The Role of Music in Understanding and Defining Aging Cohorts: Implications for Gerontological Education

The importance of the concept of a cohort effect has been indicated in the gerontological literature for many years, and while many studies have examined psychosocial differences and macro-level sociological variables, the examination of music as a possible indicator of cohort identity and as a comparison of values and virtues has not yet been investigated. This master's degree project focused on four objectives that relate to cohort issues and the role of music as an identifier and as a substantive mechanism to profile specific cohorts that have been identified in the literature and popular media. One objective was to create a selected review of the literature on the intersection of cohort issues and music; the second objective was to create an exemplary listing of music (songs and lyrics) that best serve as an identifier for each cohort group. The third objective was to review the exemplary listings (i.e., the inventory of cohort-specific music) in light of a major theoretical perspective related to the aging experience: Erikson's psychosocial theory and through the lens of a binary perspective of vices and virtues as a way of profiling the intersection of music with cohort values. And finally, the fourth objective was to synthesize the findings in order to examine the potential for two theories to explain the significance of music for cohort groups and then provide a provisional statement about the implications of music and cohort issues for gerontological education.