A recent study has reportedly found that singing in a choir may strengthen breathing capacity and decrease depression and anxiety in children.
The study, which was developed by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and published in Pediatric Cardiology, revealed that choir singing improves perceived school functioning in kids who are born with a single heart ventricle.
This intervention notably included in-person and online singing and breathing instruction and was developed and trialed in collaboration with Northwestern University Bienen School of Music.
What Did the Study Find?
Children born with a single ventricle reportedly undergo three surgeries and face physical and psychosocial challenges. Kids have to undergo the Fontan procedure when they reach 3-4 years of age.
During these surgeries, surgeons reroute oxygen-poor blood from the upper and lower body, allowing blood to flow passively to the lungs.
While lifesaving, this procedure can result in weaker lungs, resulting in decreased exercise tolerance and easy tiredness with activity. Affected children may also face heart failure, generating a need for a heart transplant.
Kendra Ward, MD, MSCI, lead author and Director of the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Lab and Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Lurie Children’s, said, “We offered our Fontan patients participation in the choir in hopes to provide a fun way to support their lungs and psychosocial development.”
She revealed kids “really enjoyed” the participation, with many expressing that the choir gave them a sense of camaraderie and helped them feel less alone.
The Study Recorded Positive Growth In Children’s Well-Being
The choir included 14 patients, aged between 8 and 16 years. They participated in the program for eight weeks. The study also provided weekly private voice instruction and group instruction, for 30 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively.
Participants were also given access to an online program to practice singing and breathing exercises.
After the program concluded, assessments demonstrated improvements in some breathing measures. Self-reports of depression and well-being also showed positive scores.
Meanwhile, parent reports of school function showed reductions in depression and anxiety in children.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ward, who is also a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said they hope to launch a larger and multicenter study of the choir intervention in 2027.
“We also are starting a non-study choir this fall, since the kids and families wanted to keep it going. In the future, we’d like to branch out and include children with congenital heart disease who have other diagnoses,” she explained.
