Project Unmute: A Digital Music Program Delivered by Adolescent Musicians to Older Adults with Cognitive Decline

ABSTRACT

Effective intergenerational music programming has the power to positively influence the current lives of the millions of older adults who are experiencing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, as well as to support the confidence of the newest generation of young musicians. To explore this potential, we designed a digital, intergenerational music program delivered by adolescent musicians to older adults with cognitive decline. This program utilized songs preferred by the older adults and an interactive activity that engaged the two generations. We believe this type of easily scalable programming could support older adults and young musicians, as well as promote new intergenerational relationships.

KEYWORDS:

• Music
• Alzheimer’s
• adolescents

Acknowledgement

Open Access funding provided by the Qatar National Library.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Financial support was provided by The National Institute on Aging, under grant [R01AG056351]. Additional support was provided by The University of Pittsburgh’s Occupational Therapy Department and Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music.