Episode Cheatsheet: The Healing Power of Music and Singing

With Andy Tubman, Board Certified Music Therapist & Co-founder of SingFit 3 min read

Author

Brady Dowling
April 25, 2025

In this conversation, music therapist Andy Tubman explores how music—especially singing—affects our brain, emotions, and behavior. He explains the neurological benefits of singing as a "ultimate brain engager" that activates multiple brain regions while boosting mood-enhancing neurochemicals. Andy discusses how this natural process can be harnessed as a powerful tool for emotional wellbeing and as a potential support for breaking unwanted habits.

Key Insights

  • Singing is a complete brain workout, engaging language centers, motor planning, timing, and both subcortical and topical regions simultaneously

  • The act of singing boosts beneficial neurochemicals (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins) while regulating stress hormones like cortisol

  • Music provides neurological organization, creating a structured experience that can counteract scattered thinking and anxiety

  • Our cultural focus on professional musical performance has discouraged everyday people from enjoying the therapeutic benefits of singing

  • Therapeutic music can substitute for the neurochemical "hits" people seek from addictive behaviors

Quotable Moments

"The singing process is kind of like your ultimate brain engager. The whole brain is being integrated and activated to produce even the simplest song."

"To get into a daily yoga practice, if you will, of making music and singing, over time, what people find is, especially with singing and increasing that oxygen flow, you really feel different after 20 minutes."

Action Steps

  1. Create mood-specific playlists: Develop different playlists that match your various energy states (low, medium, high) with songs that can gradually shift your mood.

  2. Daily singing practice: Commit to 20-30 minutes of singing daily to experience the neurological and emotional benefits—think of it as "brain yoga."

  3. Remove judgment: Let go of self-criticism about your singing voice; focus on the process and benefits rather than performance quality.

  4. Combine movement with music: Dance while singing to amplify the benefits through full-body engagement and increased energy flow.

Resources Mentioned

  • SingFit - Therapeutic singing programs co-founded by Andy Tubman

Listen to the full episode:

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