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Bono once said, "Music can change the world because it can change people." Many of us have experienced how music can shift our mood, perspective, or even deepen our sense of connection. For some, it’s a song that lifts them from a low point, for others, it might bring them closer to loved ones. In healthcare settings, music can transform not only the atmosphere but also the quality of care itself. I learned this firsthand when, during my father’s final days, my family used music to support him. We sang together to create a sense of calm, even as his medications dulled his awareness. The music allowed us to communicate and connect in a way that words alone could not. It softened the clinical nature of the hospital environment, making it a space of comfort rather than just medical procedure. Those moments had a profound impact on me, shaping my career and commitment to integrating music in healthcare spaces. For over 20 years, I’ve been dedicated to improving care through music as part of the Room 217 Foundation. We work to empower caregivers - whether paid professionals, family members or volunteers - to use music in a way that enhances the care experience. Initially, we created music tools designed to target specific care outcomes. Over time, we expanded to include training for caregivers, helping them incorporate music into everyday practice. Our latest initiative, MUSIC CARE CERTIFY (MCC), goes a step further. MCC is a comprehensive program that integrates music into the organizational culture of health and social care environments. By embedding music as a core component of care, we ensure it is sustained and becomes part of the organization’s long-term operations. One of the most powerful aspects of MCC is its focus on quality improvement. We don’t just introduce music into care settings—we measure its impact. Change isn’t just hoped for; it’s demonstrated and quantified. One standout example is the Alzheimer Society Peel (ASP), the first Canadian organization to receive MUSIC CARE Certification. This community-based organization, which serves individuals with Alzheimer’s and their families, sought to improve its acoustic environment as part of a broader commitment to enhancing care. Through a series of collaborative sound-based interventions, ASP implemented four key sound goals, evaluated through pre- and post-assessments and staff surveys. The results were compelling: Client engagement in activities increased by 75% Client wandering decreased by 40% Staff stress levels were reduced by 50% The success of this initiative underscores the tangible, measurable benefits that music can bring to care settings—improving both the experience for clients and reducing the burden on staff. In this blog series, we’ll delve deeper into Room 217’s MUSIC CARE CERTIFY as a transformative program for health and social care organizations. We’ll explore how music is not a disruptive force, but a framework for meaningful, sustainable change. With case studies from a variety of care settings across Canada, we’ll showcase how embedding music in care culture improves quality of life for all involved. Imagine a care environment where music is always accessible, integrated, and sustained! This is the future we’re working toward. Music isn’t just an art form; it’s a catalyst for measurable change in health and wellbeing. Care leaders have the power to make that change a reality within their organization. Over the next few months, our Key Change blog series will explore how the transformative power of music can improve the care experience and create lasting impact across Canada’s health and social systems. Want to learn more about MUSIC CARE CERTIFY? Come to our free, online, 45-minute Discovery session on Wednesday February 26 – 2 pm EDT. Contact Tanya for more information talbis@room217.ca
It was two years, two months and 16 days ago that my mother was told that she had vascular dementia. The brain scans indicated she had suffered some strokes that had resulted in permanent changes to her brain. Her geriatrician suggested to her that she should consider not driving any more and that she begin to make arrangements for increased support if she wanted to stay in her own home. I could hardly believe these words; they seemed impossible, a mistake, a joke, perhaps something that this doctor told all her patients. My mum continued to be the most intelligent person I knew. I depended on her opinions, her feedback and her perspective on almost every aspect of my life. I knew my brother felt the same; he would take her through the minutia of his decisions, his financial planning, house purchases, and the plans he and his wife had for their children during their long weekly phone calls from Vancouver. My mum had spent one year taking care of his daughter during a year abroad in Florida where she studied dance at a ballet academy, a crucial step towards her present career as a dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany. Similarly, she took care of my own daughter when she moved up to Collingwood, Ontario to train as an elite cross-country skier with the Ontario Nordic Ski Team, racing at a national level. My sister’s life was equally intertwined with mum’s. Her family bought a cottage in the village our mum retired to, a sleepy, enchanted summer paradise, perched on the cliffs above Lake Huron, world famous for its sunsets. We all enjoyed long summers together, taking turns hosting family dinners, entertaining, laughing, swimming and enjoying the beach. We were a family who benefitted from the commanding presence of a brilliant, captivating, beautiful and inspiring matriarch. My mother truly was the centre of our large, bustling, extremely vibrant family with her three children who adored her and nine grandchildren who considered her as their beloved “Gabby”. I read and reread the doctor’s scrawled notes that day, with her recommendations for everything from further testing to commentary on the accompanying brain scans. I had dozens of questions: would her dementia progress quickly? Would this mean her independence was coming to an end? Should she live with one of us? What happens next? How can we help her, preserve her dignity, save her? Exactly two days later, on a cold and dark November night at 11:00 pm, she fell on the steps to her porch after walking her little Pomeranian. This fall represented the onset of a rapid decline in just about every marker of her wellbeing. After 2 weeks in and out of the hospital she came out a very different person. She was consumed by the pain from her back injury, was extremely confused from hospital induced delirium, and on heavy pain medication. What now? My sister asked. Nursing care, the doctor responded. We had absolutely no road map for how to proceed, all of us anxious, bereft, and completely at a loss. I cared for my mum over the next five months at our home, loving her, physically rehabilitating her, until we secured a place for her at a beautiful independent living senior’s residence in Toronto, near the neighbourhood she grew up in Rosedale. She is in a small apartment and has made some wonderful friends and receives the most loving care from the caregivers and staff. Mum has had her ups and downs, her dementia continues to progress, notably more significantly after an illness. Despite this being her greatest fear prior to her diagnosis, mum still lives a life that she values and has gratitude for, each day. She loves our visits and the continued devotion and love of her grandchildren. She has regained her hearty laugh and love of conversation she shares with new friends in her new community and she adores the twice weekly music concerts at her seniors home. She promises us that she intends to be sticking around for some time, excited to see how the lives of her grandchildren she has been so invested in continue to unfold, their careers and their romances. Despite struggling with memory, especially short term, her vocabulary is still superior to mine as she artfully constructs her sentences for maximum impact. During my last visit with her, I had to remind her of today’s date and that she was approaching her 89 th birthday, but she sang an entire verse of a song from “Me and My Gal” and correctly remarked, “this is definitely Chopin” that we were listening to on her speaker. Dementia is a cruel, cruel disease, but my advice to anyone whose loved one is suffering from it, is to remain there to witness, love and appreciate the essence that is there, within the confusion, to find that essence, be present with it, let it comfort you, and hold it dearly, with gratitude, every single day.
Memory, Dementia, music and dementia, music care, musical care, singing, singing for dementia, singing for the brain
Room 217’s MUSIC CARE CONFERENCE brings together healthcare professionals, music therapists, musicians, educators, students and caregivers to explore the profound impact and power of music in care. This year, Wilfrid Laurier Faculty of Music was the lead and host partner of our 16 th conference with Concerts in Care , Metalworks , SoundsUnite and Research Institute for Aging involved as secondary partners. From the main stage, delegates experienced a mix of touching music care cameos by professional and community musicians and ensembles, keynote presentations by leading industry experts in the field of music and health and two engaging workshops aimed at building caregiver confidence using music. The theme - music across the lifespan – was brought to life by a riveting concluding performance by Canadian gospel and blues icon, Jackie Richardson. MUSIC CARE CERTIFY stories from organizations, individuals and schools were featured in Lunch and Learn session. The conference is a rich opportunity to meet people who are passionate about using music in their daily practice and to expand our music care community. This year, there was a significant increase in the number of caregivers at the conference. The work of frontline workers does not go unnoticed, and this day apart offers an opportunity for caregivers to refuel their tanks, share meaningful stories and gain new ideas and strategies for the use of music in care. This sentiment is reflected in the words of some of the delegates. Conferences are a great opportunity to refresh, reinspire and reconnect. There’s also great research and innovation happening in the world of music and wellness! I wanted to share what an amazing experience the conference was! I found every session to be either full of knowledge, skills building and/ or incredibly inspirational! I left with a brain full of knowledge and ideas and a heart full of inspiration. A beautiful conference that hit exactly the right balance of learning, connecting, and, well, loving. So important in these days and times. I just wanted to tell you how much everyone of our team members loved the conference. It was so inspirational! We were able to learn, network and be joyful. Thank you for hosting such a wonderful event. It was truly the best conference of the year for me....and I attend a lot. Key highlights included our inspiring keynotes from Brian Harris , CEO of US-based MedRhythms , focusing on music and neurologic rehabilitation, and Emily Foulkes , from the UK, a practitioner and researcher in singing for wellbeing. Workshop were deeply appreciated and topics ranged from songwriting for dementia, using ukuleles in care, from spirituals to gospel music, using songs to express hope in care, using music as direct service workers, making connections through community music and live music as a universal language of memory. The research track was popular with emerging research from music therapy, community music and Room 217 presented. For me, our conference brings opportunities to network. Professionals from diverse backgrounds connect, share experiences, and collaborate on future projects. This networking aspect is crucial for fostering a community of practice that advocates for the integration of music in healthcare. Room 217 continues to play a vital role in leading and developing partnerships towards this end. For more information on the Music Care Conference and to stay updated on future events, visit www.musiccare.org/conference .
A key takeaway for me at Canada’s first Social Prescribing Conference is that we’ve only just begun. Every great movement must begin. By beginning, we become. Admittedly, my colleagues and I attended the conference to see where we might contribute as an arts-based community organization. While we didn’t receive pat answers or direct pathways, we met people, engaged in conversation and began to think about how we can be involved. In retrospect, I think that was the point of the conference. Beginning, exploring, connecting, conversing, becoming. We heard about several compelling examples of social prescription in Canada. Dr. Grace Park and her team in the Fraser Health Care Authority in BC have developed a systemically integrated SP approach for older adults. The partnership between Fraser Health, the provincial government, United Way BC, BC Divisions of Family Practices, Fraser Health Teams, Fraser Health Patient and Family Advisory Council and other nonprofit community organizations began in 2019 and is a leading model. Community Connectors play a critical role in the success of implementation and hold the community knowledge and put the legs on referrals by linking individuals to programs. Healthy Aging Alberta has developed a tool for SP assessment and case management used by a variety of professional and volunteers. Based on social determinants of health, this tool looks at seven domains based on Alberta’s health aging framework: physical health, safety and security, social engagement, physical environment, personal wellbeing, mental health and social supports. This tool is being used in Edmonton to support older adults in living in community. There is a SP student movement in Canada. In 2022, the Canadian Social Prescribing Student Collective was establishing joining a global network of students champions in six other countries. The objective of this group is to call for action by students, staff in health care and community organizations and faculty/administration at postsecondary institutions. The Collective believes their efforts will shape the social prescribing movement and the future of our health system. We also learned that SP is extended to family caregivers. Various provincial family caregiving organizations are developing SP pathways to build resilience, social connectedness, decreased reliance on healthcare services to support family caregivers with their overwhelming responsibilities, financial strain and system navigation. Family Caregivers of British Columbia have caregiver support specialists provide wellness planning, healthcare navigation and community connections for family caregivers. The elephant in the room for most of the conference is how SP is funded in Canada. It appears as though the CISP is strategically encouraging multiple expressions of SP to bubble up locally, having the communities themselves figure out implementation pathways and funding models. And perhaps this is the way of influence, bottom up, upstream programming that creates a demand and groundswell with compelling results that governments will not be able to deny. The recent CISP report claims that for every $1 spent on SP in Canada, the ROI is $4.30. And so we think about the arts in this movement. Our colleagues from the Mississauga Arts Council were also there, and along with us, were learning and exploring and becoming. They have launched a 2-year pilot with their ArtsCare SP program to benefit mental health of individuals living in Mississauga. While historically our work at Room 217 has been and will continue to be supporting caregivers with music care tools, training and standards to improve care outcomes, we have been developing a music wellness model. Salutogenic or preventative in approach, we define music wellness as interacting with music in a way that contributes to holistic health and flourishing. Our research shows this happens in specific ways. So we may very well have several contributions to make as we consider our intersection with the social prescription movement. In my mind, music as social prescription is a pure bullseye. Music by its very nature is connective. Music contributes positively to an individual’s state of being and can catalyzes improved mood. Doing music contributes to health and wellbeing such as increased oxygenation, cross-lateral brain activity. Musical engagement improves quality of life in every human domain. So we continue to explore the application of music care and music wellness within the arena of SP. Stay tuned.
Social prescribing (SP) is a practice I became familiar with at our 2019 Power of Music Conference in Nottingham, England. At the time, the National Academy of Social Prescribing (NASP) had just been formed. The NASP defines SP as connecting people to activities, groups and support that improve their health and wellbeing. SP links people to non-medical supports in their community to address issues such as loneliness, debt or stress due to financial pressures or poor housing. Since then, the NASP story has been impressive including 12% reductions in GP appointments, 15-20% reduction in secondary care costs, measurable improvements in wellbeing, physical and mental health, and an ROI of £3.50 for £1 invested. A key achievement has been to set up a healthcare integration program to support health and care providers and partnerships to embed social prescribing. So it was with keen interest my colleagues and I attended Canada’s first Social Prescribing Conference held in Toronto at the end of September 2024. Convened by the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing (CISP), a national collaboration hub anchored by the Canadian Red Cross, several hundred early adopters and curious folks like us gathered. The energy and excitement was palpable. Dr. Kate Mulligan , the Scientific Director and champion of social prescribing in Canada set the stage, proposing SP as the pathway from health treatment to wellness creation. The CISP encourages models that connect people with healthcare, social services and community supports to enhance health and wellbeing. The goal of CISP is to bring together a diverse network of health practitioners, researchers, academics, system leaders, funders and others to share learnings, mobilize knowledge, build evidence and influence policy. The opening speaker, Elder Dr. Albert Marshall from the Mi’kmaw First Nation in Nova Scotia set the stage by sharing knowledge and wisdom of his people, including ‘two-eyed seeing’ - seeing the best of traditional Indigenous ways and the best of current western medicine. Applied to SP, we understand that the clinical medium saves lives and the social medium makes life worth living. A variety of panels, workshops and posters provided content for the conference. Notably, SP leaders from Singapore, Brazil, United States, England, and Australia shared where they are at with social prescription. Clearly, this global movement, supported by the World Health Organization, is underway. The WHO has developed a Social Prescribing Toolkit which outlines steps required to introduce SP and includes sample materials which can be adapted to the local context. In the final plenary session, we considered the future of healthcare in Canada. While there are no pat and easy answers, SP is seen as a response to ‘sick care’ through upstream preventative programming. It requires a shift, from a medical model where power is held and directed and the status quo is maintained to a social model where power is shared and everyone sees themselves in it. As Jodeme Goldhar, co-founder of the Foundation for Integrated Care Canada stated, ‘SP requires a shift from egocentric to ecocentric thinking.’ A key takeaway for me is that SP requires a new way of seeing, a new collective mindset. SP is all about working together in community, leveraging new ways of being and doing, working in partnership. The endgame may be a road to recovery for the Canadian healthcare system, were we live in less isolated and more connected communities optimizing health and wellbeing for all. If you want to learn more about SP in Canada, then subscribe to the CISP newsletter for ongoing updates, resources, and opportunities.
A growing concern among both recreational and clinical staff in long-term care (LTC) is the health and wellness of men in care. Health professionals have long recognized that men, both in and out of care, tend to experience lower overall health profiles compared to women. RESEARCH widely acknowledges that sex and gender intersect with factors like race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, and age to shape individual health outcomes. Notably, men face unique challenges when it comes to health and wellness. Globally, men are outlived by women in all settings, a phenomenon known as the male– –female health-survival paradox The Male-Female Health-Mortality Paradox | SpringerLink . This disparity highlights the need for gender-specific approaches to healthcare, as men’s health is increasingly recognized as a public health concern. Researchers and policymakers are working to understand the roots of these inequalities, with many pointing to social norms and behaviors formed in adolescence. We are familiar with stereotypes about men engaging in higher-risk activities, from motorcycle riding to nicotine addiction. However, one of the most significant factors affecting men’s health and longevity is their tendency to have fewer and less robust social connections compared to women. Women generally participate in social forums where they express emotions more freely, while men, historically, have been less likely to depend on social groups or engage in regular emotional expression. This can lead to isolation, which negatively impacts both mental and physical health. One promising approach to addressing social isolation among men is through men’s musicking. Music has always provided a way for men to come together—whether through singing, playing instruments, or participating in music listening groups. From male choirs like the Maesteg Choir in Scotland, to garage bands playing for the sheer joy of it, music offers a safe, non-threatening environment for men to gather, share memories, and express emotions, even if only subtly. Our September webinar presenter and partner, Gertrude Letourneau, shared a powerful story from her work in a long-term care home. One resident, a veteran, asked for permission to sing in his home language, which happened to be German. Being deeply sensitive to the other veterans he lived with, he began to sing which prompted an incredible emotional release of grief, tears, regret, reflection and sorrow. Menno Place, a recent graduate of our CERTIFY for ORGANIZATION program, discovered through their own research that hosting a vinyl record listening hour provided a powerful way to engage self-isolating men. This nostalgic activity brought men out of their rooms and into a safe, non-judgmental space where they could share memories, relive the joy of past entertainers, and reflect on times gone by. The program bridged generational gaps, allowing them to swap stories with the younger caregivers. Linda Weatherly, Manager of Therapeutic Recreation and Volunteer Services at Menno Place in Abbotsford, British Columbia, recalled that some conversations became quite lively, even veering into “racy” territory at times. However, this openness was precisely what was needed—creating a space where the men felt comfortable being themselves and expressing what they needed to. The program, known as Men’s Musicking, became much more than a listening hour. It was a catalyst for cognitive stimulation, sparking memories and conversations that promoted social interaction and emotional expression. The long-term effects of this initiative remain to be seen, but for now, we can applaud the creative and innovative leadership of people like Linda, who are using music to address some of the most pressing concerns in healthcare today.
As Room 217 broadens its reach to include training educators in both elementary and secondary schools, our mission has expanded to help address social and emotional learning (SEL) outcomes through the power of music. SEL plays a crucial role in shaping resilient, purpose-driven, and socially successful students, and music is an ideal medium to support this essential area of human development. Social and emotional learning encompasses a set of skills and competencies that allow children to develop healthy and supportive relationships by fostering positive self-perception, empathy for peers, effective collaboration, and a strong sense of identity. Through SEL, children learn to identify and manage their emotions in healthy ways, build personal resilience, and develop coping strategies. Additionally, SEL aims to amplify students voice, advance equity, and strengthen partnerships between teachers, students and their families. RESEARCH suggests that SEL is integral not only to academic success but also to personal well-being, mental health, and overall life satisfaction. Educators have long recognized that music serves as a powerful conduit for students to identify, express, and connect with their emotions. A wide range of programs and platforms now exists to help teachers integrate music with mindfulness activities and breathing practices, creating a calm and focused learning environment. For example, Save The Music Foundation, in partnership with the Center for Arts Education and Social Emotional Learning, offers a professional learning program specifically designed to intersect music with SEL Student Empowerment Through SEL in Music Education (savethemusic.org) . —empowering students through music education. Programs like these equip teachers with the resources to help students build agency and self-efficacy by centering students' lived experiences, voices, and cultural narratives. Engaging with music—whether through creation, performance, or listening—allows students to connect with the art form in meaningful ways, fostering skills that extend beyond the music classroom. Music helps children and youth draw connections between their own lives and the shared threads of the human experience. Participation in music-making, whether in a group performance or a solo endeavor, can build self-confidence and develop the collaborative skills necessary to achieve common goals. Additionally, listening to lyrics, whether from contemporary songs or music of the past, can help students feel less isolated as they navigate the complexities of growing up, understanding relationships, and coping with change, crisis, heartbreak, and loss. Teachers who intentionally integrate music into their educational settings can effectively embed and sustain SEL practices within their classrooms. Having been a music teacher myself, I was always aware of the dual role music played in my students' lives. The curriculum I followed was designed to be purposeful, challenging, and exciting, offering a refreshing departure from the rest of their school day. But beyond that, it provided opportunities for students to develop self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Music demands goal-setting and perseverance, yet it also brings joy. I cherished the moments when my students lost their self-consciousness, whether playing drums in a group, singing together, or conquering a challenging task I had set for them. These experiences often fostered a sense of belonging, mutual respect, and healthy collaboration, where every student felt a sense of agency. The skills developed in the music classroom are highly transferable to life beyond school. Over my 25 years in education, I have observed a decline in discipline and determination among students. I recall one student who initially wanted to quit learning the ukulele because the strings hurt her fingers. When I encouraged her to persevere, explaining that the discomfort would pass as her fingers grew stronger, she stormed out of the classroom. However, as the weeks went by, my students began to wear their hardening fingertips as badges of honor, a sign that they had been practicing at home and were willing to endure minor discomforts for the sake of progress. Eventually, the discouraged student came around, mastering a beautiful song that we performed together for the school community. The pride she felt in overcoming adversity was evident, and this experience served as a powerful lesson in resilience. In today’s culture of quick fixes and immediate gratification, opportunities for developing self-discipline are becoming scarce. The ukulele became more than just an instrument for my students; it was a source of comfort, a medium for expressing their experiences, and a symbol of personal achievement. It represented a feather in their cap of strengths and abilities, a tangible reminder of their capacity to overcome challenges. Music offers educators a valuable tool for fostering SEL in their students, but beyond that, it is one of the most deeply rewarding and purely enjoyable ways to experience what it means to be human. Music connects us to others in profoundly human ways and equips us with the skills needed to thrive in today’s world. As students and teachers step into a new school year, may music fill their hearts, lives, and minds with the potential to bring out the best in themselves, their well-being, and their relationships with others.
Room 217 is pleased to partner with McMaster University Health Sciences to provide a research practicum for students each year in music and care. This blog was written by one of those students. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I recall dropping off my brother for his first day of kindergarten, feeling a mix of uncertainty and hope. The last thing on my mind was the challenges he would face in making friends in this new environment. For what felt like years, he came home with a barely touched lunch and a growing reluctance to return to school each morning. However, a turning point occurred in second-grade, when he excitedly came home clutching a recorder in his hand. With confidence, he played his favourite tunes learned from music class. His passion and hard work caught the attention of his teacher, earning him the role of a valued “helper” in the after-school recorder club. This experience became a catalyst for his personal and social development. Through music, he created meaningful connections with a diverse group of students. These friendships extended beyond the music room to shared lunch times and playdates. Seeing this growth, I came to realize the remarkable power of music in breaking down social barriers and nurturing genuine bonds among children. This anecdote echoes the importance of music education in school curriculums, aligning with findings from the literature. In Mansfield, Ohio, a teacher shares her journey of bringing music into her school curriculum to strengthen social bonds among students and the community. Starting from scratch, she set up the school’s music department with help from community donations and grants. What made her approach stand out was her focus on what her students loved musically, incorporating songs like “This is Me” from the movie The Greatest Showman and “Thunder” by Imagine Dragons. This not only made learning more fun but also fostered inclusivity, encouraging students to share their own music compositions with each other. This led to the creation of “ Mallet Madness ,” a school-wide event that brought the community together through music. The event was special because they replaced ticket sales with a food drive for local pantries. Through this process, students learned about engaging with each other and supporting their community through music, gaining lifelong skills applicable to broader contexts in their experiences. This is just one of the many ways music education supports social connections among children. Research in this realm suggests other effective methods. In general, children benefit from all types of classroom music programs , including improvisation, performance, and exposure as background music, leading to positive outcomes such as improved emotional expression, increased empathy and reduced aggressiveness. These traits are essential for developing effective communication and conflict resolution skills, crucial to building healthy and lasting social relationships. In third and fourth-grade classrooms, researchers found that exposure to 10 months of group music lessons , which included learning to play the ukulele and singing with peers, led to a greater ability to understand and express concern for others’ well-being, and improved overall prosocial skills. I shared a similar experience during my time working with the Fountain of Uke program in Hamilton, which incorporates similar aspects of using the ukulele in classroom music lessons. I taught elementary school children how to play and sing along to “If you are happy and you know it” on the ukulele. Together, we performed for older adults in the community, sparking intergenerational conversations through music. I learned that music transcends time, language, and culture, allowing for the initiation and strengthening of all social bonds. While I’m not actively in touch with this group anymore, whenever I replay the playlist of the songs we shared, it brings back memories of our time together. Furthermore, this experience inspired me to encourage my brother to teach our parents how to play the recorder, resulting in greater trust and closer bonds between them. While many attempts to incorporate music into early education can yield positive outcomes, some strategies prove more effective than others . For instance, children taught by a specialist teacher using an interactive method , where the teacher played the songs live, showed more positive social changes compared to those taught by a non-specialist teacher who passively played recordings of songs. Thus, the way we choose to use, teach, or interact with music affects the results we see in children. One thing to keep in mind is that current research focuses on assessing specific outcomes related to music programs, often overlooking broader community impacts. Still, developing these social and emotional skills are essential to building strong and enduring connections within our communities. Reflecting on my experiences, I am optimistic about the opportunities music offers in early education. My journey, like many others’, highlights the positive impacts of music on personal growth and social connection from a young age. As a university student, I continue to connect with my peers through our shared interests in music, whether it is through listening, playing, or attending concerts. Embracing music in early education sets the stage for an interconnected future for children and communities alike.
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