This story originally appeared in Fanfare Fall 2024.
A multidisciplinary team of Northwestern researchers is examining the use of singing and breathwork to improve the psychological and social well-being of children worldwide.
The Music for Childhood Well-Being Initiative, codirected by associate professor of music education Sarah Bartolome and the Feinberg School of Medicine’s Nicole St. Jean, includes experts in music education, vocal pedagogy, psychology, and biomedical engineering—all united by their mission of developing new approaches to addressing the youth mental health crisis.
Mental health challenges have become prevalent among youth across the globe—during the COVID-19 pandemic, stressors such as social isolation, missed milestones, family tension, and political unrest heightened young people’s anxiety and depressive symptoms. Chronic stress and anxiety in the formative years produce lasting effects, disrupting the brain’s developing architecture and creating adverse consequences for learning, behavior, and health.
“Broadly, we’re trying to leverage the power of group singing and intentional breathwork to support children’s health and well-being,” Bartolome says. “Our research aims to establish a robust body of evidence supporting the notion that singing together can have a positive impact on children around the world.”
Researchers are gathering physiological, psychological, and behavioral data that could support music as an effective intervention for therapeutic outcomes. The group completed a comprehensive analysis of existing literature on the relationships between music and well-being that informed the design of a musical intervention to support children’s mental health through group singing and breathwork.
"Our team believes that music has a significant role to play in supporting human health and well-being globally."
- Sarah Bartolome
To measure the intervention’s physiological effects, the group partnered with the Rogers Research Group at Northwestern, using its wireless wearable sensors to transmit data on heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration, movement, and speech. Using heart rate variability as a proxy for stress, the team is examining how the intervention may lower stress in children. In addition to biometric data, researchers are using psychological screeners and an app called WellCheq to track the intervention’s impact on the children’s self-reported levels of anxiety and sense of well-being. The team also interviews the children after every session so they can share their experiences.
The goal of the research is to provide evidence for and improve understanding of how music might serve as a low-cost, accessible response to mental health concerns across diverse cultural contexts. The intervention is designed not to target children with particular mental health challenges but rather to intentionally support the well-being of all children, regardless of background. Through this important work, researchers are gaining new insights into the physiological and psychological effects of group singing and breathwork on mental health and well-being.
The project received two years of seed funding and support from Northwestern’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and has since been awarded major grants from the Grammy and Cyrus Tang Foundations to expand research nationally and internationally. Thus far, the team has worked with colleagues at England’s York St. John University, Mexico’s Universidad Iberoamericana, China’s Hainan Normal University, and the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music.
“Our team believes that music has a significant role to play in supporting global human health and well-being,” Bartolome says. “While we are currently pursuing this large-scale, multisite research investigation, the longer-term goal of the Music for Childhood Well-Being Initiative is to create evidence-based resources that can be disseminated globally, providing children, families, and communities around the world with access to musical experiences that support mental and physical wellness.
“Ultimately, we hope to establish the Bienen School of Music as a global leader in the field of research on music and health. This is just the beginning.”