The Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Benefits of SING!

Imagine stepping onto a grand stage—lights are blazing; the audience is buzzing with anticipation. Your heart races; your mind sharpens; and, for a moment, you become someone else. This is SING!: Stuyvesant’s annual student-led performance that is also an inter-grade competition, with whirlwinds of creativity, camaraderie, and controlled chaos. The popular production challenges students to act, sing, dance, and direct. Beyond the excitement, SING! secretly strengthens the brain, shaping emotional intelligence and forging lifelong social skills. Every line memorized; every note sung; and every step danced activates key cognitive skills, turning this performance into a powerful training ground for the mind.

Participating in SING! demands extensive memorization of scripts, song lyrics, and choreography, as well as thoughtful coordination between members of each team. This engages multiple areas of the brain responsible for memory and learning, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a region essential for executive function and decision-making. The PFC is activated through synaptic firing in the PFC’s dorsolateral and ventromedial regions, both of which are crucial for organizing information, managing goal-directed behavior, and suppressing distractions. 

Synapses are the places where neurons connect and transmit information and impulses to one another. Synaptic plasticity refers to the ability of these synapses to strengthen or weaken in response to varying levels of stimulation. Engagement of the PFC over time promotes a process called long-term potentiation (LTP), during which repeated neural activation strengthens synaptic connections. LTP occurs when persistent stimulation increases neurotransmitter release and receptor sensitivity, reinforcing frequently used neural pathways. This enhances the efficiency of neural circuits that support working memory and attentional flexibility. While rehearsing for SING!, these neural adaptations help the PFC manage competing demands, such as delivering lines while adjusting to changes in stage positions. 

Similarly, memory consolidation depends on the hippocampus, a key structure in the medial temporal lobe that encodes and retrieves semantic memories (general knowledge and facts), episodic memories, personalized experiences, and events. The hippocampus interacts with the PFC via glutamatergic pathways—which play a crucial role in normal physiological functions—to reinforce the brain’s retention of lines and choreography. Each rehearsal for SING! therefore strengthens synaptic connectivity between these regions, optimizing recall speed and activity. 

Apart from rehearsal, portraying diverse characters in SING! strengthens both affective and cognitive empathy—the abilities to understand others’ emotions and perspectives, respectively. These processes are mediated by the mirror neuron system (MNS), a network of neurons in the premotor cortex that activates when individuals observe or simulate others’ actions. The MNS allows performers to internalize and reflect emotions, enhancing their abilities to genuinely experience and convey the feelings of their characters. This internal application helps performers create a deeper emotional connection to their roles and foster stronger social bonds with their peers. 

In addition, emotional engagement on stage activates the amygdala, the brain’s primary center for emotion processing. The amygdala encodes emotional memories, especially those associated with intense experiences such as acting. Over time, repeated exposure to emotionally complex roles—such as those of SING!—strengthens the connectivity between the amygdala, MNS, and PFC, improving emotional regulation and resilience. This process not only enhances emotional depth in performances but also helps actors become more adaptable in managing real life emotions. 

Emotional resilience can also involve stress regulation. Performing under pressure initially activates a neuroendocrine system called hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands. Cortisol is the primary stress hormone that increases sugar in the bloodstream and enhances the brain’s use of glucose, providing quick energy for the body’s fight-or-flight response. However, repeated exposure to stage stress may result in stress inoculation, in which controlled exposure to stress helps the body and brain build a more efficient response system. This results in reduced baseline cortisol levels, improved emotional regulation, and greater resilience against stress over time. 

For example, experienced performers may exhibit increased nervous system activity known as vagal tone, which enhances stronger activity in the parasympathetic system and plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s relaxation response. High vagal tone is associated with a more adaptive response to stress, since it helps regulate the heart rate and promotes quicker recovery after emotional arousal. This allows performers to calm down more effectively after a performance, reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation as well as emotional well-being.

Moreover, Stuyvesant’s SING! operates entirely on a student-led model, demanding collective problem-solving and leadership across all grades and departments. The dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) is a brain region heavily involved in strategization and conflict resolution, such as when balancing creative visions with logistical constraints; fMRI studies have shown that engaging the DLPFC strengthens neural circuits responsible for theory of mind, the ability to anticipate and interpret others’ intentions, which is a crucial skill for teamwork. Additionally, the PFC interacts with the anterior insula, a region linked to emotional self-awareness and interpersonal sensitivity. This neural cooperation enables students to navigate social interaction with greater empathy and situational awareness, fostering both cooperative and leadership skills. Over time, these adaptations improve self-assurance and resilience in high-pressure speaking situations—skills that extend beyond theater into academic and professional settings. 

SING! is not merely a high school tradition; it is a neurological training ground that enhances cognitive function, emotional intelligence, and social adaptability. By engaging in acting, singing, dancing, playing music, and directing, students refine circuits essential for memory retrieval, decision-making, and emotional regulation. As students take their final bows, they leave not only as better performers but as more resilient, adaptable, and empathetic individuals who are equipped with skills that will serve them far beyond the stage.