ARTS AND AGING TRAINING PROGRAM
Preparing emerging musicians to perform for seniors in care and community settings.
A flexible online training program for musicians 18+, currently in development.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Seniors are seeking live music, and emerging musicians have a role to play.
A growing audience
~1 in 5 Canadians are 65 or older (Statistics Canada, 2025).
2,000+ long-term care homes (CIHI, 2021) and thousands of retirement homes offer live performances for their residents.
The power of live music
Live music fosters social connection, shared experiences and a sense of community (Rickard et al., 2025).
Loneliness impacts both youth and seniors (Statistics Canada, 2021; National Institute on Ageing, 2026).
A training gap
Seniors have diverse needs that shape how they experience music.
Few arts businesses offer training on inclusive engagement or working with persons with disabilities (Statistics Canada, 2026).
In surveys and sessions, seniors have told Connected Aging they would enjoy seeing more emerging musicians perform.
Yet many young musicians don’t know these performance opportunities exist or don’t feel prepared to pursue them.
Connected Aging's training prepares musicians to bring joy and connection to seniors through meaningful, paid performances.
From training to performance-ready.
A self-paced online program for emerging musicians (18+), combining aging and performance expertise with practical tools and instructor feedback.
Organizations that book or support musicians can also work with Connected Aging to offer customized training for their performers.
How emerging musicians and seniors benefit:
THE PROGRAM
01 SKILLS
Emerging musicians gain the knowledge, practical skills and confidence to perform for seniors in care and community settings.
02 OPPORTUNITIES
During training, musicians get the tools and resources to find paid performance opportunities in their own communities.
03 PERFORMANCES
Seniors enjoy interactive performances from musicians trained to work with and engage older audiences.
GUIDED BY PROFESSIONAL AND LIVED EXPERIENCE
A training program built on front-line insight and shaped by the people it serves.
Informed by experience: Inspired by 100+ performances in long-term care and retirement homes as an emerging musician, and 15 years in the aging sector.
Developed through collaboration: Shaped through surveys, interviews and listening sessions with older adults, aging sector professionals, emerging musicians and music educators.
“Young people are the future, and the more the generations mix, the more value each group will find in each other”.
- Retirement Home Resident, Connected Aging Survey
Be part of a program that opens doors for emerging musicians and brings the joy of intergenerational music to seniors.
The program is in development. Here’s how you can get involved:
GET INVOLVED
MUSICIANS (18+)
Share your experiences to help shape the program, or join the waitlist for early access.
SPONSOR OR PARTNER
Support program development through funding or sponsorship, or partner with us to offer custom training for your musicians.
AGING & MUSIC EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS
Contribute your expertise, showcase your work or help connect musicians and seniors to share their perspectives.