Our Benefits

Music for Seniors Annual Survey

2022 Live Music Outreach Programming Statistics and Evaluations

We conduct an annual phone survey with our Community Partners who work first-hand with the senior groups we serve. In our latest formal survey for 2022, we attempted to survey the 79 senior groups and resident communities served regularly by Music for Seniors at the time of the survey.

We had a 71% response rate, representing 76 groups and communities in 6 Middle Tennessee counties.

98%

reported elevation of participants’ mood during our programs

93%

reported a noticeable increase in engagement and active participation during our programs

63%

reported that participant engagement lasts an hour or more after our programs

70%

reported that elevated mood and positive affect lasts an hour or more after our programs

16%

are veterans

53%

are seniors with 1 disability

42%

are seniors with 2 or more disabilities

13%

are seniors below the poverty line / Medicaid recipients

Evidence-Based Research

In September 2016 Music for Seniors was invited to present at the Center for Creative Aging’s International Conference and Leadership Exchange in Washington, DC. Dr. Nina Kraus of Northwestern University also presented at that conference. Her research points to the immense value of regular, active participation in live music making – for neurological benefit to older adults. It directly inspired the creation of Music for Seniors’ Live Performance Learning Labs, which launched in spring, 2017, and our Music Making Outreach Sessions, in 2018 (immersive singing-with-percussion programs with instruments provided for all). Some of Dr. Kraus’s articles, and others, are referenced below.

Neurobiology of Everyday Communication:

What Have We Learned From Music?

by Nina Kraus and Travis White-Schwoch
New studies have shown the positive effects of community music training. Music making encourages an active and repeated engagement with sound that helps the brain […]