Researchers have long been interested in development of a fetus in the womb.This study focused specifically on the human voice and song from 26 weeks gestational age to 12 weeks of infancy. Research questions were: (1) Is it possible for an infant to recognize melody heard first in utero? (2) Is it possible for preferences of melody/tonality and/or rhythm/meter to develop in utero? and (3) Can music acquisition be influenced by in utero musical experience? Fetal heart rate and infant heart rate increased during stimulus from the third research month in utero until the end of the study in infancy. This data combined with infant behavioral indicators of constant movement and eyes open during each recorded session suggested that melody first introduced in utero may be recognized both in utero and infancy. Findings from this research indicated that the fostering of musical development could begin prior to birth.
