A Study of Musical Talents and Persons With Williams Syndrome

A Study of Musical Talents and Persons With Williams Syndrome

Click on link above for a full pdf of the study results.

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource.

This monograph describes the Music & Minds program, which was designed through the collaboration of educational psychology professors specializing in gifted and talented education with faculty members in music, drama, and creative movement. The purpose of the research was to investigate the implications and impact of a strengths- and interests-based program on a special needs group of young adults with Williams syndrome (WS). This exploratory study employed multiple methodologies. Comparative case study and descriptive analysis were used to examine the experiences of the participants, and a mixed methods approach provided input into the effectiveness of using music (a self-reported area of interest) to achieve gains in a demonstrated deficit area (fractions). The Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM), a comprehensive, well-researched approach to enrichment, was selected as the conceptual framework for Music & Minds. Instruments used were either developed specifically for the study or adapted from SEM programs to provide group profiles and individual insights into interests and learning preferences. The participants, 8 female and 8 male young adults with WS, exhibited strong affinity for music and sound. There was a wide range of demonstrated musical ability, operationally defined as "the ability to understand and improvise in music, as well as the high level of skills, both potential skill areas and those present that can be developed in music." Findings from the 10-day residential program showed that when academic learning was incorporated into an enriched music-infused curriculum, achievement increased and enthusiasm for learning was enhanced. Most notable was an increased willingness on the part of the participants to investigate new areas and ways of learning. When the students were given opportunities to combine academic and arts experiences, they were more likely to explore and persist in trying to increase skills in deficit areas.

Williams Syndrome Music Savant Gloria Lenhoff performs Jewish song "Maoz Tzur- Rock of Ages"

The Specials

Home | The Specials

The BBC is running a new reality TV series that follows the lives of 5 housemates... each with a different disability. It won't take long to figure out who has Williams Syndrome.

Blackbird Leys pub regulars take on charity abseil (From Oxford Mail)

Blackbird Leys pub regulars take on charity abseil (From Oxford Mail):

"A team of daring drinking buddies took their friendship to another level at the weekend as they dropped 100ft to raise money for charity.

The 15-strong team of regulars at the Blackbird Pub, in Blackbird Leys, Oxford, joined the abseil down the outside of the Women’s Centre at the John Radcliffe, in aid of the Oxford Children’s Hospital.

According to the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds Team, it was one of the best turnouts at one of their abseils, and the event looks set to raise as much as £50,000 for equipment and facilities at the hospital.

The friends were inspired to take the plunge by Ciara Brennan, of Balfour Road, whose daughter Rhianna receives regular treatment at the hospital for a rare genetic disorder.

The three year old has been diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, which can affect the growth of a child physically and mentally, and means the little girl develops dangerously high levels of calcium in her body."

Rare condition gives woman low IQ, perfect pitch

State-Journal.com - Rare condition gives woman low IQ, perfect pitch:

"Gloria Lenhoff can’t read music, but the 54-year-old Stewart Home School resident has spent her life learning more than 2,000 songs by ear.

Lenhoff has Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic condition that gave her both an IQ of 55 and astonishing musical talent."

Video is hosted on the site.

Williams Syndrome Drummer!

Williams Syndrome Drummer from Kimberly Shively on Vimeo.

Brendan Lemieux - A Williams Syndrome Drummer

Brendan Lemieux: Rare Talent - The Source:

"You may still have plenty of time to become a prodigy if you’ve taken your first steps before you make your first foray into music, but Brendan Lemieux will have gotten the jump on you.

Brendan, now 21, was whistling Beethoven before he could walk.

“My mom told me that I was whistling at 14 months,” says Brendan, who picked up a pair of drumsticks at age three and has been playing ever since.

The motivation behind his proficiency is also unique. Brendan, who has the rare genetic condition Williams syndrome, suffered from the sensitivity to loud noises that often accompanies this disorder. Although it might seem paradoxical, playing the drums helped him overcome the physical illness that used to accompany loud noises.

While there is no doubt that Williams syndrome has its downside, including heart defects and joint problems, Brendan’s heightened sociability and musical abilities also result from the disorder."

WS Person, Lisa Walsh, Shows Us the Berkshire Hills Music Academy

Of particular note is the way music is used to assist education and the development of life skills.

Daniel Levitin Discusses Some Preliminary Research on Williams Syndrome

WZTV FOX 17/Nashville - Video on Williams Syndrome Music Camp at Vanderbilt

WZTV FOX 17/Nashville

An interesting account of Vanderbilt's music program seeking to help WS folks.

Oak View woman gets chance to sing with Wynonna Judd : Lifestyle : Ventura County Star

Oak View woman gets chance to sing with Wynonna Judd : Lifestyle : Ventura County Star:

"Born with a rare genetic condition, Trieana Moon is nonetheless honing her passion for music with her own CD and singing onstage with her idol, Wynonna Judd.

'It was my dream come true to see her and perform with her; it was amazing,' said Moon, 33, of Oak View, who sang 'Amazing Grace' with Judd this spring at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

'I'd like to go back to Nashville and see Wynonna and perform with her again,' Moon said. 'She's got a voice like an angel. That would be my greatest joy, to work with a beautiful country singer like her because she's my idol.'

Moon has Williams syndrome, a condition of unknown origin that causes mental retardation and heart abnormalities and shares some similarities with autism."

Williams Syndrome Video Channel

MySpaceTV Videos: Williams Syndrome Video Channel

Williams syndrome, the brain, and music

Salk Institute:

October 4, 2006

— La Jolla, CA —Children with Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, just love music and will spend hours listening to or making music. Despite averaging an IQ score of 60, many possess a great memory for songs, an uncanny sense of rhythm, and the kind of auditory acuity that can discern differences between different vacuum cleaner brands.

A study by a multi-institutional collaboration of scientists, published in a forthcoming issue of NeuroImage, identified structural abnormalities in a certain brain area of people afflicted with Williams syndrome. This might explain their heightened interest in music and, in some cases, savant-like musical skill.