Maintaining active minds and bodies through older adult music education

Music Cognition and Action

This project investigates how instructional design can enhance learning and wellbeing for older adults who are newly studying a musical instrument. Music is a highly valued cultural activity in this age group, yet teaching strategies are seldom modified from that for young learners.

Using an interdisciplinary methodology, we expect to generate fundamental knowledge of improvisation as a learning stimulus, and of the possible barriers of musical notation and the physical demands of an instrument.

Intended outcomes include uptake of results by music professionals, aged-care and older-adult education service providers, which should significantly transform policy and strategies for teaching music to older adults.

This study recruited 10 classes of 65-80 year old participants. As of July 2021, recruitment for the study has now finished.”

Partner / Funding Body

• Australian Research Council

Human Research Ethics Committee Approval Number: H13206

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