Music and memory: examining the impact of a 10-week song writing program on memory in older adults

The proportion of older adults in the world is growing substantially. We can expect both increased quality of life and also greater numbers being diagnosed with dementia. Structured training programs such as music making are an encouraging means to promote healthy cognitive ageing. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of engagement in a song writing program on episodic memory, auditory working memory and general cognitive performance in older adults. Seven older adults (all females M = 68 years, SD = 3.92) who all had previous musical training were recruited to participate in the 10-week program. The study was a single group nonexperimental design where data was recorded pre and post engagement in the program. Following the program it was found that the older adults’ performance on the measures examining working memory, episodic memory, and a general cognitive screener were not improved when compared with measures taken before the program commenced. These results are inconsistent with previous studies examining other music learning, such as learning an instrument, where improvements in working memory and episodic memory were seen post program, however this is not surprising given the small sample.