
Glee club for grown-ups sees families connect through song in Waterloo, Ont.
CBC
A new glee club for grown-ups is giving some families in Waterloo region a chance to connect through song, both inside the group and out.
Pop Therapy is run by K-W Glee, an award-winning youth pop choir. The adult cohort has 110 members who, in January, began meeting several times a month at Emmanuel United Church in Waterloo, Ont.
Amanda Kind, the artistic director for K-W Glee, said Pop Therapy is made up everyone from amateurs to professional musicians and the group's name is a nod to the social and emotional benefits of music.
The name is a play on the social value of choirs and singing in groups.
In a 2018 interview with CBC, McGill University psychology professor Daniel Levitin said oxytocin, a chemical involved in social bonding, can be activated in these settings.
"It's believed to give rise to the feelings of togetherness and friendship that comes from singing together," Levitin said.
Kind said they chose the name Pop Therapy "because we know that people need an outlet just to hang out with friends and this is a constructive place to sing and there are goals in place, but it's also really fun."
"It shows us that adults, just like kids, need activities in their lives."
Mikayla Lane and her husband Ryan met through K-W Glee eight years ago and are now doing Pop Therapy together.
"I think it helps to have that mutual passion that we both have, and I think it's something that's always brought us together throughout our eight-year relationship," Ryan Lane told CBC K-W.
"Music's always been a huge part of our relationship, and I think it always will be."
The group sings a variety of pop and rock covers, including Queen, Alanis Morissette or musicals like Rent.
"It's really nice that we were able to be in the performing arts together, so we know that the other really enjoys singing," Mikayla Lane said.
JP Sunga was inspired to join Pop Therapy by his son Jaryn, who has been in K-W Glee since 2019.