articles&abstracts
Williams Syndrome and Music Research
References compiled by
Coast Music Therapy
San Diego, California
http://www.coastmusictherapy.com
2007
Summary of Findings
Studies of brain anatomy suggest asymmetry that may be linked to preserved auditory pattern perception and musical processing in individuals with Williams syndrome (WS). These enhanced responses to music include increased emotional responsitivity and preference for music compared with typical peers and some evidence of increased pitch perception and preserved rhythmic capabilities despite deficits in other non-music areas. Immersing functional academic skill development within the context of music training has resulted in enhanced understanding of mathematics for young adults with WS. This provides preliminary evidence for the use of music as a learning cue to facilitate educational outcomes.
Claussen, D., & Hanser, S. (2000). Music-elicited responses in individuals with Williams syndrome. Paper presented at the symposium for the Society for Research in Psychology of Music and Music Education, University of Leicester, United Kingdom. (based on assessment of 20 individuals with WS, researchers found enhanced musical responsiveness in areas of independence, creativity, self-confidence, engagement, and pleasure.)
Deruelle, C., Schon, D., Rondan, C., & Mancini, J. (2005). Global and local music perception in children with Williams syndrome. Neuroreport, 16(6), 631-634. (provides results on how individuals with WS process music compared with typically developing children)
Don, A. (1999). Auditory pattern perception in children with Williams syndrome. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: the Sciences & Engineering, 59(8-B), 4459. (“the interest and emotional responsitivity toward music among children with WS combined with their relatively intact music abilities suggest that the purposeful development of musical skills could help to enrich the lives of these children.”)
Don, A., Schellenberg, G., & Rourke, B. (1999). Music and language skills of children with Williams syndrome. Child Neuropsychology, 5, 154-170. (19 children with WS were compared with 19 typical children; compared to typical children, the WS group expressed greater liking of music and a greater range of emotional responses to music)
Dykens, E.M., Rosner, B.A., Ly, T., & Sagun, J. (2005). Music and anxiety in Williams syndrome: A harmonious or discordant relationship? American Journal of Mental Retardation, 110(5), 346-358. (Compared to others with mental retardation, individuals with WS were more likely to take music lessons, play an instrument, and have higher ratings of musical skills.)
Hickock, G., Bellugi, U., & Jones, W. (1995). Asymmetrical ability. Science, 270(5234), 219-220. (preliminary data suggests that brain asymmetry may account for exception musical abilities)
Hopyan, T., Dennis, M, Weksberg, R., Cytrynbaum, C. (2001). Music skills and the expressive interpretation of music in children with Williams-beuren syndrome: pitch, rhythm, melodic imagery, phrasing, and musical affect. Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition, Section C, Child Neuropsychology, 7(1), 42-53. (study of 14 children with WS and 14 age-matched controls; musical strength in WS is linked to strong engagement with music as a means of expression, play, and perhaps improvisation)
Lenhoff, H. (1998). Insights into the musical potential of cognitively impaired people diagnosed with Williams syndrome. Music Therapy Perspectives, 16, 33-36. (research professor emeritus in Biology at UC Irvine gives overview of musical responses in individuals with WS)
Lenhoff, H., Perales, O., Hickok, G. (2001). Absolute pitch in Williams syndrome. Music Perception, 18(3), 491-503. (it appears that the incidence of “perfect pitch” is higher among individuals with WS than in the general population)
Lenhoff, H., Wang, P., Greenberg, F., & Bellugi, U. (1997). Williams syndrome and the brain. Scientific American, 277(6), 68-73. (overview of Williams syndrome cognitive profile with section on musical talent and relationship to neuroanatomy)
Levitin, D. (2005). Musical behavior in a neurogenetic developmental disorder: Evidence from Williams Syndrome. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1060, 325-334. (individuals with WS tend to be more engaged in musical activities than others, with possible neuroanatomical correlate of this engagement being increased activation in the right amygdale to music and sound.)
Levitin, D., & Bellugi, U. (1998). Musical abilities in individuals with Williams syndrome. Music Perception, 15(4), 357-389. (gives evidence for relatively preserved musical rhythm processing in individuals with WS based on study of 8 WS subjects and 8 controls, supporting the theory that musical ability constitutes an independent intelligence)
Levitin, DJ., Cole, K., Chiles, M., Lai, Z., Lincoln, A., & Bellugi, U. (2004). Characterizing the musical phenotype in individuals with Williams syndrome. Neuropsychology, Development, and Cognition. Section C, Child Neuropsychology, 10(4), 223-247. (based on a survey of 118 individuals with WS, 1 control, and 2 non-WS special needs comparison groups, individuals with WS were found to be rated higher in musical accomplishment, engagement, and interest than comparison groups, and displayed greater emotional responses to music, musical interest at an earlier age, and spent more hours per week listening to music then all other groups)
Levitin, D., Menon, V., Schmitt, J., Eliez, S., White, C., Glover, G., Kadis, J., Korenberg, J., Bellugi, U., Reiss, A. (2003). Neural correlates of auditory perception in Williams syndrome: an fMRI study. Neuroimage, 18(1), 74-82. (provides evidence of a different neurofunctional organization in Williams syndrome, which may help to explain their atypical reaction to sound)
Milne, H. (2002). A comparative case study of persons with Williams syndrome and musical interests. Dissertation Abstracts International, 62(12-A), 4057. (speaks to musical performance skills of 18 individuals with WS and discusses how development of talents and interests may be beneficial to other areas)
Reis, S.M., Schader, R., Milne, H., & Stephens, R. (2003). Music & minds: Using a talent development approach for young adults with Williams syndrome. Exceptional Children, 69(3), 293-313. (16 young adults with WS participated in a music and creative arts-based curriculum aligned with functional mathematics such as fractions, time, money, and measurement. Results showed an enhancement in participant’s understanding of mathematics and increased opportunity to develop music abilities.)
Additional references to musical strength in Williams syndrome can be found in various research studies conducted through the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience at Salk Institute in La Jolla, California at http://lcn.salk.edu
The Williams Syndrome Association also has additional information
and links relating to musical responsiveness in WS at
http://www.williams-syndrome.org/forteachers/musicandws.html
For information about music therapy nation-wide, visit the American
Music Therapy Association at http://www.musictherapy.org