Artistic Senior Citizenship: an existing concept expanded and applied to musicking

Abstract

ABSTRACT Globally people are living longer and many older people have the inclination and opportunity to participate in informal and formal activities that are engaging, exciting, entertaining and fun: ‘particip-action’. Music-making in various manifestations promotes empowering and participatory engagement opportunities for seniors. Some may use such activity to improve the quality of life of people in increasingly large circles around them, thereby extending empowerment to previously disadvantaged groups in society and making more productive use of their new-found leisure. This research concerns artistic senior citizenship, a newly coined term describing a focused extension of the well-known, more general, artistic citizenship. Its manifestation and applicability in the context of (semi-)retirees’ activities, particularly musical activities, is explored and the conceptual framework provided for investigations of defined groups of seniors. It may also serve as an introductory guideline for those seeking to involve the seniors cadre in civic support.