I was feeling it in such an incredible way last year when a friend of mine was dying of cancer.Weeks after Ms Russell's friend died last December, a song from the funeral, Carole King's You've Got a Friend, was coincidentally picked for the group to sing.Ms Russell stood there and wept while choir members, unaware of her friend's death, put their arms around her."I didn't know anyone there well enough to tell them what was happening in my life at the time," she said."But I didn't have to talk about it She isn't new to group singing, but no choirs have left her feeling as awe-inspired as Monday nights at Slapdash due to Mr Peck's focus on harmonies."He sometimes puts us in five parts of harmony and there is something so beautiful about singing like that with 120 people," she said."When we come together in harmony is such a magical moment that feels like you're inside a big warm hug."It's such a physical, visceral sensation."Ms Mitchell often arrives exhausted, stressed and burnt out from her demanding role, and leaves feeling revived and energised.Sandra Garrido, a senior research fellow in brain sciences at The University of Sydney, has studied the connection of music and wellbeing, including treating ill mental health for adolescents and dementia for older people.Dr Garrido said the COVID-19 pandemic emphasised how singing in groups was used as a source of coping, citing the viral videos of quarantined Italians caroling on their balconies to keep up morale as an example."Our brain rewards behaviour that is good for us