BROOKINGS – A new choral group in Brookings called the Brookings Community Sing is a meeting of the minds and a gathering of voices of those who simply have the need to sing and are looking for an outlet to do so.

“I am feeling the need to sing. This feeling kind of kept nudging and just wouldn’t stop,” said Phyllis Cole-Dai, the founder of the group.

A few weeks ago, Cole-Dai called some people she knew who loved singing just as much as her and told them to also reach out to anyone who wanted to sing. She also reached out to those she had never met before but knew they loved to sing. 

When The Brookings Register met with the group of six, most of them had never even met before and brought nothing with them but the desire to sing.

“Unlike a community chorus or church choir, a community sing is about ordinary people joining their friends and neighbors in a public place to sing, just for the fun of it,” according to Kelsey Menehan of Chorus America. There are community sings across the nation.

Brookings Community Sing’s first gathering this month drew 17 singers, and they plan to meet from 5:30-7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month at the Brookings Arts Council, 524 Fourth St.

“A big part of this that’s different from a choir is that choir is practicing to perform, and the emphasis here is participations and just being with one another, building a connection amongst one another and enjoying the music and enjoying the fellowship,” Cole-Dai said.

“At our initial planning, something that came up in that session was how effective music is in building community, and that singing together creates community,” said Dianne Nagy, one of the attendees. 

Another member, Karen Eidem, added, “Music helps us open our mind to new cultures and new perspectives.”

The intent of the group, beyond the “pure joy” of singing, said Pat Anderson, is to utilize the unifying capabilities of singing. To be a part of the Brookings Community Sing, the only thing someone needs to bring is their voice. Nothing about an individual’s race, creed, gender, age or singing capabilities should inhibit one from joining.

“Come as you are,” Cole-Dai said.

“People who love singing need a place they can come together and do that, and without an agenda. You know, so often the things that we’re doing – relative to music, if it’s still in our lives – we’re having to go practice-practice-practice, and it’s just loose, it’s casual,” Cole-Dai added. “We’re hoping that some of the choir directors and music teachers just drop in and be able to sing for the sheer fun of it. We want the emphasis to be on fun.”

The group members say they feel a deep connection to singing, and the roots of music are “ancient” and “evolutionary.” 

Singing has been found to connect people since the beginning of history. 

According to studies completed by Harvard University and cited by the choral group, there is evidence showing that music betters the mental and physical health of human beings, whether the music comes from listening or participating.

The singers also referenced a theory about the reasoning as to why the range of hearing by humans is at the same capacity of the sound that birds produce. According to a PBS article written by Gareth Huw Davies, humans evolved to specifically listen to the sound of birds because where the birds were was where there was both food and a safe place to rest.

“The human auditory range is based on bird-song. And they think that is because birds knew where it was good to live, and so there was security into knowing where the birds were. So, when you think about that, there is security in song as well,” Cole-Dai said.

For more information about Brookings Community Sing, visit the group’s Facebook page or visit the Brookings Arts Council calendar page at brookingsartscouncil.org. 

The group’s next meeting time is set for 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 5 at the Brookings Arts Council, 524 Fourth St.

Contact Matthew Rhodes at mrhodes@brookingsregister.com.