The Psychological and Biological Impact of “In-Person” vs. “Virtual” Choir Singing in Children and Adolescents: A Pilot Study Before and After the Acute Phase of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Austria

Abstract

Psychobiological responses to music have been examined previously in various naturalistic settings in adults. Choir singing seems to be associated with positive psychobiological outcomes in adults. However, evidence on the effectiveness of singing in children and adolescents is sparse. The COVID-19 outbreak is significantly affecting society now and in the future, including how individuals engage with music. The COVID-19 pandemic is occurring at a time when virtual participation in musical experiences such as singing in a virtual choir has become more prevalent. However, it remains unclear whether virtual singing leads to different responses in comparison with in-person singing. We evaluated the psychobiological effects of in-person choral singing (7 weeks, from January to March 2020, before the COVID-19 outbreak) in comparison with the effects of virtual choral singing (7 weeks, from May to July 2020, after schools partly re-opened in Austria) in a naturalistic pilot within-subject study. A group of children and young adolescents (N = 5, age range 10–13, female = 2) from a school in Salzburg, Austria were recruited to take part in the study. Subjective measures (momentary mood, stress) were taken pre- and post-singing sessions once a week. Additionally, salivary biomarkers (cortisol and alpha-amylase) and quantity of social contacts were assessed pre- and post-singing sessions every second week. Psychological stability, self-esteem, emotional competences, and chronic stress levels were measured at the beginning of in-person singing as well as at the beginning and the end of the virtual singing. We observed a positive impact on mood after both in-person and virtual singing. Over time, in-person singing showed a pre-post decrease in salivary cortisol, while virtual singing showed a moderate increase. Moreover, a greater reduction in stress, positive change in calmness, and higher values of social contacts could be observed for the in-person setting compared to the virtual one. In addition, we observed positive changes in psychological stability, maladaptive emotional competences, chronic stress levels, hair cortisol, self-contingency and quality of life. Our preliminary findings suggest that group singing may provide benefits for children and adolescents. In-person singing in particular seems to have a stronger psychobiological effect.

Music in times of COVID-19

“…In-person sessions were also associated with significant decreases in levels of salivary cortisol, whereas virtual sessions were associated with increases. The cortisol decreases for in-person sessions was mirrored by a decrease in self-reported stress levels, and an increase in self-reported calmness (Grebosz-Haring et al, 2021). This finding suggests that even though remote music therapy can be beneficial, in-person sessions may lead to enhanced efficacy.…”

“…This helped to provide patients with an additional avenue of support when they later transitioned out of the hospital environment. However, direct comparisons between in-person and virtual singing sessions for children indicate that there are greater benefits from in-person sessions (Grebosz-Haring, Schuchter-Wiegand, Feneberg, et al, 2021). A very small study that was conducted before and during the pandemic indicated that both in-person and…”

How health-focused choirs adapted to the virtual world during the COVID-19 pandemic – An international survey

“…There is currently a lack of evidence to support whether participants in health-focused choirs receive the same or similar benefits in online choir settings compared to in-person group singing. Preliminary research by Grebosz-Haring et al (2022) found that for school-aged children and adolescents, benefits of singing on mood were present in both face-to-face singing pre-COVID-19 and during online choir singing in 2020, but that psychobiological effects (on outcomes such as salivary cortisol, psychological stability, self-contingency and quality of life) were markedly greater for the in-person setting. A qualitative study by Thompson et al (2023) found that participants of a therapeutic choir for people living with dementia and care-partners experienced positive psychological benefits during online singing, however, the qualitative nature of this study and the fact that it was completed during the height of pandemic lockdowns make it difficult to draw conclusions about the ongoing benefits of online choir participation.…”

The need for robust critique of arts and health research: Dance‐movement therapy, girls, and depression

“…(p. 13) Guided by this view, we planned to undertake a systematic review of controlled studies of creative arts activities/arts therapy for children and young people experiencing mental health problems based on earlier pilot studies in Salzburg. [4][5][6] However, our preparatory work revealed some concerns. The first regarded the quality of the published research on the effects of arts programs and therapy for young people with mental health challenges, and the second was a lack of critical evaluation in recent reviews of this literature.…”