Sometimes our culture wants us to turn out critical thinking off. (“All the time,” shouted a student when I said that in rehearsal. “So we’ll buy stuff.”)
We all need an antidote, then, to the numbing presence of our culture on our conscious brains. And singing in the choir is a perfect antidote.
You can’t make music with a group very well unless you are consciously keyed in to the exact moment you are in. Dynamics, articulations, vowels, balance, phrasing, intonation, and more – they all require intent. They all require conscious thought and in-the-moment thinking. You cannot have a superior musical experience with a numbed brain.
Just another benefit to singing in the choir.