Scholarship applied alonsgide personal voices and vivid narratives to present potential meanings to music participation Potential meanings to music participation explored across age groups, communities and spaces Ten original studies presenting diverse portrait of music engagement A valuable resource for scholars, professionals, and students working in school and community music or music education research, as well as readers interested in general education, social psychology, lifelong learning, and aging studies.

Lisa Lehmberg and Victor Fung present a groundbreaking look at quality of life via the music participation of older adults in diverse US senior centers. The state of musical activities in senior centers pre- and mid-pandemic is elucidated through original research conducted in senior centers across six states. Featured are older adults' stories told in their own words; insights from senior center activity leaders, manage-ment, and staff; and data, analyses, and syntheses from the authors' senior center visits and a survey of center managers. The authors document the adjustment process undergone by these centers during the pandemic and leading into a new normal. Recommendations are offered for policy makers, school and community music educators, music activity leaders, older adults, caregivers, and service providers to enhance the quality of life of older adults. The critical role that music plays in supporting their quality of life is emphasized.

Music for Life: Music Participation and Quality of Life of Senior Citizens presents a fresh, new exploration of the impact of musical experiences on the quality of life of senior citizens, and charts a new direction in the facilitation of the musical lives of people of all ages. Authors Fung and Lehmberg clearly define the issues surrounding music education, music participation, quality of life, and senior citizens, discussing the most relevant research from the fields of music education, adult learning, lifelong learning, gerontology, medicine, music therapy, and interdisciplinary studies. At the heart of the book is Evergreen Town, a retirement community in the southeastern U.S.A., that serves as the backdrop for three original research studies. The first of these is in two phases, a survey and a focus group interview, that examines the histories and rationales for the music participations and non-participations of community residents. The second and third case studies take an in-depth look at a church choir and a bluegrass group, two prominent musical groups in the community, and include the perspectives of the authors themselves as group members and participant-observers. Fung and Lehmberg conclude with a challenge for the profession of music education: to act on this research and on the current advances in the field, to enable all people to benefit from the richness of music as a substantial contributor to quality of life.