Page 140 - Glasbenopedagoški zbornik Akademije za glasbo, letnik 20, zvezek 40 ◆ The Journal of Music Education of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, volume 20, issue 40

Limitations
glasbenopedagoški zbornik ◆ letnik/volume 20 ◆ številka/number 40

Our research aimed to predominantly concentrate on adolescents as the prima-
ry participant group; however, the limited availability of studies meeting this
criteria necessitated the inclusion of studies involving adults in the sample. The
inclusion criteria of English-language studies further narrowed the selection,
potentially limiting the generalizability of findings. Additionally, some studies
lacked comprehensive information on singing frequency and data collection
instruments, introducing challenges for objective comparisons and analyses.
Moreover, the methodological diversity, participant demographic variations,
and disparate outcome measures across the selected studies pose a substantial
challenge for direct comparisons. Another notable limitation is that only one
person reviewed the studies, which may introduce a potential bias and could
benefit from additional perspectives for a more comprehensive assessment.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review explored the effects of choral singing on the various di-
mensions, synthesizing findings from 12 selected studies, encompassing diverse
methodologies and participants’ demographics. The aim was to investigate in
what ways choral singing contributes to different dimensions of wellbeing: psy-
chological, social, emotional, cognitive and physical. We also wanted to iden-
tify differences in wellbeing level between adolescents and adults, as well as to
explore predominant aspects of wellbeing frequently assessed in the literature.
Across all studies, in both adolescents and adults, choral singing demon-
strated a consistent positive impact on psychological, social, emotional, physi-
cal and cognitive benefits. Psychological wellbeing emerged as a dominant fo-
cus (n = 12), with participants reporting enhanced quality of life, increased life
satisfaction, a sense of purpose, accomplishment, improved personality traits,
and higher motivation. These findings underscore the comprehensive psycho-
logical benefits associated with singing in a choir, which are consistent re-
gardless of age group. Social wellbeing was explored in the eleven of the revi-
ewed studies (n = 11) and the benefits included: a strong sense of belonging,
social inclusion, identity formation, positive interpersonal relationships, and
elements of Self-Determination Theory (higher competence, autonomy and re-
latedness). It highlights the power of choral singing activity in fostering social
connectedness, strengthening community and social support networks. Emo-
tional wellbeing was highlighted in ten studies (n = 10), with participants expe-
riencing improved mood, reduced stress, feelings of calmness, and relaxation,
which is crucial in reducing the negative impacts of everyday life stress and en-
hancing overall mental health. Cognitive benefits were documented in seven
studies (n = 7), showing improvements in concentration, focus, musical skills,

140