Music is an important part which can provide old people benefits for life quality by contributing to positive self-esteem, by helping people feel competent and independent, and by lessening feelings of isolation and loneliness (Hays & Minichiello, 2005). By sharing and participating in music, the seniors could feel joyful and enjoyable, release stress and receive positive emotions (Lehmberg & Fung, 2010). Since physical, psychological and social areas are defined as major components of quality of life (Kane, 2001), it is logical to conclude that active music participation and sharing has a positive effect on the quality of life of senior citizens.
According to a large number of data survey shows that everyone has heard a certain period or a familiar music and then aroused a memory or emotional experience. When people hear familiar music, memory and music will resonate. People's emotions tend to be with the ups and downs of music and the lyrics of the content, resulting in different mood ups and downs with different memories. So many people listen to music at the same time, will be accompanied by their own emotions, and understanding of the lyrics.
With the increase in human age, emotional needs will gradually increase. So many elderly people in the emotional needs of the very large, they are more likely than young people because of music, a familiar melody and into memory. So the elderly are very accustomed to repeatedly listen to their young when popular music.
Through the research of the trends and features of the elderly in Australia of using digital communication methods, there are some evidence shows the Australian elderly would like to download applications on phones than before, they use devices which provide online service more frequently, and they are more likely to choose phones for online surfing (“Australians’ digital lives”, 2015). What's more, older people rarely chase new music and songs like young people, and the reason is that these new songs cannot awaken their memories and old stories.
In terms of the impacts of human's brains, emotions and memories by music, there are some valuable findings. From the drumbeats of our ancient ancestors to today’s unlimited streaming services, music is an integral part of the human experience. Music is a common phenomenon that crosses all borders of culture, nationality and race. Music is a tool for inspiring memories, emotions and feelings. Music has more powerful than language. Music can be thought of as a type of perceptual illusion, much the same way in which a collage is perceived. As evidence that humans are the principal source of emotionality among human and artefacts, consider human visual signs.
The definition of seniors is different based on the location around the world. The World Health Organization set 50 as the beginning of old age while the United Nations has agreed that 60+ years may be usually denoted as old age and this is the first attempt at an international definition of old age (En.wikipedia.org, 2017).
In fact, our brains are hardwired to connect music with long-term memory.Even for persons with severe dementia, music can tap deep emotional recall. For individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s, memory for things—names, places, facts—is compromised, but memories from our teenage years can be well-preserved (Sacks, 2007).
15% of elderly whose are 65 years old or above in the USA has used streaming music app to listen to music. Compare to 13-34 years old age group, they have around 40-50% of the population that will use music streaming apps to listen to music. But still, 15% is still a massive number in the elderly population.(Music Machinery, 2017)
The top artists for the average 64-year-old listener include a mix of currently popular artists along with a number of artists from years gone by ((Music Machinery, nd), however, the article pointed out that 13 years old listener only listen to current artist, which means elderly have more acceptance to the modern music.(Music Machinery, 2017)
Hays, T. and Minichiello, V. (2005). The meaning of music in the lives of older people: a qualitative study. Psychology of Music, 33(4), pp.437-451.
Lisa J. Lehmberg & C. Victor Fung. (2010). Benefits of Music Participation for Senior Citizens: A Review of the Literature. Music Education Research International, Volume 4.
Anon, (2015). Communications report 2013-14 series Report 1 - Australians’ digital lives. [online] Available at: https://engage.dss.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Australian-Wagering-Council-Attachment-B-3.pdf.
Kane, R. (2001). Long-Term Care and a Good Quality of Life. The Gerontologist, 41(3), pp.293-304.
Music Machinery. (2017). Exploring age-specific preferences in listening. [online] Available at: https://musicmachinery.com/2014/02/13/age-specific-listening/.
En.wikipedia.org. (2017). Old age. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_age. Sacks, O. (2007). Musicophilia : Tales of music and the brain (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.