Singfit is a free
iPhone and iPad app, based on the concept music therapy, assisting a person to
sing alone the specially preselected classical tunes to activate triggered by
music brain performance. That helps to slow down and diminish the negative
signs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and to escalate recovery for the
viral body functions as ability to speak, impaired by, for example, traumatic
brain injuries and strokes, traffic accidents and other substantial traumas.
The app provides
users with an eclectic assortment of sing-along selections, ranging from
Foghat’s “Slow Ride” to Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Buffalo Soldier.”
Numerous studies
support the fact that singing in general can have multiple health benefits.
Professor Graham Welch, Chair of Music Education at the University of London,
puts it like this:
“The health benefits
of singing are both physical and psychological. Singing has physical benefits
because it is an aerobic activity that increases oxygenation in the bloodstream
and exercises major muscle groups in the upper body, even when sitting. Singing
has psychological benefits because of its normally positive effect in reducing
stress levels through the action of the endocrine system, which is linked to
our sense of emotional well-being.”
While Dr. Daniel
Levitian, author of the New York Times’ bestseller This is Your Brain
on Music sums it up like this: “Listening to, and even more so, singing or
playing music can alter our brain chemistry associated with well-being, stress
reduction, and immune system fortitude.”
SingFit can help
bring the joyful, communication-enhancing act of singing to the
patient-caregiver relationship. Since the SingFit app and a collection of
public domain songs are free to download for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, it’s
easy to try out the app for yourself. You’ll find that because one doesn’t need
to be able to read or even see, SingFit is the perfect activity for seniors,
people with neurological or physical impairments and those with developmental
delays.
So, what is SingFit
exactly? SingFit is easy-to-use software that utilizes spoken word
prompting to feed the words of a song to a singer, right before they need to be
sung. This means that a singer does not need to be able to read or even see to
sing the words of the song perfectly. The lyrics are spoken to the singer
during SingFit’s specially selected and recorded songs. Note that SingFit is
not exactly a Karaoke application. In traditional karaoke a singer must read
the words of the song. For that reason, people with certain conditions like
Alzheimer’s, special needs or low vision typically have been excluded from
using karaoke to sing. Plus, it is possible that being freed up from having to
read the words of the song makes for a more spontaneous and enjoyable
experience.
Screenshots:
System Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires
iOS 4.3 or later.
Cost: SingFit is free to download and comes with
five FREE, fun-to-sing standards including When the Saints Go Marching In,
House of the Rising Sun and Home on the Range. Look for the free songs on the
Featured screen of the SingFit song catalog. A $12.99 a month subscription
gives unlimited access to SingFit’s catalog of hit songs from multiple eras
& genres.
Rating: 5 out of
5
List of available
tracks: http://www.musicalhealthtech.com/singfit-music-catalog/
Developers’ page:
http://www.musicalhealthtech.com/singfit/
Video Presentation:
