Why Is Music Central to Listening and Spoken Language Development

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Research shows that music and singing help spoken language development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing.¹

Did you know that when your baby listens to music their brain forms connections that build vocabulary and strengthen listening comprehension?

Music and singing activate your baby’s whole brain!

When you sing with your baby, you’re giving their brain lots of practice listening to different types of sounds in speech

These different sounds include:

Pitch (high and low)
Duration (long vs. short or choppy, like “weeeee” vs. “up, up, up”)
Intensity (loud vs. quiet)

All of these elements come together to shape how we talk! And a singing voice makes it easier for little listeners to hear and understand the meaning of sounds.

Bonus! Singing not only supports your baby’s listening and spoken language development, but it also makes for a fun social event and a great way to bond with your baby.²

Pro Parent Tip!

Singing with your baby is a two-way conversation where both you and your baby can participate! While musical toys, books, or videos can be fun, they can’t offer the same back-and-forth exchange as your voice and musical interactions. Your voice really is the best music for your baby.

¹Ritva Torppa, Minna Huotilainen, Why and how music can be used to rehabilitate and develop speech and language skills in hearing-impaired children, Hearing Research, Volume 380, 2019, Pages 108-122, ISSN 0378-5955, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2019.06.003.

²Lense, M., Shulz, S., Astesano, C., & Jones. W. (2022). Music of infant-directed singing entrains infants’ social visual behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 119 (45), e2116967119.

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Why Is Music Central to Listening and Spoken Language Development

Research shows that music and singing help spoken language development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing.¹

When you sing with your baby, you’re giving their brain lots of practice listening to different types of sounds in speech

Pro Parent Tip!

Explore More Support For Families of Children with Hearing Loss

Chapter Resources

Research shows that music and singing help spoken language development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing.1

When you sing with your baby, you’re giving their brain lots of practice listening to different types of sounds in speech

Pro Parent Tip!

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Research shows that music and singing help spoken language development in children who are deaf or hard of hearing.¹