Thèse - Bordeaux. / "Bibliographie" : p. [77]-78.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Melbourne, 1997. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 533-565).

Esta tese consiste num estudo exploratório-descritivo quali-quantitativo de caráter interdisciplinar, que busca compreender de que modo a Cultura Digital influencia a prática musical, quais recursos são utilizados e que funções desempenha na performance musical. Apoiada na ideia de que os avanços na performance e a concepção de diferentes estratégias de aprendizagem musical mediadas pelas tecnologias podem ser atribuídas ao nível de inserção dos sujeitos na Cultura Digital do seu contexto sociocultural, a investigação orienta-se pela seguinte questão: “De que modo a Cultura Digital afeta a performance musical?” A metodologia envolve o emprego de três procedimentos principais: 1) revisão bibliográfica, incluindo o uso de softwares na performance musical e o contexto da amusia; 2) aplicação de um questionário on-line e 3) entrevistas semiestruturadas com cinco músicos profissionais experientes. Participaram da pesquisa 50 sujeitos maiores de idade, sendo estes estudantes, amadores ou profissionais da área da música. Os resultados mostraram acentuada influência da Cultura Digital, notadamente por meio da utilização de softwares de confecção e arquivamento de partituras e de edição de áudio, de aplicativos de gravação e de manutenção de afinação e de andamento no âmbito da preparação da execução musical. Na performance ao vivo, são empregados principalmente softwares de leitura de partitura digitalizada e de gravação da apresentação para posterior divulgação. Constatou-se que a Internet se configura como recurso de pesquisa, aprendizagem, estudo, ensaio, difusão e compartilhamento da produção musical. Foi encontrada predominância de maior utilização de novas tecnologias digitais entre músicos dedicados à música popular e do gênero masculino. A Cultura Digital verificada nas práticas musicais dos sujeitos desta pesquisa mostrou ser capaz de transformar os modos de aprender e de se relacionar com a música, com repercussões positivas no desenvolvimento da musicalidade. No contexto da Educação Musical, a Cultura Digital se faz presente desde o planejamento pedagógico, na pesquisa de materiais, no implemento de recursos tecnológicos como aplicativos de apoio ao estudo e à execução, até a gravação das aulas e difusão da performance dos sujeitos em situação de autoaprendizagem. Os achados do presente estudo mostram que a Educação Musical e a performance musical podem contar com o apoio de recursos tecnológicos específicos que mobilizam de modo autônomo as aprendizagens essenciais de planejamento, concepção, estudo, ensaio e registro do desempenho musical dos músicos. / This thesis consists of an exploratory-descriptive qualitative and quantitative interdisciplinary study which seeks to understand the way in which digital culture influences musical practice, what resources are used and the role of digital culture in musical performance. Based on the idea that progress in musical performance and the conception of different strategies of technologymediated musical learning can be attributed to the level of insertion of individuals in the digital culture of their sociocultural context, this investigation is guided by the following question: How does digital culture affect musical performance? The methodology involves the use of the main procedures: 1) bibliographic review, including the use of softwares during musical performance and the context of amusia; 2) application of an online questionnaire, and 3) semi-structured interviews with five experienced professional musicians. Research involved the participation of a group of fifty adults, formed by students, amateurs and professionals from the field of music. Results showed strong influence of digital culture, notably through the use of softwares to create and save sheet music and to edit audio, apps for recording, staying in tune and keeping tempo of music in preparation for a performance. In live performance, softwares are mainly used read scanned digital sheet music and to record presentations for further release. The internet was found to be a means for researching, learning, rehearsing, disseminating and sharing one's musical production. A greater tendency to use new technologies was found among male popular musicians. The digital culture seen in the musical practices of the subjects of this research revealed to be able to transform their ways of learning and relating to music, with positive repercussions in the development of musicality. In the context of music education, digital culture is present at many stages, from pedagogical planning, research on materials and implementation of technological resources, such as apps to support music study and performance, to recording lessons and releasing performances of individuals in learning situation. The findings of this study show that music education and musical performance may count on the support of specific technological resources that mobilise in an autonomous way the essential lessons of planning, conception, study, rehearsal and documentation of musical performance.

The aim of the thesis was to conduct a detailed examination of the evidence pertaining to the cerebral lateralisation of musical function. Theoretical models from the neuropsychological and cognitive psychology fields were employed, with emphasis placed on the way the models interrelate to gain a more coherent account of music cognition and its relationship to cerebral lateralisation. (For complete abstract open document.)

Esta tese consiste num estudo exploratório-descritivo quali-quantitativo de caráter interdisciplinar, que busca compreender de que modo a Cultura Digital influencia a prática musical, quais recursos são utilizados e que funções desempenha na performance musical. Apoiada na ideia de que os avanços na performance e a concepção de diferentes estratégias de aprendizagem musical mediadas pelas tecnologias podem ser atribuídas ao nível de inserção dos sujeitos na Cultura Digital do seu contexto sociocultural, a investigação orienta-se pela seguinte questão: “De que modo a Cultura Digital afeta a performance musical?” A metodologia envolve o emprego de três procedimentos principais: 1) revisão bibliográfica, incluindo o uso de softwares na performance musical e o contexto da amusia; 2) aplicação de um questionário on-line e 3) entrevistas semiestruturadas com cinco músicos profissionais experientes. Participaram da pesquisa 50 sujeitos maiores de idade, sendo estes estudantes, amadores ou profissionais da área da música. Os resultados mostraram acentuada influência da Cultura Digital, notadamente por meio da utilização de softwares de confecção e arquivamento de partituras e de edição de áudio, de aplicativos de gravação e de manutenção de afinação e de andamento no âmbito da preparação da execução musical. Na performance ao vivo, são empregados principalmente softwares de leitura de partitura digitalizada e de gravação da apresentação para posterior divulgação. Constatou-se que a Internet se configura como recurso de pesquisa, aprendizagem, estudo, ensaio, difusão e compartilhamento da produção musical. Foi encontrada predominância de maior utilização de novas tecnologias digitais entre músicos dedicados à música popular e do gênero masculino. A Cultura Digital verificada nas práticas musicais dos sujeitos desta pesquisa mostrou ser capaz de transformar os modos de aprender e de se relacionar com a música, com repercussões positivas no desenvolvimento da musicalidade. No contexto da Educação Musical, a Cultura Digital se faz presente desde o planejamento pedagógico, na pesquisa de materiais, no implemento de recursos tecnológicos como aplicativos de apoio ao estudo e à execução, até a gravação das aulas e difusão da performance dos sujeitos em situação de autoaprendizagem. Os achados do presente estudo mostram que a Educação Musical e a performance musical podem contar com o apoio de recursos tecnológicos específicos que mobilizam de modo autônomo as aprendizagens essenciais de planejamento, concepção, estudo, ensaio e registro do desempenho musical dos músicos. / This thesis consists of an exploratory-descriptive qualitative and quantitative interdisciplinary study which seeks to understand the way in which digital culture influences musical practice, what resources are used and the role of digital culture in musical performance. Based on the idea that progress in musical performance and the conception of different strategies of technologymediated musical learning can be attributed to the level of insertion of individuals in the digital culture of their sociocultural context, this investigation is guided by the following question: How does digital culture affect musical performance? The methodology involves the use of the main procedures: 1) bibliographic review, including the use of softwares during musical performance and the context of amusia; 2) application of an online questionnaire, and 3) semi-structured interviews with five experienced professional musicians. Research involved the participation of a group of fifty adults, formed by students, amateurs and professionals from the field of music. Results showed strong influence of digital culture, notably through the use of softwares to create and save sheet music and to edit audio, apps for recording, staying in tune and keeping tempo of music in preparation for a performance. In live performance, softwares are mainly used read scanned digital sheet music and to record presentations for further release. The internet was found to be a means for researching, learning, rehearsing, disseminating and sharing one's musical production. A greater tendency to use new technologies was found among male popular musicians. The digital culture seen in the musical practices of the subjects of this research revealed to be able to transform their ways of learning and relating to music, with positive repercussions in the development of musicality. In the context of music education, digital culture is present at many stages, from pedagogical planning, research on materials and implementation of technological resources, such as apps to support music study and performance, to recording lessons and releasing performances of individuals in learning situation. The findings of this study show that music education and musical performance may count on the support of specific technological resources that mobilise in an autonomous way the essential lessons of planning, conception, study, rehearsal and documentation of musical performance.

Esta tese consiste num estudo exploratório-descritivo quali-quantitativo de caráter interdisciplinar, que busca compreender de que modo a Cultura Digital influencia a prática musical, quais recursos são utilizados e que funções desempenha na performance musical. Apoiada na ideia de que os avanços na performance e a concepção de diferentes estratégias de aprendizagem musical mediadas pelas tecnologias podem ser atribuídas ao nível de inserção dos sujeitos na Cultura Digital do seu contexto sociocultural, a investigação orienta-se pela seguinte questão: “De que modo a Cultura Digital afeta a performance musical?” A metodologia envolve o emprego de três procedimentos principais: 1) revisão bibliográfica, incluindo o uso de softwares na performance musical e o contexto da amusia; 2) aplicação de um questionário on-line e 3) entrevistas semiestruturadas com cinco músicos profissionais experientes. Participaram da pesquisa 50 sujeitos maiores de idade, sendo estes estudantes, amadores ou profissionais da área da música. Os resultados mostraram acentuada influência da Cultura Digital, notadamente por meio da utilização de softwares de confecção e arquivamento de partituras e de edição de áudio, de aplicativos de gravação e de manutenção de afinação e de andamento no âmbito da preparação da execução musical. Na performance ao vivo, são empregados principalmente softwares de leitura de partitura digitalizada e de gravação da apresentação para posterior divulgação. Constatou-se que a Internet se configura como recurso de pesquisa, aprendizagem, estudo, ensaio, difusão e compartilhamento da produção musical. Foi encontrada predominância de maior utilização de novas tecnologias digitais entre músicos dedicados à música popular e do gênero masculino. A Cultura Digital verificada nas práticas musicais dos sujeitos desta pesquisa mostrou ser capaz de transformar os modos de aprender e de se relacionar com a música, com repercussões positivas no desenvolvimento da musicalidade. No contexto da Educação Musical, a Cultura Digital se faz presente desde o planejamento pedagógico, na pesquisa de materiais, no implemento de recursos tecnológicos como aplicativos de apoio ao estudo e à execução, até a gravação das aulas e difusão da performance dos sujeitos em situação de autoaprendizagem. Os achados do presente estudo mostram que a Educação Musical e a performance musical podem contar com o apoio de recursos tecnológicos específicos que mobilizam de modo autônomo as aprendizagens essenciais de planejamento, concepção, estudo, ensaio e registro do desempenho musical dos músicos. / This thesis consists of an exploratory-descriptive qualitative and quantitative interdisciplinary study which seeks to understand the way in which digital culture influences musical practice, what resources are used and the role of digital culture in musical performance. Based on the idea that progress in musical performance and the conception of different strategies of technologymediated musical learning can be attributed to the level of insertion of individuals in the digital culture of their sociocultural context, this investigation is guided by the following question: How does digital culture affect musical performance? The methodology involves the use of the main procedures: 1) bibliographic review, including the use of softwares during musical performance and the context of amusia; 2) application of an online questionnaire, and 3) semi-structured interviews with five experienced professional musicians. Research involved the participation of a group of fifty adults, formed by students, amateurs and professionals from the field of music. Results showed strong influence of digital culture, notably through the use of softwares to create and save sheet music and to edit audio, apps for recording, staying in tune and keeping tempo of music in preparation for a performance. In live performance, softwares are mainly used read scanned digital sheet music and to record presentations for further release. The internet was found to be a means for researching, learning, rehearsing, disseminating and sharing one's musical production. A greater tendency to use new technologies was found among male popular musicians. The digital culture seen in the musical practices of the subjects of this research revealed to be able to transform their ways of learning and relating to music, with positive repercussions in the development of musicality. In the context of music education, digital culture is present at many stages, from pedagogical planning, research on materials and implementation of technological resources, such as apps to support music study and performance, to recording lessons and releasing performances of individuals in learning situation. The findings of this study show that music education and musical performance may count on the support of specific technological resources that mobilise in an autonomous way the essential lessons of planning, conception, study, rehearsal and documentation of musical performance.

L’amusie congénitale est un trouble neurogénétique qui se caractérise par une inhabileté à acquérir des habiletés musicales de base, telles que la perception musicale et la reconnaissance musicale normales, malgré une audition, un développement du langage et une intelligence normaux (Ayotte, Peretz & Hyde, 2002). Récemment, une éude d’aggrégation familiale a démontré que 39% des membres de familles d’individus amusiques démontrent le trouble, comparativement à 3% des membres de familles d’individus normaux (Peretz et al., 2007). Cette conclusion est intéressante puisqu’elle démontre une prévalence de l’amusie congénitale dans la population normale. Kalmus et Fry (1980) ont évalué cette prévalence à 4%, en utilisant le Distorted Tunes Test (DTT). Par contre, ce test présente certaines lacunes méthodologiques et statistiques, telles un effet plafond important, ainsi que l’usage de mélodies folkloriques, désavantageant les amusiques puisque ceux-ci ne peuvent pas assimiler ces mélodies correctement. L’étude présente visait à réévaluer la prévalence de l’amusie congénitale en utilisant un test en ligne récemment validé par Peretz et ses collègues (2008). Mille cent participants, d’un échantillon homogène, ont complété le test en ligne. Les résultats démontrent une prévalence globale de 11.6%, ainsi que quatre profiles de performance distincts: pitch deafness (1.5%), pitch memory amusia (3.2%), pitch perception amusia (3.3%), et beat deafness (3.3%). La variabilité des résultats obtenus avec le test en ligne démontre l’existence de quatre types d’amusies avec chacune une prévalence individuelle, indiquant une hétérogénéité dans l’expression de l’amusie congénitale qui devra être explorée ultérieurement. / Congenital amusia is a heritable disorder in which subjects fail to acquire basic musical abilities, such as normal music perception and music-recognition abilities, despite normal hearing, normal language abilities, and normal intelligence (Ayotte, Peretz & Hyde, 2002). Recently, a family-aggregation study showed that 39% of first-degree relatives in amusic families express the disorder, compared to 3% in control families (Peretz et al., 2007). This latter finding is interesting in that it illustrates a prevalence of the disorder in non-amusic families. Kalmus and Fry (1980) evaluated the prevalence of congenital amusia at 4%, using the Distorted Tunes Test (DTT). However, this test presents some methodological and statistical problems, such as a strong ceiling effect, as well as the use of folkloric tunes, which disadvantages the amusic participants since they cannot assimilate these melodies correctly. The present study aimed at re-evaluating the presence of congenital amusia, using a recently validated online test by Peretz and colleagues (2008). One thousand one hundred participants, from a homogeneous sample, completed the online test. Results showed a global prevalence of 11.6%, with four distinct patterns of performance emerging: pitch deafness (1.5%), pitch memory amusia (3.2%), pitch perception amusia (3.3%), and beat deafness (3.3%). The variability in the results obtained with the online test brings evidence of at least four types of amusias with individual prevalences, indicating a heterogeneity in congenital amusia that needs to be further explored in later studies.

Notre aptitude à déterminer si un extrait de musique est gai ou triste réside dans notre capacité à extraire les caractéristiques émotionnelles de la musique. Une de ces caractéristiques, le mode, est liée aux hauteurs musicales et une autre, le tempo, est temporelle (Hevner, 1937; 1935). Une perception déficitaire de l’une de ces caractéristiques (ex. les hauteurs) devrait affecter l’expérience émotionnelle. L’amusie congénitale est caractérisée par un traitement anormal des hauteurs (Peretz, 2008). Toutefois, peu de données ont été accumulées sur les réponses émotionnelles des amusiques face à la perception du mode. La perception émotionnelle liée à celui-ci pourrait être préservée, chez les amusiques en raison de leur perception implicite des hauteurs (Peretz, et coll., 2009). Dans un premier temps, cette étude cherchera à déterminer dans quelle mesure les amusiques adultes utilisent le mode relativement au tempo dans la distinction d’une pièce gaie, d’une triste. Dans cette optique, onze amusiques et leurs contrôles appariés ont jugé des extraits de musique classique gais et tristes, dans leur forme originale et dans deux versions modifiées : (1) mode inversé (transcrit dans le mode opposé mineur ↔ majeur) et (2) tempo neutralisé (réglé à une valeur médiane), où le mode émerge comme caractéristique dominante. Les participants devaient juger si les extraits étaient gais ou tristes sur une échelle de 10-points, pendant que leurs réponses électromyographiques (zygomatique et corrugateur) étaient enregistrées. Les participants ont par la suite été réinvités au laboratoire pour réaliser une tâche non émotionnelle de discrimination des modes (majeur, mineur), dans laquelle des paires de stimuli composés de versions plus courtes des extraits originaux et leur version au mode inversé leur étaient présentées. Les participants (14; 7 amusiques) devaient juger si les paires étaient identiques (même stimulus, même mode) ou différentes (même stimulus, modes différents). Dans cette dernière tâche, les amusiques ont eu plus de difficulté que leurs contrôles à discriminer les modes, mais les amusiques comme leurs contrôles se sont montrés sensibles aux manipulations du mode et du tempo, dans la tâche émotionnelle. Ces résultats supportés par des réponses EMG normales présupposent des habiletés préservées ou implicites de traitement tonal dans l’amusie congénitale. / Our ability to determine if a music piece is happy or sad depends on our capacity to extracts the main emotional characteristics of music. One of these characteristics, the mode, is a pitch based constituent, and another one, the tempo, is a temporal factor (Hevner, 1937; 1935). The inability to extract one of those characteristics (pitch) should affect the emotional experience. Congenital amusia is characterized by anomalous pitch processing (Peretz, 2008). Yet, little is known about the amusics’ emotional responses to mode. Perhaps emotional perception of this characteristic is preserved due to the amusics’ implicit pitch processing (Peretz, et coll., 2009). First, we decided to examine how amusic adults use mode relative to tempo in distinguishing happy from sad musical excerpts. To this aim, we tested whether eleven amusics and their matched controls judged excerpts of happy and sad classical music in their original form and in two manipulated conditions: the ‘‘inverted mode condition’’ where the excerpts were transcribed in the opposite mode (major↔minor); and the ‘‘neutralized tempo condition’’ where all tempi were set to the same median value, hence the mode emerges as the main emotional characteristic. Participants judged on a 10-point scale whether each excerpt was sad or happy while their electromyographical responses (zygomatic, corrugator activity) were recorded. Participants were then invited back to the laboratory, to complete a non-emotional task. This mode discrimination (minor, major) task consisted of pairs of original and inverted mode stimuli, made of shorter versions of the previously used stimuli. Participants (14; 7 amusics) had to judge whether the pairs were identical (same stimuli, same mode) or different (same stimuli different modes). In the latter task, amusics had significantly more difficulty in discriminating the mode compared to their controls. However, amusics did not differ from controls in showing normal sensitivity to mode and tempo manipulations in the emotional task. These normal behavioural judgments supported by normal psychophysiological measures indicate that emotional responses may reveal preserved or implicit pitch processing abilities in congenital amusia.

L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer l’influence des habiletés perceptives sur les capacités de production vocale dans l’amusie congénitale. Treize amusiques et douze contrôles appariés ont réalisé quatre tâches : deux tâches de discrimination perceptive et deux tâches de production vocale. Les stimuli utilisés pour les tâches étaient des enregistrements vocaux provenant des participants, rendant les tâches plus écologiques et enlevant le besoin pour les participants de modifier le timbre des stimuli lorsqu’ils chantent. Les résultats ont démontré que, malgré le fait que les contrôles aient surpassé la performance des amusiques dans toutes les tâches, il y avait beaucoup plus de variabilité dans les performances des amusiques que prévu. La moitié des amusiques avaient des performances égales à celles des contrôles sur les deux tâches perceptives. D’autres amusiques montraient des performances égales ou semblables à celles des contrôles sur au moins une des tâches d’imitation vocale. Ces résultats mènent à croire qu’il serait possible que ces deux types d’habiletés musicales soient dissociables. / Our goal was to examine to what extent vocal and perceptual pitch-matching abilities were related in congenital amusia. To do this, we asked 13 amusics and 12 matched controls to perform four tasks, including two pitch perception tasks and two vocal imitation tasks. We controlled for any timbral translation by recording the participants singing and using it as stimuli across most tasks. Results showed great variability in both perceptual and vocal imitation tasks in amusics, while controls had good performances on all tasks. We illustrated how some amusics could retain good perceptual pitch-matching abilities while being unable to perform well in the vocal tasks, and how some amusics could perform well in the vocal imitation tasks. These results help illustrate the potential for these abilities to be independent. However, further studies are required to fully understand their relation.

La musique est universelle et le chant est le moyen d’expression musicale le plus accessible à tous. Les enfants chantent spontanément entre un an et un an et demi (Ostwald, 1973). Pourtant, le développement de cette habileté est très peu étudié en neuropsychologie et ce, malgré le fait qu’elle représente une immense source d’informations sur le traitement de la musique par le cerveau. Les études proposées ici visaient à mieux comprendre le développement normal et pathologique des fonctions perceptives et vocales. Dans un premier temps, une étude sur le chant normal chez les enfants de 6 à 11 ans est présentée. Le développement du chant de 79 enfants d’âge scolaire y est analysé de manière systématique et objective. Cette étude se penche plus particulièrement sur l’influence de l’âge ainsi que d’autres facteurs (le genre, la perception musicale, la présence de paroles et la présence d’un accompagnement vocal) sur la qualité du chant. Les jeunes participants ont chanté une chanson familière dans différentes conditions, soit avec et sans paroles, après un modèle ainsi qu’à l’unisson avec ce dernier. Suite à l’analyse acoustique des performances, différentes variables mélodiques et rythmiques telles que le nombre d’erreurs d’intervalles, le nombre d’erreurs de contours, la taille des déviations d’intervalles, le nombre d’erreurs rythmiques, la taille des déviations temporelles et le tempo, ont été calculés. Les résultats montrent que certaines habiletés de base liées au chant se développent toujours après 6 ans. Toutefois, le rythme est maîtrisé plus tôt, et les enfants d’âges scolaires réussissent parfois mieux que les adultes sur le plan rythmique. De plus, il est plus difficile pour les enfants de chanter avec des ii paroles que sur une syllabe et chanter à l’unisson représente un défi plus grand que chanter après un modèle. Par ailleurs, le nombre d’erreurs de contours, d’intervalles et de rythme, de même que la taille des erreurs rythmiques, sont liés à nos mesures de perception musicale. La seconde étude présente le premier cas documenté d’amusie congénitale chez l’enfant. Elle implique l’analyse de la perception musicale et du chant d’une fillette de 10 ans nous ayant été référée par son directeur de chorale. De sévères déficits ont été relevés chez elle et un diagnostic d’amusie congénitale fut posé. En effet, ses résultats aux tests visant à évaluer sa perception musicale indiquent d’importantes difficultés tant sur le plan de la discrimination des différences mélodiques et rythmiques, qu’au niveau de la mémoire des mélodies. La fillette présente des lacunes claires quant à la perception des fines différences de hauteurs. L’analyse des réponses cérébrales en potentiels évoqués suggère que l’enfant souffre de déficits situés tôt au cours des processus de traitement auditif, tel que démontré par l’absence de négativité de discordance (MMN). Le chant de la jeune fille est lui aussi déficitaire, particulièrement en ce qui concerne le nombre d’erreurs d’intervalles et leurs tailles. En conclusion, nos études montrent que les aptitudes pour le chant sont toujours en développement au cours des premières années de scolarisation. Ce développement peut être entravé par la présence d’un déficit lié spécifiquement à la perception musicale. Pour la première fois, l’amusie congénitale, sera décrite chez l’enfant. / Music is universal and singing is its most accessible means of expression. Children start singing spontaneously between one and one and a half year of age (Ostwald, 1973). Nevertheless, the development of this ability has barely been studied in neuropsychology, even if it represents a tremendous source of information about the way the brain analyses music. The goal of the following studies was to better understand the normal and pathological development of the perception and production of singing. The first study presented concerns the normal development of singing abilities in 6 to 11 year old children. Singing was analysed in a systematic and objective fashion in 79 school-age children. The study is first and foremost interested in the effect of age on the quality of singing productions. The effect of gender, music perception abilities, lyrics and presence of models are also examined. The young participants had to sing a familiar song in different conditions, that is, with and without lyrics, as well as following a model’s production and in unison. Acoustical analyses were run on the children’s productions and different melodic and rhythmic variables were compiled: number of interval errors, number of contour errors, size of interval deviations, number of rhythmic errors, size of rhythmic deviations and tempo. The results show that some of the basic singing abilities are still developing after 6 years of age. However, rhythm seems to be mastered earlier and school-age children sometimes perform better than adults on rhythmic variables. Furthermore, it is more difficult for children to sing with lyrics, versus a single syllable, and in unison, versus after a model’s production. Moreover, the number of contour, interval and rhythmic errors, as well as the size of rhythmic deviations, correlate with musical perception abilities. iv The second study describes the first documented case of congenital amusia in children. The subject is a ten year old girl, who was brought forth by her choir director. Her musical perception and singing abilities were evaluated and severe deficits were uncovered. Congenital amusia was therefore diagnosed. Indeed, her results on musical perception tasks were significantly lower than expected for her age, both in terms of melodic and rhythmic difference identification and of melody recall. Deficits were obvious in fine-grain pitch difference perception. ERP analyses suggest that brain responses are altered at a very early stage of auditory processing, as is supported by the absence of a mismatch negativity. Deficits are also found in the young girls’s singing productions, particularly concerning the number and size of interval errors. In conclusion, our studies show that singing abilities are still developing during the first school years. This development can be impeded by deficits specific to musical perception. For the first time, congenital amusia is described among children.