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The effects of arts engagement on older adults have been well-documented. However, the ways older adults overcome common situational and dispositional barriers to enhance personal growth and well-being are less known. Fifty-six community dwelling older adults (71.3 ± 4.6 years) took part in dance, music, or a control workshop two times/week for ten weeks. Participants' personal growth was examined through focus groups and surveys in this mixed-methods study. Focus group and survey results revealed participants experienced personal growth through engaging in the dance and music arms of the experiment. Participants, especially those in arts workshops, described personal growth experiences aligning with four themes: increased social connections, developed new skills, utilized a growth mindset, and used creativity to overcome situational and dispositional barriers to participation. The barriers included musculoskeletal challenges, hearing impairments, and difficulty retaining new information. The study yielded high adherence and retention rates, and participants reported increased engagement within their communities. Our observations provide avenues for future practitioners and facilitators to create programming that empowers older adults and utilizes participants' ongoing feedback to support access, inclusion, and sense of community. • Older adults felt that they experienced personal growth after participating in community arts programming. • Participants highlighted social connections, skill development, growth mindset, and creativity to overcome barriers. • Most common barriers included musculoskeletal challenges, hearing impairments, and challenges retaining new information. • At the end of interventions, participants reported increased engagement in their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I highlight ways in which ethnomusicologycentered skills can be adapted for educational, practice-based, and research-based cross-disciplinary settings where topics of music and health intersect, by focusing on recurring issues that I have encountered and negotiated as an ethnomusicologist and music educator. These issues include determining the role of the ethnomusicologist in collaborative settings and developing awareness of cross-disciplinary considerations. Through discussion of project design and methodology, I explain how I have negotiated post-injury and program-based needs through practical applications of ethnomusicology to facilitate community integration through music in a community-based rehabilitation program for individuals recovering from traumatic brain injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overall purpose of this randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to examine the effect of arts classes (ballroom dance and ukulele) on older adults' well-being compared with a social conversation control group. This article describes a novel participant-empowered pedagogical approach to enhance control group retention and engagement. Sixty-four participants (M = 71 years) participated twice weekly in a 10-week intervention that included ballroom dancing (n = 23), ukulele playing (n = 17), and social conversation (n = 24). Focus group themes revealed participants felt challenged as they crossed their comfort zones, increased confidence, and enhanced social connections. Community-engaged arts programs for older adults should further examine mechanisms that foster positive social connections during sessions, paying special attention to the design of the control group condition in RCTs where competing arts-based intervention groups may be more desirable to participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]