"When we ask the question, 'what makes people sing together?', we may be coming from the wrong premise; trying to justify a human activity by its immediate advantage to the life of the species. This is a problem of western civilization - we've managed to separate "art" from daily life and thus subverted it. If we can start from the other end, with the premise we've been born with ears and voices and ask 'what are they for?' - the question becomes more fundamental.
Music is inherently social. We sing together because this physical art unites both sides of the brain: our reasoning powers and our emotions. Can this possibly be its principal function? That we are more "whole" when we sing than at any other time?
Is it possible that the ills of our society - alienation, anger, addiction, depression, loneliness, and much mental and physical trauma could be cured or at least alleviated by an immediate program encouraging choral singing?" (Composer and arranger Alice Parker)