Helping Young Voices Find Their Place in Music by Joining Choirs

At Buffalo Friends of Music, we welcome stories that highlight opportunities for young people to discover the joy of making music. An initiative in England offers an encouraging example of how communities can help the next generation find their voice.

In February 2026, the Church of England announced £400,000 (approximately US$529,000) in funding for “The Choir Project,” a partnership with the Royal School of Church Music. The three-year program will help more than 200 churches establish or renew choirs for children and young people.

The investment addresses a significant gap: according to the announcement, 57 percent of local church choirs have no children participating. The project will also train choir leaders and recruit volunteers to support young singers.

Although rooted in England’s tradition of Christian worship, the initiative invites a broader conversation about how we introduce children to music. A choir can offer a

place to practice, build friendships, learn from experienced musicians, and experience the satisfaction of contributing to a shared performance.

For those of us who care about the future of music in Buffalo, this story offers inspiration. Supporting young musicians begins with creating opportunities—and welcoming them when they arrive.

Through our high school scholarship program, Buffalo Friends of Music celebrates young musical talent in our own community. We are encouraged to see investment in the next generation of musicians, whether here at home or across the Atlantic.

Read the Church of England's announcement about The Choir Project.

Click here to learn about our high school scholarship program.

Supporting the Next Generation of Musicians

GBFOM Scholarship Program a resounding success!

In 2026, GBFOM awarded three $1,000 scholarships to high school graduates who will pursue music at the collegiate level. The Scholarship Committee was chaired by Patricia Hills and included Priscilla Wiedl, Peter Angelakos, and Allyn Foster. Read about the program here.

PHOTO: Left to right: Patricia Hills, winner Charlotte Zgliczynski, and Priscilla Wiedl.

Celebrating the 2026 GBFOM three $1,000 Scholarship recipients—and catching up with our 2025 winner Austin Vitello!

Eva Sanchez of West Seneca, an Orchard Park High School graduate, will study music composition at SUNY Fredonia.

Olivia Zientek of Hamburg, a violinist, will continue her music studies at Berklee in Boston.

Charlotte Zgliczynski of Lancaster will pursue bassoon performance at The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Our 2025 inaugural recipient, Austin Vitello, shares below how the $1,000 Scholarship has impacted his life this past year.

"I have had a very rewarding musical year. Last summer, I was selected to perform with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA). Members of this highly prestigious ensemble are chosen through a rigorous national audition process. Each selected member receives a full scholarship that covers all participation fees, travel expenses, meals and housing, generously provided by Carnegie Hall. The orchestra, conducted by Maestro Gianandrea Noseda and featuring soloist Ray Chen, performed at Carnegie Hall and then toured major concert halls across the Pacific Rim, including Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul. Needless to say, it was an incredible six weeks.

In September, I began my first year at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, Texas. I love it there. I am fortunate to study with my internationally recognized bassoon teacher, Professor Benjamin Kamins, and I have already learned so much under his guidance. In addition to my weekly lessons and studio classes, I participated in masterclasses and performed in chamber music and symphony orchestra concerts, as well as the freshman recital. Because the Shepherd School’s enrollment is intentionally kept small and selective, every student, regardless of age, receives ample performance opportunities. At the conclusion of my first two semesters, I was very proud to have earned an overall university GPA of 3.85.

Currently, during summer 2026, I am enjoying a fellowship at the Kent Blossom Music Festival in Ohio. I have had a wonderful time making music with my peers, and I am looking forward to the program’s final concert, which will feature a side-by-side performance with The Cleveland Orchestra.

For the future, I am eagerly looking forward to my second year at Rice, and I hope to start auditioning professionally this fall."

Austin Vitello

2025 GBFOM Scholarship Winner

For more information about the annual Greater Buffalo Friends of Music High School Scholarship Program, visit our Young Musicians page.

Science Reveals the Surprising Health Benefits of Singing

If you love to sing, you’re in luck!

Research shows that using your voice comes with a surprising range of health benefits. From improving lung function to helping you relax, there are plenty of good reasons to belt out your favorite tunes—even if you’re slightly off-key.

Singing stimulates the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain through the throat and vocal cords to organs throughout the body. As part of the parasympathetic nervous system, it helps regulate breathing, heart rate, and digestion. Research suggests that stronger vagal tone is linked to better physical and mental health, as well as a faster return to calm after stress.

Reducing stress through singing is even linked to strengthening the immune system by increasing beneficial antibodies. And singing has also been found to help reduce pain and improve people’s heart rate and blood pressure. One study even suggests that singing can give the heart and lungs a workout similar to a brisk walk on a treadmill.

One of the most striking benefits of singing is its potential to support brain recovery after injury. This was seen in the case of Gabrielle Giffords, who used familiar songs from childhood as part of speech therapy after surviving a gunshot wound to the head in 2011. Singing helped her gradually regain verbal fluency over time.

Similar techniques are now used with stroke survivors, as singing provides the repetition needed to rebuild connections between the brain’s hemispheres. It is also thought to support neuroplasticity, helping the brain rewire itself and form new neural pathways. Research shows that singing can even help people with Parkinson’s improve speech clarity.

One recent study showed that singing also helped people with long Covid. After six weeks of working with professional singers in the English National Opera, participants reported fewer breathing difficulties and better overall well-being.

“For some people, living with breathlessness can result in them changing the way they breathe, so that it becomes irregular and inefficient,” says Keir Philip, a clinical lecturer in respiratory medicine at Imperial College London. “Some singing-based approaches help this in terms of the muscles used, the rhythm, and the depth [of breathing], which can help improve symptoms.”

While the physical benefits of singing are fascinating in their own right, the social side of singing has also been shown to play a powerful role in our health. Singing in groups, in particular, is linked to higher levels of psychological well-being than singing alone. Researchers studying community choirs for cancer survivors, stroke survivors, people living with Parkinson’s disease, and people living with dementia, and their caregivers, have found that group singing can reduce feelings of isolation, improve mood, and even strengthen immune systems.

So, don’t worry if you don’t have perfect pitch. Turn up the music and sing. Your body might thank you for it.

Source: Emma Taggart Why singing is surprisingly good for your health