This chapter sets the stage for the book by providing an overview of the social, psychological, and physical benefits of music participation that enhance the overall well-being of older adults. The authors discuss various venues where musical activities for older adults might take place and then zoom in to portray senior centers across the United States, followed by an elucidation of the need for a series of studies on the musical engagement of older adults, a culturally undervalued population. A rationale is shared for examining how senior centers are adopting dramatic changes in their music activities through a global pandemic, leading into a new normal. Voices demanding changes in these centers segue into an introduction to the subsequent chapters of the book.

The authors home in further in this chapter to examine how music played a part in the lives of older adult clients of six senior centers. Interviewees’ colorful words and stories combine with the authors’ recollections of their visits to weave a figurative tapestry of senior center clients’ musical histories and music participation, both within and outside senior centers. A brief foray is also made into the musical backgrounds of center activity leaders. All of this information sets the stage for an exploration of these adults’ motivations for engaging in music and the barriers some encountered along the way. The chapter ends with a brief synthesis of the role of music participation in interviewees’ quality of life.

In the final chapter of Part II, the authors take a broad view of the sights, sounds, and stories shared in Chapters 3–5, point out findings that support earlier research, and introduce and discuss new findings that emerged from this research journey. Conclusions are organized in three large sections that mirror the foci of the previous three chapters: the six senior centers, music within the centers, and perspectives on older adult center clients’ music participation. The chapter closes with new thoughts and ideas relative to the role of music in senior centers and in older adults’ lives.

This chapter brings a deeper dive into the types of musical activities found in six senior centers. Music-related activities fell into four categories: (a) passive listening to music, (b) active listening to music, (c) purposeful or deliberate movement to music, and (d) music-making. Descriptions of each type of activity are illustrated with the words of those who participated in them or led them, as well as senior center managers and staff. Musical activities included concert, German, polka, and jazz bands; ukulele and guitar groups; a harmonica club; choirs and choruses; and karaoke groups. The chapter closes with insights drawn from this close-range view of music in senior centers, organized under the emergent themes of (a) active and welcoming, (b) variety and choice, (c) prevalence, (d) musical development, (e) enjoyment, and (f) connection.