We’ve all seen footage of people taking to their balconies to sing and play instruments together amid the coronavirus lockdown. But why is that?

Gunter Kreutz, who teaches at the University of Oldenburg, has published a book on the mental health benefits of singing, among other things. The musicologist says “in crises, music has a very strong function to balance people, and show them there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Produced by Benjamin Restle