Comparing Chinese and English primary school students’ singing behaviour by age and sex

Abstract The article compares children’s singing behaviours from China and England, using similar materials and research protocol. In total, N = 5,037 singing performances were collected from Chinese and English Primary school students who had received no specialist singing training other than in their regular music classes. Chinese participants showed a similar level of development across different age groups as their English peers, with assessed singing competency generally increasing with age, especially for children aged ≤ 8 years. Girls generally showed more advanced singing behaviour developmentally than boys in the various age groups in both countries. Any sex difference in singing behaviour was smaller for younger children (age < 7 years).