Whilst there is a growing body of literature on singing and children and young people’s mental health and well-being, there are still gaps in specific research topics. Much like adult-focused research, the literature is primarily exploring the impacts of group singing (with self-selecting participants, risking potential for bias).

Research on one-to-one singing for mental health and well-being tends to lean towards Music Therapy interventions.

The positive effects of engagement with music on personal and social development only occur if it is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. This has implications for the quality of the leadership and facilitation. It is suggested that personal qualities of the leader are crucial to the effectiveness of a (group) singing programme.

In a 2019 paper by Dingle et al, there are recommendations for future research. These include considering longer term follow-up with participants, a consideration about the outcomes being linked with the professional training/background of the practitioners and there needs to be more information and research into the characteristics of effective singing leaders.