Singing from infancy to puberty: an affront to laryngeal physiology or an opportunity?

The acquisition of musical skills is a natural process for children and wide evidence supports positive effects of music-related activities on their emotional regulation, mood and cognition. By the age of one year, the child begins to imitate songs or simple melodies and his musical skills progress during infancy until he becomes able to sing in tune and maintain a consistent rhythm, allowing him to participate in group music activities, such as choirs, bands, or classroom musical games. On the other hand, singing is a challenge to the fragile anatomy of the vocal apparatus of the child and vocal pathologies are very common in general children population. Evidence on this topic is very limited, but two studies support lower levels of dysphonia in the young singers. A proper musical education is of course the best way to introduce the child to singing through the discovery of the voice as a means of expression, without inducing tension or effort in the vocal production apparatus. Particularly during the voice change in puberty, a careful management of the singer’s voice is required from the singing teacher, according to progressive voice mutation. Anyway, at the first signs of vocal fatigue, it is important to refer the child to an ENT or phoniatric evaluation and, if necessary, speech therapy.