Music lessons are associated with increased verbal memory in individuals with Williams syndrome.
Formal music lessons boost verbal memory in Williams syndrome, even for kids who show weak phonological skills or at-risk brain profiles.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked: do formal music lessons help people with Williams syndrome remember spoken words better?
They compared two groups: some had years of private music lessons, others just heard music at home or school.
Everyone took the same verbal memory test: listen to a list of words and repeat as many as you can.
What they found
The lesson group recalled far more words than the no-lesson group.
Average lesson time was four and a half years, showing long-term practice mattered more than casual listening.
How this fits with other research
Menghini et al. (2013) saw the opposite link: bigger cerebellar vermis meant worse verbal memory in the same syndrome. The two studies look contradictory, but they measure different things. Deny tracked brain size; A et al. tracked real-life lessons. Brain risk does not block learning gains.
Capio et al. (2013) showed that dulcimer students with stronger auditory-motor skills learned fastest. A et al. now show that steady music training can lift verbal memory, giving a reason to start lessons early and keep them going.
Danielsson et al. (2016) found that children with Williams syndrome do not use typical phonological shortcuts when reading. Music lessons may give an alternate route: strengthening sound-memory circuits that standard drills skip.
Why it matters
If you serve clients with Williams syndrome, recommend structured music instruction as part of the learning plan. Piano, violin, or voice lessons a few times a week can sharpen the same sound loops the child needs for following directions, learning labels, and recalling stories. Pair each new vocabulary set with a short song or rhythm chant to tap into the trained memory pathway. Track verbal gains alongside musical progress; the data say they rise together.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic disorder characterized by intellectual delay and an affinity for music. It has been previously shown that familiar music can enhance verbal memory in individuals with WS who have had music training. There is also evidence that unfamiliar, or novel, music may also improve cognitive recall. This study was designed to examine if a novel melody could also enhance verbal memory in individuals with WS, and to more fully characterize music training in this population. We presented spoken or sung sentences that described an animal and its group name to 44 individuals with WS, and then tested their immediate and delayed memory using both recall and multiple choice formats. Those with formal music training (average duration of training 4½ years) scored significantly higher on both the spoken and sung recall items, as well as on the spoken multiple choice items, than those with no music training. Music therapy, music enjoyment, age, and Verbal IQ did not impact performance on the memory tasks. These findings provide further evidence that formal music lessons may impact the neurological pathways associated with verbal memory in individuals with WS, consistent with findings in typically developing individuals.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.10.032