MUSIC & THE ELDERLY

Hello! My name is Madie Phillips, J-DHS Class of 2023. For my capstone project, I decided to focus on music and the elderly, more specifically how J-DHS students can best bring music into the lives of elderly people living in our local community. My final research question ended up being: "How can J-DHS students bring music into the lives of elderly people in our community through music performance and Music & Memory?"

I chose this topic because it brought together two areas that I care a lot about. During part of the COVID-19 pandemic, I lived with my grandfather who recently had a stroke. Shortly after that, he experienced some more health problems and had to move to rehab and then a nursing home. Experiencing elder care through his healthcare journey made me want to make it better—even in a small way. The other area of interest was music. Personally, music is a very important part of my life; I play flute, piano, and alto saxophone, and I listen to music all the time. Oftentimes, my grandfather would come to watch my different concerts and it was always a bright spot. So, I thought to myself: how can I bring that joy into other people's lives on a larger scale? Through my research, I discovered not only that music improves mood and wellbeing, but it also has other scientific—neurological and biological—benefits. And, in that way, my project was born.