This study was inspired by my experiences with a Williams syndrome child, which
drew my attention to the meaningful experiences that children with Williams
syndrome might have with music. The problem of the study can be defined in terms
of five aspects. Firstly, individuals diagnosed with Williams syndrome suffer
medically, socially and cognitively (Levitin & Bellugi, 1998:358-359) and music
seems to be an aspect of their lives that could make things easier for them.
Secondly, those suffering from Williams syndrome seemingly struggle to adapt to
their social surroundings (Bellugi et al., 1994:5). The third aspect that defines the
problem is that families of individuals with Williams syndrome in South Africa do not
have sufficient access to educational facilities that are equipped to work with their
children. This forces them to home school their children without the ability to
educate them optimally. Fourthly, the research problem also stems from the lack of
awareness about the lived musical experiences of individuals living Williams
syndrome. It becomes clear that heightening awareness of the lived musical
experiences of Williams syndrome individuals has not been addressed in research.
Lastly, researchers have yet to undertake in-depth qualitative studies on the
meaning of musical experience for the learning experiences of those suffering from
Williams syndrome.
The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) is to understand
the lived musical experiences of individuals living with Williams syndrome in
Southern Africa1. Williams syndrome is defined as a rare genetic disorder which
presents when around 20 genes are deleted on chromosome 7 at conception
(Bellugi et al., 2007:98).
This study follows an IPA approach and aims to gain insight into how participants
understand their lived musical experiences. The theoretical foundations for IPA are
based on “three key areas of philosophical knowledge, namely phenomenology, hermeneutics and idiography” (Smith et al., 2009: 11). For this study data were collected by conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with three purposefully selected participants. The interview transcriptions were then analysed separately using ATLAS.ti 7 computer software. After each interview transcript was analysed individually, superordinate themes emerged from a cross-case analysis.
The results of the study revealed four superordinate themes regarding the musical experiences of the three Williams syndrome participants: a passion for performing, fostering friendships, lightens the load and dependent on music. The study found that music contributes to the overall well-being of the three participants in a way that allows them to feel accepted by others and to escape the label of being diagnosed Williams syndrome. / MMus (Musicology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/14234 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Erasmus, Ewie |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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