Skip to main content
for

Singing as therapy for children with rare heart defect

Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern Bienen School of Music present ‘The Fontan Choir’

  • Study investigates how singing and breathwork can help improve the physical and mental health of children with a congenital heart condition 
  • Researchers hope to expand the ‘singing as therapy’ model for children who have undergone multiple open-heart surgeries, including the Fontan procedure 
  • Media invited to profile The Fontan Choir, made up of 16 young patients, as they conduct their final performance on Dec. 4  

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago have joined forces to explore the potential health benefits of music instruction for children and teenagers living with Fontan circulation, a congenital heart condition characterized by having a single functional ventricle instead of the usual two. 

Comprising 16 young singers, ages 8 to 16, who are patients in Lurie Children’s Single Ventricle Center of Excellence, The Fontan Choir has been meeting with singing coaches from the Bienen School for several weeks, providing participants with individualized instruction and group practice. On Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m., the children, along with parents and supporters, will present a final public performance. 

The Fontan Choir is part of a feasibility study by Northwestern University and Lurie Children’s to assess how singing and breathwork might enhance both the physical health and psychological well-being of young patients who have undergone multiple open-heart surgeries, including the Fontan procedure — the third and final surgery in a staged surgical approach for managing single-ventricle defects. Organizers hope to develop a “singing as therapy” model that can be replicated at other children’s hospitals across the country. 

Media are invited to document/film the final choir performance and final data collection for the study. Interviews can be arranged with music instructors, clinicians and choir participants. 

WHO: The Fontan Choir (children ages 8 to 16) 

WHAT: Final session of data gathering and physiological testing ends with the young patients performing one final song together as a choir 

WHERE: Ryan Opera Theater, Ryan Center for the Musical Arts 
 Northwestern University   
 70 Arts Circle Drive 
 Evanston, IL 

WHEN: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 

  •  4:30 p.m.: final data collection/testing of children 
  •  6:15 p.m.: choir warm-up 
  •  6:45 p.m.: performance begins 
  •  7:15 p.m.: post-performance reception 

WHY: The Fontan Choir is part of a collaborative Northwestern University and Lurie Children’s feasibility study that seeks to understand the benefits of singing both physically and psychologically among this group of individuals who have been diagnosed with single ventricle physiology. Many doctors believe singing may have the potential to improve the health and well-being of children and teens who have undergone the Fontan operation.