Singing Abilities in Williams Syndrome

Abstract

Musical skill has been included among the phenotypic strengths in Williams syndrome (WS), often considered as a superior ability. Nevertheless, limited research has been carried out on this skill. Singing abilities of a group of individuals with WS were compared with those of a control group of typically developing participants matched for chronological age. Both objective acoustic measurements and musicians' and nonmusicians' perceptions were obtained from singing tasks. Results showed that singing abilities were not superior or excellent in WS. Furthermore, singing abilities in individuals with WS could be impaired in comparison with typically developing peers.Music training facilitated sung performance in both participants with WS and their controls. However, only individuals with WS showed disadvantages in learning music. Results do not support the general view regarding outstanding musical abilities in WS.