SAM'Chante choirs
The SAM'Chante choirs are a choir project for people with Alzheimer's or aphasia, for whom singing becomes a real source of well-being and health.
Thanks to weekly workshop-meetings to which caregivers are also invited, our choirs offer a warm environment where participants benefit fully from the many advantages of choral singing, accompanied by the kindness and talent of accomplished choral conductors.
These musical encounters aim to work on words, voice, breathing and coordination. Thanks to singing, music and its interaction with the brain, participants in these choirs are able to sing along, while sharing lasting memories associated with the songs.
SAM'chante choir at the Centre AVC-Aphasie
Laval, with choir director
Tiphaine Legrand.
In collaboration with the Institut universitaire
de gériatrie de Montréal and choral conductor
Elizabeth Bacon.
At the Maison des aînés de Chomedey,
with choir director Julien Patenaude.
Why choral singing?
Whether it's learning new songs or revisiting familiar ones, choral singing is not only an enjoyable activity, it also has many beneficial effects on physical, social and mental health.
Promoting well-being: choral singing has a positive and significant impact on cognitive function in people suffering from aphasia and Alzheimer's disease. Working on diaphragmatic breathing also reduces stress and anxiety.
Forming social bonds: group singing helps create a sense of belonging, forming bonds by connecting with others and breaking down isolation.
Improved mood : music activates the secretion of dopamine: the happiness hormone!
"Recent research has shown that the pleasure of making music is increased tenfold when we make it together. Not only do we resist pain better, but we also integrate better into the group." Isabelle Peretz, C.M. O.Q. MSRC (US)NAS