Every now and again, Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging will highlight model programs that show great promise. Intergenerational programs are always a challenge but offer a rewarding opportunity to engage different generations with one another. In Wilson, WY, employees working with the Center for the Arts are running a program called Music Together, which is designed to engage children in music movement and teach them basic skills, such as rhythm. A novel use of this program was created by a partnership between a children’s community center and an assisted living residence.
The program engages both the older adults and young children in experiments with rhythms and introduces them to well-known songs that spark music appreciation and discussions about music history. For older adults, the benefits include the companionship of a younger child and the physical, social, and mental exercise of music and dance.
For more information see a related story http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/article_53d7f2e2-b3dd-11df-8735-001cc4c002e0.html and the Music Together website http://www.musictogether.com/Home.
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Music Together sounds like a wonderful program! It takes advantage of our natural love of rhythm and melody, and it leverages the emotional richness that familiar songs invoke. Thank you for highlighting this program and letting us know about it!
These are great points, Melanie. We’ll soon be posting about a couple of studies that have used music to help reduce pain and anxiety.