Baby Boomer: is a demographic term for a generation born from 1945 to 1960. Literary references to this generation lack any consensus of upper or lower case spelling and words, which are used interchangeably. (i.e., Baby Boomer, Boomer, baby boomer, boomer, Baby boomer). This manuscript adheres to upper and lower case identifiers.
Community music: is music performed in a public venue both indoors/outdoors and large/small (Bonds, 2006).
Continuity theory: suggests that as people reach midlife and later life, adaptations to the normal aging processes are necessary to avoid physical and mental disease (Atchley, 1971).
Creative arts: refers to writing, music, dance, and visual arts activities that are taught to community residents who are cognitively, and physically impaired.
Hierarchy of human needs theory: suggests that the four lower levels of basic physiological needs must be met before people pursue the four higher levels of human development (Maslow, 1943a; 1943b; 1954; 1971).
Homophony: is a melodic line accompanied by subordinate voices (Bonds, …show more content…
Instead, most participatory arts literature now contains older non-musicians (NMs) with none to rudimentary knowledge of music and seemingly are unhealthy that gerontology specialists solicited from treatment arts and creative arts to the participatory arts to ‘participate’ alongside PMs; however, PMs are excluded in research study results and findings. Therefore, where there is no literature on PMs, literature on NMs is offered and prefaced with health differences between PMs’ (healthy) and NMs (unhealthy) in section summaries to avert reader confusion. The overarching aim, then, is to identify the role of music among PMs who have earned professional performance music degrees from NASM accredited Schools of Music colleges and universities. In addition, PMs who have years of private tutoring, or are self-directed learners are also included in this study, but all PMs achieved music competencies on levels of advanced, expert, and virtuoso levels. In all, the review of literature sought to identify research about healthy PMs who regularly participate in community music by (1) singing, (2) playing instruments, and (3) composing