Williams Syndrome and Music

Williams Syndrome (WS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by attention deficits, hyperactivity, stereotypy and anxiety. At the same time, people with WS are passionate about music, which makes WS a condition that lends itself to the exploration of the efficacy of music therapy as well as the study of the relationship between listening to music and performing it, between emotions and cognitive functions.

The “Williams Syndrome and Music” project foresees workshops in music therapy for people with WS at the hospitals in Como and Rome made up of 20 individual meetings (30-45 minutes each, bi-weekly) conducted by 2 qualified music therapists. The meetings are based on an active relational approach (referring specifically to improvised music therapy) with the aim of facilitating expression but, above all, moderating and regulating the emotions and psycho-behavior of the participants.

At the same time, the project aims to study the essential aspects in terms of musical ability and expressiveness of people with WS in order to understand, identify and evaluate the effects of specific music therapy techniques to improve the quality of life of people affected by WS, especially in terms of managing anxiety. During the music therapy meetings, which are created and developed by a multidisciplinary team, the effects of specific techniques already widely in use for the same ends in other clinical settings will be evaluated, with reference to Evidence-Based Music Therapy.