Why We Sing

Singing makes you feel good. Everyone who sings in a community choir or just in the shower knows this, and relishes the sense of liberation, connection and sheer joy that singing can bring.

In this inspiring and thought-provoking memoir, singer and community music teacher Julia Hollander celebrates our impulse to sing, from the beginning to the end of life. Drawing on her personal experience as well as the fascinating recent findings of neurological research, she shows how we are hardwired to sing. She explores how our bodies create song, and how singing helps children acquire language. She shows how singing is an integral part of faith, and how it is embedded in political activism. She shares with us her experience of running singing groups with people with dementia and disability, and how learning singing can open up a new world for teenagers.

More than ever, singing has become important to people of all backgrounds as a way of dealing with the sense of hopelessness and loneliness in our busy, digitally focused lives. Julia describes her book as a singing memoir, and Why We Sing is for anyone who loves to sing.

'This book (and singing) is so great for the mind and soul!' -Jonathon Welch AM DUniv, Founding Artistic Director of Choir of Hard Knocks

'A passionate, personal and impeccably researched love letter to singing' -Astrid Jorgensen, Pub Choir



'A refreshing read that I recommend to all who are interested in our voice and how we use it.' - Brett Weymark, OAM, Artistic & Music Director, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs


'A wonderful read. To sing is to be happy and it feeds the soul.' -Peter Coleman-Wright AO, Pacific Opera