“If there is a song in your soul, sing it out loud — whether in your car on your morning commute or at karaoke with friends. It’s okay if you are not the next Beyoncé.” These encouraging words reflect a truth Catholics have long known but often forget: music is not reserved for the experts. It’s a gift from God meant for all of us — not just to hear, but to make.
Music stirs the soul and lifts the heart toward God. St. Augustine famously said, “He who sings prays twice.” It’s not about perfection, but participation. Music can be a sacred act of joy, healing, and community. Even science agrees. “Nobody says you shouldn’t jog if you are not good at it,” said Daniel Levitin, a professor emeritus of neuroscience at McGill University. “That’s not the point.” If the goal is movement — for the body or the soul — then effort, not excellence, is what matters.
Engaging with music, even imperfectly, can be deeply beneficial for mental and emotional well-being. According to Daniel Bowling, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine, “It can move us emotionally, it can move us physically, it can connect us to other people,” — all key aspects of mental health. Singing praises to God, strumming a guitar in thanksgiving, or simply humming a melody in private prayer invites us into a fuller experience of grace and presence.
We are not called to perform but to participate. “You get some agency, you get ownership over what’s happening and you can control it,” Bowling said of singing or playing music ourselves. In a culture obsessed with perfection and performance, Catholics are invited to reclaim music as an act of praise and a pathway to community. Levitin echoes this by saying music strengthens our brain as we age and “facilitates neuroplasticity and the making of new neural connections even if you’re not any good at it.” The body benefits, the brain grows, and the soul rejoices.
And music doesn’t only benefit us individually — it bonds us together. “Singing in a group is the best possible way of ego dissolving that helps you feel more connected to the people around you and more a part of something larger,” Levitin explained. Isn’t that precisely what the Church is — a people connected through Christ, lifted together in common song?
Studies back this up. Singing with others has been shown to decrease stress hormones like cortisol and increase oxytocin, the hormone linked to social bonding (according to Bowling). One study even found that group singing served as an effective icebreaker and deepened feelings of closeness. These are not just secular benefits; they echo the Church’s vision of communion, fellowship, and sacramental community.
So how do you begin?
Levitin says, “The advice I have for playing an instrument and singing is, it’s never too late to start.” You don’t need to join a choir or master an instrument. Bowling advises: “If you don’t feel comfortable doing it with others around, you can also start in the privacy of your shower or car.” Just start. Listen, tap along, sing softly, then sing loudly. Let music lead your heart to God.
Most importantly, shift your mindset. “Focus on engagement, not mastery,” Bowling said. That’s the Catholic way — participation over perfection. After all, our faith teaches that God looks not at the appearance, but at the heart.
The final, perhaps most freeing advice comes again from Levitin, who once took singing lessons from Joni Mitchell: “Stop trying to sound like a singer and just let the story of the song come out.”
So sing your story. Sing your joy. Sing your sorrow. Whether in chant, hymn, or hallelujah — let your soul make music. It’s good for your brain, your heart, and your walk with God.
