Williams Syndrome Association of Ireland
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Music/Activity Camp 2003 Thanks
to the commitment, and dedication of WSAI and the continued generosity and
friendship of many young people a quality week was generated for nine people
with Williams Syndrome. The participation at camp by two people from Italy and
Holland contributed greatly to the success and growth. Daily
tuition in voice, guitar, percussion, piano and music theatre was provided and
formed the basis for the showcase presentation on the final night.
The one hour final showcase took the format of a half-hour of song and
instrumental music followed by a costumed abridged performance of a new celtic
musical called Goddess. The
choice of activities available to all campers at the Share Centre is incredible.
The morning’s musical activity could be followed each afternoon by choices of
archery, pottery, go-karting, swimming, T-Shirt printing.
Evening activities were curtailed this year to allow rest periods for
campers. However, innate musicality
took over, and spontaneously each evening became a feast of music provided by
and participated in by all. The two
organised evening activities led in turn by campers and caras provided fun and
entertainment with costumes, and ad-libbed scripts. A
creative moment in tuition led to the development of a camp anthem.
Brian Ahern a gifted young pianist from Cork provided a composition of
his own entitled Serenade, and following a brain-storming session with his
friend Fiona and myself on “the experience of having Williams Syndrome”
words were applied to the Serenade and became our anthem for the week. It begins
“Welcome to you all, to the Williams family..”
It is our hope that it, together with Brian’s other compositions may be
recorded and shared with many more people in the future. As in
previous years, a spirit of family and friendship developed early in the week
and every one of the thirty people there contributed to a safe environment where
everybody learned something new about themselves, and Williams Syndrome. The
summer camp appears to confirm that Music does indeed appear to provide a
language with which many people with Williams Syndrome can identify easily and
in which they can become adept and skilled to a degree envied by professional
musicians. It has become obvious that language acquisition is easier also when
delivered in a musical context. A
note of caution though, musical ability is not evident in all people with
Williams Syndrome, and care should be taken to seek out each individual ability. Perhaps
research could be directed toward determining if musical ability is linked to
hyper-acuity, phenomenal memory space, obsessive behaviour, or early
environmental conditions. Long
live Williams Unlimited summer music and activity camp!
Marie Power, MA, LRSM, Camp Musical Director Williams Unlimited No. 3 – July 2003 |
Last modified: February 01, 2006 |
