Music Therapy: Your piece of the intergenerational puzzle

Music Therapy:

YOUR Piece in the

Intergenerational Puzzle

Melita Belgrave, Ph.D., MT-BC,

JoAnn Jordan, MT-BC

Importance of

intergenerational programs

For older adults

For children

For parents

For the facility

Why music (therapy)?

Music is a familiar structure for both

generations

Music therapists can meet

multigenerational needs within an

invention

Great way to get $$ without stretching

resources of participants

Warning signs

You lack time to prepare and to be

intentional

Behavioral issues of participants are a

concern

Responsibility rest fully on you

Our Stories

Is it worth it?

Issues of joint preschool and older adult

groups

Smells

Sounds

Equipment

Auditory issues

Bridge building

Setting responsibilities

Who is responsible to:

Gather participants

Set-up room

Prepare materials

Clean-up

Serve as door monitor

Data

Yes, no, maybe?

Why?

Who to evaluate?

What to evaluate?

When and how?

Why evaluate?

Program effectiveness

Who benefited and how

Future recruitment

Contribute to literature

Cost

Program development

Who should you evaluate?

Younger Participants

Older Participants

Facility Staff Executive Director vs. Lifestyle Director

Classroom Teachers Homeroom Teacher vs. Music Teacher

Family Members Both Generations

What should you evaluate?

Primary and Secondary Objectives

Improve cross-age attitudes

Improve cross-age interactions

Improve younger persons’ benefits

Prosocial behavior, willingness to work in gerontology

related field

Improve older persons’ benefits

Psychosocial well-being, fine motor skills, gross motor skills,

attending/engagement

When or how to evaluate?

When

Pre/Post Measures

During IG Sessions

Weekly Post

Session

How

Survey

Observation

Interview

How do you

measure success?

Interviews parents, older adults

Videos

Marketing of facility

Performance/group share

Misc. items

Background check sometimes required

Plan for interruptions

Resources

Music Together/Kindermusik

“Musical Bridges: Intergenerational Music Programs” by Joan Shaw, Carney Mathey

Blog posts

“Sparking Lives with Themes and Music: Intergenerational Edition” by JoAnnJordan

“Music therapy and Geriatric Populations” by Melita Belgrave, Alice-Ann Darrow, Darcy Walworth, and Natalie Wlodarczyk

Flexing your

song muscle

Create visuals of

adult songs to help

cue singing

Use sing-able books

Use partner songs

Use familiar songs to

teach academic

skills

Ask the older adults what songs they think would work

Ask children which songs they like

Ask parents what songs the children continued to sing during the week

Example: The Garden

Example session:

Preschool Program

Older Generations Serving

Younger Generations

Academic Learning Reading readiness Sight word recognition Colors Counting Opposites

Social Skills Sharing Cooperating

Older adult serves as mentor/teacher

Younger person serves as learner

Preschool Program

Promoting participation

and engagement

of both generations

Hello song

Familiar songs for young

Familiar songs for old

Novel experiences

Include plans for structured interaction

Goodbye

Developing empathy and

creating support systems

Social skills

Asking all ages questions

Reminding older adults of

developmental mile posts

Educating children about

some limitations

Are you ready?

Taking the next step

Music Therapy:

YOUR Piece

in the Intergenerational Puzzle

Contact us:

Melita Belgrave - [email protected]

JoAnn Jordan – [email protected]