Arts enriches the lives of older adults through arts education for adults 55 and older.   There’s no getting around the fact that we all age. The good news is that aging creatively — through the arts — holds the promise of enjoying and embracing the process.

An Emerging, Positive Practice

For just over ten years now, creative aging pioneers have been catalyzing cross-sector collaborations and building an infrastructure that is yielding new research on the benefits of arts engagement. At the same time they have been designing, testing and sharing innovative best practices and improving the lives of thousands of older adults. Creative aging in its many forms is hopeful, often transformative and usually fun.

The Arts Are Good For You

Art is the transformation of the tangible (bodies, instruments, paper, ink, clay, fabric, etc.) and intangible (words, sounds, memories, emotions, ideas, etc.) into something new, such as sculpture, living history theater, musical performances, digital media, stories, paintings, dance, quilts, or poems. The process of creating, as well as the art that is created, transforms the participants and the people around them like other participants, family members, professional caregivers, and everyone who experiences the art.

With his 2006 landmark publication “The Creativity and Aging Study: The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults,” Gene D. Cohen, M.D., Ph.D., demonstrated that participation in activities that foster creative engagement and skills mastery in a social environment has positive psychological, physical and emotional health benefits for older adults.  Dr. Cohen and other researchers have shown that structured arts programs foster mastery and promote social engagement, which are two key ingredients for healthy aging.   Independent evaluations of  confirm that creative aging programs improve the lives of older adults and build the capacity of the organizations that serve them.

MUSCIALLY MINDED ACADEMY PROGRAM

MMA is offering courses to serve older adults; preparing teaching artists to work with older adults; and fostering lifelong learning our communities.  Below are the courses that MMA is currently offering for enrollment.  To learn more about these courses just select a course and click your mouse.

Adult Jazz Combo

Adult Rock Band: Classic Songs Co