because I live quietly alone and rarely use my voice.

Betty Cannon

 

I sing because–well, for a variety of reasons. I sing because there is nothing more beautiful to my ear than the sound of voices blended in song. Singing is an intellectual exercise, it’s fun, it changes your outlook on the day, and singing in a group is social. There are so many reasons to sing! These are just a few that resonate with me!

Pam Deady, Alto (Evanston)

 

…singing in a choir has always brought me joy.

Judy Floodstrand

 

It’s Spring.

Anonymous

​I sing because it brings me such joy. My son told me after the Winter Concert that he’s never seen me light up as I did at the concert, other than when I danced and performed in Community Theater. All credit to Jonathan and Daniel. Without them, this would never have been possible. Simply the best! Better than all the rest!

Diane DiVall

 

It is so much fun.
Julie Badel

 

I love to sing and I was looking for a group of people to sing with. I am so happy I found Sounds good choir.

Maureen Glass

 

I sing because in the Sounds Good Choir I know I won’t be judged for the vocal flaws that come with age.  Once I started singing more, I discovered the vocal loss I was grieving could recover from illness and aging more than I thought possible.  I continue to sing because music is healing, for me, for the people I love and for the universe.

Elinar “Elly” Lowry

 

I sing because I need more joy in my life. And, because as I age, I want to keep making new connections.

Monica Keane

 

I sing because it’s fun.
I sing because I’ve made good friends and I get to see them each week.
I sing because I like being around people—it makes me happy.

Linda Slepicka

 

I sing because it’s fun! I feel uplifted during and after a rehearsal or performance.

Kathy Oswald

 

I sing because it is so joyful & full of feelings. Everyone perks up to it & some love to join in. Sing-alongs are a way to connect with friends & family. My children “complain” I have a song for everything & I’m glad! Keeps me sane.

Carole Arnott

 

It feels good.  I learn new things every time I rehearse and use the practice tracks. It is totally immersive, making it impossible to worry about anything else when I am at a rehearsal.  Nice people.

Tina Birnbaum

 

I sing because it feeds my soul!

Jan Harnish

 

i can’t help myself – it just comes out!
i sing because i’m happy,
i sing because i’m free…
and His eye is on the sparrow
and i know He watches me.
(a gospel hymn written in 1905 by lyricist Civilla D. Martin and composer Charles H. Gabriel)

Lois Hobart

 

I sing because it brings joy to my heart and warms my soul. A day never passes that I am not singing while driving, walking, quilting, playing with grandchildren.

The added bonus of singing with Sounds Good is the opportunity it has given me to stay active with another activity to get out of the house. Interacting with so many upbeat friendly fellow singers give a real lift to the experience and the group of friends I have made to communicate with on a deep level and do various activities with is an immeasurable dividend.

🤭 Sorry if I got carried away and wrote more than the requested “sentence” but my only excuse is I am Irish. 💚

Marsha Poppie

Singing lifts my spirit (I sing in four groups.) I sing with Sounds Good because the talented directors help me improve my voice. The music is lots of fun too.

Jacki Dibble

 

I have always sung in a choir. When I moved to Illinois many years ago, I started looking for a choir to join. I searched the Internet and happened upon Sounds Good Choirs. I only wish I could have found you sooner. When I sing with the SG choir, I feel unbelievable joy and well-being. Thank you!

Patricia Rockwell

 

I feel good and it is joyful!

Nancy Van Dyke

 

I sing because I can’t imagine not singing with a group especially NOW.

Sheila Fleming

 

​I sing because it’s fun.
I sing because I can’t help myself—singing is my love language.
I sing because I love the music.
I sing because I like being around people—it makes me happy.

Val Gee

 

I sing because it brings great joy to my life. I almost always have music in my head. Sounds Good Choir is a wonderful outlet for that music. I’ve also made new friends who understand how important music is in our lives.

Jan Plachy

 

I sang with a wonderful non-audition community choir back in Dallas called Credo. Began looking for a similar choir after relocating to Arlington Heights last fall. What impressed me the most about the Sounds Good organization was its purpose of bringing awareness to the importance of singing/music to cognitive retention and memory health. Good Memories choir is particularly meaningful to me. My late husband passed away from complication of Early Onset Alzheimer’s in 2020. We both had sung in church and community choirs for years and he had even sung in a professional regional Southern Gospel quartet. However, as the disease progressed, we had to step back from our church choir. I would have given anything to have had a choir like Good Memories for us to continue to sing in. Even until the last week of his life, the “music” was still there inside him. We had a “Memory Care” music player into which we had uploaded all of his quartet CDs along with a number of other quartet CDs. And when you turned the music player on, he would still sing along, evening harmonizing.

 

So, why do I sing with Sounds Good Choir? Because I want to be a part of a choral organization that recognizes that importance of singing and music to ongoing cognitive health. 

Carolyn Tipton

 

I sing because I meet people that we have the love of singing in common.

Nancy Ryan

 

I sing because I love being engrossed in music. I sing because I want to be a better singer! I sing because singing makes everything better. (The last reason is from my former voice teacher!)

Marta Revord

 

I sing with SGC because I love choral singing, SG has rehearsals during the day and nighttime driving is becoming unsafe for me.  Additional benefits are the friends I’ve made, the quality of the conductors and accompanists.

Marcia Hamilton

 

I sing because I love to sing. I’ve been singing since my younger years in church choir & with my Chicago Polish community. My mother was always singing at home. In high school, I joined the chorus & participated in many high school concerts. In my 40’s I discovered Festival Chorus at Harper College & sang with them for over 20 years. In 2000 I joined my church choir & am still singing there. In 2016 I discovered Sounds Good at Arlington Heights Library and I am still singing. Music and singing brings me great joy.

Sincerely,

Ann Skwarek       

​

I sing because it brings me joy

Donna Serpico

 

​I sing because there’s something magical singing with a group of people that love to sing….it’s joyous, it’s emotional…….it’s why I keep coming back !!!!

Jennifer Mahoney

​

Sounds Good Choir was SIGNIFICANT in the REMOVAL of LEWY BODY DEMENTIA from my MEDICAL RECORD last March 2024.

David Knechel

 

… Sounds Good offers instruction, encouragement, and the chance to participate in a fun activity with people my own age!

Nan Fornal

 

I love to sing, and you were doing a Broadway repertoire this semester. I’m new to Chicago and feeling my way.

Leora Berns

 

I read an article in our local paper featuring Sandy.  It mentioned the startup of the choir.  I signed right up, and it has enriched my soul, increased my friendships, and lifted my heart each Thursday for all the intervening years.

What an upper every week and I am so grateful for the opportunity!

Thank you, Sandy and Jonathan, for enriching my life because of Sounds Good Choir. You are two delightful people who have made our singers so happy and grateful.

Hugs,

Betsy Bennett

 

I sing because it is fun and fulfilling!

Mary Lewis

 

I sing because it’s fun, it makes me happy and I like being around people 😁.

Beth

 

​I like to make a joyful noise.

Susan Schaefer

 

​I love to sing but don’t do it well. This choir lets me sing without judgement. I love it!

Ellen Dunleavy

 

I sing because it is a challenging activity for my age and keeps my mind sharp. I have also met some nice new folks over the years. It is also fun to sing some of the music.

Manny Schenk

I choose to sing with both Sounds Good and Memories choirs because singing with other people! brings me such joy!  Singing by myself is just not the same.  I’m always learning something new from Amy and Jonathan, not to mention the other choristers as well.  I have a happiness hangover after each session 🙂

Robyn Mann

 

I sing because I feel most alive and in touch with myself when I am enveloped in music or when I interact with other people — Good Memories gives me both.

Julian Breslow​

 

I love to sing because… I just love to sing! And I’ve lost track of places where I can. I just joined your group, and I’m so looking forward to what’s ahead!

Judy Smith

 

I love music, and I love the camaraderie of a choir!

Patricia Neis

 

I sing because of health benefits.

Melissa Hirsch

 

It brings me joy.

Brigell

 

I sing because it brings me joy that not only lifts my mood while I am rehearsing or performing, but has a prolonged effect on how I feel the rest of the day and night…that kind of response is hard to duplicate!!

Merle Shapera, Evanston

 

I sing because it makes me happy and singing with others makes me happier. Also, learning new songs is great.

Rosalie Fruchter

 

I always have. I grew up with radio and television music and my mother’s records playing. In addition, both my parents would sing along. My mother usually took the melody, and my father sang harmony. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir sometimes accompanied our suppers, and sometimes it might be the Smothers Brothers or the Limelighters.

Sundays after church we were entertained by classical music, especially Mendelssohn’s Incidental Music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Fred Waring Chorus, and Handel’s Messiah highlights and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite at Christmas time, of course. And speaking of Christmas, the Spike Jones Christmas album was delightful. I was constantly singing along—eventually in harmony.

All three of us kids sang in our church choirs through grammar school and high school, and the Chicago grammar-school teachers all played piano and taught music and songs for performance in school assemblies in the school gymnasium. I must add that when my family was riding together in the car, you might hear the five of us singing songs in harmony.

Since this is not an autobiographical assignment, I’m going to end it here the way I started by saying that I sing because I always have… and I love it… and, actually, I can’t help it!

Ruth Trailer

 

I’ve sung in choirs since I was 5 years old!
I generally like the music that’s chosen and we have excellent choir directors!
Singing has always been an integral part of my life.

Kathryn Winter

 

I have always loved to sing. This was a great opportunity for me. I have also made some new friends.

Anonymous

 

​Singing makes me feel good!!

Leslie Harris

 

Sounds Good! Choir gives me a place to learn and improve doing one of my favorite things — singing — with the added bonus of making new friends.

Thanks,
Barb Sayers

 

I sing because I can! I studied voice many years and majored in music education. Singing is my gift and I feel I should use it for good. I also believe singing with others builds community and it is important to sing every day. I love to learn new music. When one doesn’t sing, you lose range as you age. I do a regime for keeping my range: Vocalizing every day and staying physically fit keeps the voice working. Remember your voice is like a fingerprint, it is uniquely yours.

Annette Bacon

 

Thelma Roe Milnes was the director of the Downers Grove Oratorio Society. When I moved back to Illinois from Canada, I was looking for a musical outlet and auditioned for the Society. This led to several years of voice lessons by Thelma who encouraged me to be positive about my ability. I was also experienced coaching by Sherrill Milnes and his first wife, Charlotte. The positive support from these three people kept me singing and growing musically. Through the years, I sang in or directed several small choirs. I auditioned for the Peoria Civic Chorale; I was the only nonprofessional musician in the 100 person ensemble. Then for 12 years, I did not sing except intermittently in church choirs. After moving back to this area, an article in a newspaper led me to Sounds Good, starting in Lemont, through the pandemic, then to Downers Grove, finally to Hinsdale and Wheaton. I am so blessed to be here. Thank you for all the things I learn from each different director.

Rose Zenk

 

I sing because it energizes me, makes me happy and feel good. I sing because I love music and I love to sing. I sing because the directors are wonderful, and the repertoire is fabulous. And the other singers are a great group of people. Broadway!!!

Thank you,
Sally Strosahl

 

Singing gives me an opportunity for self-expression and opens a world of possibility for connections.

Sounds goods gives me the opportunity to practice the power of music and become part of a community.

As an 83 y/o woman, I am learning new skills under the leadership of the conductors and utilization of digital technology. It brings me joy to develop my voice as a source of self-expression, comfort and connection.

IT’S FUN! It’s brain exercise for the heart and soul.

Harriet Cavanah Dart
Arlington Heights, Alto (Deerfield resident)

 

I like to annoy my family

Mark

 

I sing for a variety of reasons. First, it keeps my brain working! After singing as a soprano for years, I began singing alto about 15 years ago and love the intellectual challenge of singing something other than the melody. Next, I sing in a group for the community. In the short time I have been a member of the Evanston Sounds Good Choir, I have met so many lovely people. Going to practice is a big highlight of the week. Finally, I sing because it is one of those peak experiences in life. To me there is nothing more beautiful than the sound of voices blending together in song, and for an hour and a half each week, I can experience that wonderful feeling of voices surrounding me!

Pam Deady

 

I can’t help myself.  There is always music playing in my head unless I am actively listening to a book or a conversation.
Marcia Hamilton

 

It’s therapeutic for my brain.

Betty Cannon

I sing because I was chosen. Back in the fifth grade, we had a “singing class” which consisted of the entire class of fifty boys and girls hammering out songs while the teacher played piano.  Not long after we started. five other girls and I were singled out to have a special “voice class” in which we learned SSA music. We paid 50 cents apiece to get this extra tutoring. I guess we picked harmony up fairly quickly because soon we were entered in various music adjudications in the city of Chicago.  Our first piece was Dvorak’s “Going Home.” Been singing ever since.

Ginny Anderson (Glen Ellyn/Wheaton)

 

Like Ruth, I always have. There’s hardly been a time in my life when I haven’t sung with a school or church choir or been part of a small vocal ensemble. I’m a reluctant solo singer, but singing in a group is one of the ongoing joys in my life. I relish the way singers listen to each other and breathe together. As a retired church musician, I’m a member of the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, a group dedicated to encouraging congregational singing. I fully subscribe to its mission statement:

We believe that the holy act of singing together shapes faith, heals brokenness, transforms lives, and renews peace.

Margaret McCamant, Sounds Good Choir member

 

It’s a complete and joyful respite from the troubles of the day. It soothes my soul.

Monica Keane

 

The temperature of the shower is just right!

Shane Nestruck

 

I need it to survive!

Joy Bozzelli

 

I Sing Because I’m Happy!

Pamela Johnson

 

I love making “a joyful noise” as a team with others! 🎶

And singing with others is good exercise for me: for my ears, for my brain, for my lungs, for my posture, for my stamina. Plus, our voice is an instrument that we always “have on us”. No having to lug a separate instrument around! 😄

Blessings,

Sherry Wolfe

​

I sing because it brings me joy and peace. It gives me friendships with people who love doing the same thing. It’s like having a second family.  Just thinking about singing with our choir can bring relaxation, happiness and a smile to my face.

Barbara Francione

Tuesday’s e-blast was so in tune with where my head was before and during our Good Memories rehearsal. On my commute downtown, I had been reading “My Father’s House,” a historical novel by Joseph O’Connor that relates the story of Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty and the choir he assembled in Rome during WWII to save escaped prisoners of war, Jews, diplomats, and other refugees from the Nazis. The choir did, in actuality, gather to sing as a cover for their very dangerous work. O’Connor’s book relates the story through the voices of people in the choir. This passage—presented as a post-war account by one of the sopranos—is, to my mind, an exquisite description of what group singing is to those of us who take part in it:

Some consolidation of the spirit, some release happens when human beings sing in a group, wherever and however that occurs. In a place of worship, on the terraces of a football stadium in a cramped and draughty attic, bombers droning overhead. Nearly all music has beauty, but when it includes the marriage of baritone and soprano, of bass and alto, chorus, and soloist, it becomes something more than merely the upliftingly beautiful. Harmony is an everyday, achievable miracle. Imagine having been the first person to think of it, to attempt it with another. I shall sing this. You sing that. Something greater than I or you will result. And, as everyone who has ever heard singing in a classroom knows well, when we are not wonderful singers, are in fact not musically gifted, singing has a special sort of sacredness that is impossibly moving.

A movie was made about Monsignor O’Flaherty and his choir in 1983, with Gregory Peck playing the monsignor. It’s available on Amazon and other streaming services, but you can watch The Scarlet and the Black for free on the Internet Archive.

Another answer to Elizabeth’s question about why we sing can be found in Rollo Dillworth’s “I Sing Because I’m Happy,” sung by St. Olaf’s Choir with various choirs during a South African tour. (I want to think that Sounds Good/Good Memories have sung it, but my memory could be faulty.) And then of course there’s Pete Seeger’s version of “How Can I Keep From Singing?”

I believe it was in the Sounds Good repertoire before the Covid shutdown?? I don’t recall that we performed it. Both of these songs embody the “because” of my singing.

Helen Gagel