Playback - Winter 2008 - (Page 15) NAMM Demonstrates the Health, Social Benefits of Recreational Music Making at AARP Event & Expo NAMM exhibited at the sixth annual AARP Life@50+ National Event & Expo at the Boston Convention Center in September, where nearly 27,000 attendees learned about the social and physical wellness benefits experienced by people over age 50 who participate in Recreational Music Making (RMM). Commercial and retail NAMM Members hosted multiple hands-on music presentations at the NAMM Music Village booth, which focused on RMM programs and products. There was also a lesson area where attendees could take mini music lessons, a stage where speakers discussed the benefits of making music, a daily drum circle and a performance by a local New Horizons Band. Many attendees left with a renewed interest in picking up an instrument, whether they were brand new to music making or had been performing for decades. Recreational Music Making has been demonstrated to improve active participation, socialization, positive mood/effect, happiness, contentment, joy and meaningful self-expression throughout the senior aging spectrum. “It made you feel great,” says Sharon Thomson, of Beatrice, Neb., after participating in the drum circle. “I played in a drum group when I was a teenager. Now I’m going to look into my local New Horizons group.” WINTER 2008 15
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