LINKING SINGING SKILL DEVELOPMENT TO LIFE SATISFACTION: EVIDENCE FROM BOYS’ CHOIRS
Keywords:
singing, singing skills, boys’ choir, life satisfaction, collective music-makingAbstract
Although singing has been shown to affect life satisfaction, little is known about children’s choir contexts. This study examines the interplay between the development of singing skills and the level of life satisfaction in children and adolescents, with a particular focus on the context of boys’ choirs. Collective music-making, including singing in choirs, is a multifaceted activity that simultaneously involves musical, cognitive, emotional, and social competencies, contributing significantly to the personal development and quality of life of children and youth. Although a substantial body of research addresses the impact of singing on adults’ emotional well-being, the relationship between singing skills and life satisfaction among children and adolescents especially in the choral context remains underexplored.
Highlighting the relevance of this study, it must be noted that regular and structured participation in school choirs not only fosters vocal and musical skills but also promotes emotional balance, social integration, and the enhancement of cognitive functions. Thus, singing may serve as an important psychosocial and pedagogical instrument in the lives of students, helping to reveal how musical activities influence young people’s subjective well-being and life satisfaction.
To achieve the aims of the study, an adapted online testing platform, LongGold Latvia, was employed. This platform integrates standardized and customized instruments to assess singing skills, musical perception, and levels of life satisfaction. Such an approach provides comprehensive and quantitatively comparable data, enabling the analysis of the associations between singing and musical abilities and the life satisfaction of children and adolescents. The study thereby offers valuable contributions to both the field of music pedagogy and the exploration of youth psychological well-being. Findings indicate that choir participants scored significantly higher on life satisfaction and rhythmic singing ability than non-participants (boys without prior experience in choral singing). This suggests that structured choral singing can be an effective tool for supporting youth well-being.
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