It’s no mystery; music has been proven to help seniors living with dementia, including Alzheimer’s. It’s something we’ve witnessed firsthand through our Music Therapy Program that provides personalized iPods loaded with music from their younger days. We also see the benefits for seniors that come with intergenerational interactions when families and other people from the community come to visit.

Because we see an opportunity to continue to improve our residents’ quality of life, we decided to pilot a program that is the first of its kind in Texas, called Musician-in-Residence.

This program will allow two college students who are majoring in music or performance to live in one of our communities and perform shows multiple times a week. Currently, this program is active in our Sonterra and Alamo Heights communities, but will also launch with the opening of our Round Rock community.

“We are excited to be the first senior living communities in the state of Texas to offer this program. We believe it will provide talented students with an opportunity to hone their musical skills by performing for our residents regularly in exchange for free lodging,” says Luke L. Classen, President of Franklin Companies.

The musicians will perform three times per week. The music genre, nature, and format will vary from performance to performance and include recitals, sing-a-longs, and formal concerts. Students are accepted into this program on a semester basis and will receive reviews on a regular basis from the Life Enrichment Director.

“We empower seniors to live an active and healthy lifestyle, and accessibility to the arts is an essential part of this. Residents will watch these young performers grow personally and professionally while creating meaningful relationships for all,” says Classen.

If you would like more information on the Musician-in-Residence program, please contact Franklin Park® Senior Living.