Singing development as a sensorimotor interaction problem

Singing is a ubiquitous human behavior and plays a significant role in human culture and socialization. Research on children’s singing has focused on music instruction techniques for developing singers, yet little is known about the developmental mechanisms underlying singing acquisition. Recently, Berkowska and Dalla Bella (2009a) proposed a sensorimotor loop model of singing to explain poor singing ability in the adult population. Here, we review the literature on the development of singing during childhood in the context of the sensorimotor loop model of singing.