How music helps seniors’ brain health

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Opinion: What better place is there for seniors to live more musically than in Music City, USA?
  • Sarah Martin McConnell is the founder and current Executive Director of Music for Seniors.

Have you always wanted to play an instrument or sing with a group? Well, do not delay!

It turns out that active engagement in music making tops the list for enduring benefits for your brain’s health.

When I heard Nina Kraus, who is an audio physiologist at Northwestern University, present her cutting-edge research at the National Center for Creative Aging’s Global Conference and Leadership Exchange in Washington, D.C., this past fall, I knew this would be a game changer. Over the next 18 years, 10,000 individuals will turn 65 every day in the U.S. and all of us baby boomers are searching for proven ways to keep our brains active and nimble.

In fact, whether you enjoy music, painting, writing, sculpting, quilt making or line dancing, the positive benefits older individuals gain from active participation in all creative arts activities are at the heart of an exciting international movement called “creative aging.”

The benefits do not stop at the brain gain. Shared creative activities help to connect you to other like-minded individuals in your community while also providing an important and satisfying outlet for your own personal creative expression.

What better place is there for seniors to live more musically than in Music City, USA? That is exactly why Music for Seniors, a Nashville-based nonprofit arts organization, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with an exciting new intergenerational program: Live program Learning Labs at Nashville Public Library.

Learning Labs started in March and is challenging beginners and experienced participants alike, to learn ukelele, percussive arts and group singing in eight easy, weekly one-hour sessions. Instruments will be provided for loan and each Learning Lab series will culminate in a final public program event in the downtown library auditorium.

A driver, caregiver, child or grandchild is encouraged to participate with their senior friend or family member. Through the generous support of dedicated sponsors and community partners, the only cost to participate is each student’s commitment to attend.

These Learning Labs are free and open to the public. The series will be offered each spring and fall in a variety of instruments. But space is limited, so seniors and their companion participants will be admitted on a first-come basis.

Visit www.musicforseniors.org for details and registration, or phone (615) 330-1937.

Make 2017 the year you start living more musically.

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