Rita, you are so right about the physiological benefits of singing. I had a bad respiratory infection several years ago and I couldn't sing. (I've never been able to sing well, but that's another story.) I called my method Low Impact Aerobic Singing. I started singing something gentle, and when I could do that, I progressed to High Impact Aerobic Singing. I worked for a long time on Mary Ellen Carter, a real belt-it-out song. I learned to pace myself so that I could sing the entire song. That was hard. When I could do it, I kept doing it for a while. Then I worked on singing the same song one octave higher, which took more breath, and paced myself until I could do it. It certainly felt good to be able to do it.

I really don't mean to divert the discussion from Barry and his recovery. I just want to say that singing in the ICU is wonderful. I hope it means that his body and his spirirt are both strong.