Abstract
Background: A growing body of evidence has demonstrated significant social and emotional benefits of music-making amongst senior citizens. However, several as-yet unresolved age-related barriers to “musicking” have been identified. Positioned within the emergent field of gerontechnology, concerned with the interface between aging and technology research, this review of literature thus explores the potential for music technologies to function as a vehicle for creative musical opportunities in later-life.Methods: ERIC, PsychInfo, and Web of Science databases were searched, focusing on the intersection between music, technology, and aging. The criteria for inclusion were that the paper should: (1) be in English; (2) report empirical research involving the use of music technologies intended to support receptive (listening, interpreting, reflecting) or active (playing, creating, performing) engagement with music amongst older persons, defined as being aged 60 years or above (United Nations, 2017); (3) be published as a peer reviewed journal article.Results: Of 144 papers screened, 18 papers were retained. 10 studies focused on using technology to support musicking in the form of listening, reflecting, and interpreting. Just five studies explored the utility of technology in promoting singing or playing instruments, while a further three were focused on music and movement.Conclusions: Overall, the literature reviewed suggests that older people, even those with complex needs, are capable of, and interested in using music technologies to access and create personally meaningful music. The limited research that does exist points to multiple and significant benefits that may be derived from receptive or active musicking supported by a range of music technologies.
Highlights
Questions concerned with the potential for music technology to support creative and positive aging are framed within a context where we are witnessing an unprecedented longevity revolution
A body of research supports the view that receptive or active musical engagement may function both as a restorative and as a creative space. (Jenkins, 2011), for example, reported that participation in music was one significant predictor of positive changes in well-being amongst a sample drawn from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (n ≈ 6,000)
It has been reported that older people who were actively engaged in musical activities felt that they had greater control over their lives, experienced more pleasure and felt more cared for than those participating in other leisure activities; these positive outcomes were found amongst older people who identified themselves as “beginners” in music as well as those who said they were more experienced (Creech et al, 2013b)
Summary
Questions concerned with the potential for music technology to support creative and positive aging are framed within a context where we are witnessing an unprecedented longevity revolution. Music Technology in Later-Life living in countries where at least 20 per cent of people are aged 60 years or above (United Nations, 2017). Describing an ethnographic study in the context of residential care for older persons, Allison (2008) reported that a song writing group provided a space where older people could transcend the limitations of chronic ill health and institutional care, engaging in creative music-making. The accumulated evidence suggests that engagement with music, including listening as well as making music, offers a context where older people may continue to experience a positive and creative quality of life
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