From youth through older adulthood, we’ve all experienced the power of music in our lives. Whether it’s a moving instrumental piece or a swift beat with diverse vocal range, music has the power to shift your mood, inspire creativity, enhance concentration, evoke memories, and make mundane tasks more enjoyable.

The influence of music on health and behavior, particularly among older adults, is a topic of growing research interest. A specific set of 10th Century musical frequencies, known as the Solfeggio Frequencies, lay the foundation for modern interest in music and health.

In this article you’ll learn more about:

• the effects music can have on an older adult’s physical and emotional wellbeing
• what the Solfeggio Frequencies have to do with music and health, and 
• tips for bringing the health benefits of music into an older adult’s life

Health Benefits of Music for Older Adults

According to the National Poll on Healthy Aging (2024), more than 50% of adults age 50-80 listen to music daily and 98% stated they feel music provides health benefit. In particular, the older adults also indicated that listening to music reduces stress and tension and helps them relax. Since stress plays a crucial role in many disease processes, the ability of music to reduce a person’s experience of stress is important to wellbeing. Participants also reported that music: 

• positively affects an older adult’s mood, attitude or mental health
• motivates or “energizes”
• keeps the mind sharp, improves mental focus
• brings joy
• creates connection with others (reduces social isolation)
• reduces pain
• evokes memories & recall of life events

Even though these findings are subjective—meaning they are a compilation of data as reported by the participants, the results align with findings from well-designed studies on music and health. A variety of studies show that music has effects on: 

• psychological state (mood, emotion, anxiety, depression, agitation, etc.) 
• physical health (heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, balance, coordination)
• brain function (brain waves, learning, memory, concentration)
• activity in the nervous system (states of physical and mental tension/relaxation)
• immune system response (healing from illness, recovery from surgery)
• endocrine system function (hormone balance)

Overall, the research points to music as a valuable intervention to support older adult health and wellbeing. Some studies even indicate music as a useful therapeutic intervention for people who are experiencing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease as well as other conditions that affect learning and memory. 

So, what do the ancient Solfeggio Frequencies have to do with music and older adult health?

What are the Solfeggio Frequencies?

The effects of music on health and behavior fascinated the ancient Greeks and the great thinkers of other early civilization. The earliest effects of music on states of wellbeing were observed using a specific six-tone scale, a.k.a., the Solfeggio Frequencies.

The Solfeggio Frequencies are most commonly associated with Gregorian Chants, a form of spiritual music common to early Christianity and ancient Sanskrit chants. The intention was to use sound to evoke a trance like state to facilitate deep spiritual insight or meditation. Over the millennia, the scale has been incorporated into all types of modern instrumental and vocal music. Think of your own everyday experiences of listening to music through film, radio, live performance and how the tones and scales evoke feelings and allow us to form a connection between the music and oftentimes, other things happening in our life at the time. This unique feature of music, as intriguing as it is, is not the reason why the Solfeggio Frequencies matter to health.

The Solfeggio Frequencies Importance in Health & Behavior 

The Solfeggio’s six scales were claimed to be associated with specific healing attributes:

• First Note, 396 Hz - release feelings of guilt and fear.
• Second Note, 417 Hz - facilitate change in life; release the conscious and subconscious mind from traumatic past experiences.
• Third Note, 528 Hz - bring about profound physical transformation. 
• Fourth Note, 639 Hz - improve our connection and relationships with the people in our lives, ex.: healing strained relationships and forming new ones.
• Fifth Note, 741 Hz - help us communicate and share our gifts more fully.
• Sixth Note, 852 Hz - facilitate a return to spiritual tranquility.

When the modern 12-note scale was introduced, only a subset of spiritual practitioners retained the tradition of Gregorian Chants; the Solfeggio was nearly lost to history. Around the 20th Century, a resurgence in Gregorian Chanting brought about interest in the healing effects of music and scientific inquiry into music tuned to the Solfeggio. This led to the scientific and medical research of today, as well as the use of music therapy in clinical settings and in older adult wellness programming.

It's easy for older adults (or their caregivers) to bring the healing power of music into their lives to promote health and wellbeing. Here are a few ideas:

• Join a music listening group with a friend or loved one. Many support groups (e.g., for dementia, chronic disease, cancer and cancer survivors) have resources for choirs, instrumental groups, and music listening groups.
• If you have a religious tradition, consider attending a religious service to sing spiritual hymns and songs.
• Play music at various times of day to stimulate positive atmosphere and shift mood

For someone living with disorders of memory, consider these approaches:

• Choose music from the era when they were a teenager.
• Encourage an older adult who previously played an instrument to try it again.
• Attend a local concert or watch a filmed concert
• Sing, dance and move to music 
• Play soothing music, Gregorian Chants or sound therapy music to help with transitions from activity to rest (naptime, bedtime)

If you aren’t sure where to begin with music for health, inquire with a holistic practitioner for a referral to a music therapist or a sound healer. Or contact one of the following organizations to find a practitioner in your area:

International Sound Therapy Association  https://ISTASounds.org 

The Association of Sound Therapy https://harmonicsounds.com/association-of-sound-therapy

Sound Healers Association https://www.soundhealersassociation.org 

American Music Therapy Association https://www.musictherapy.org 

World Federation of Music Therapy  https://wfmt.info 

Resources

Chandra, ML. & Levitin, DJ., “The Neurochemistry of Music.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences, (April 2013) 17:4. Accessed 4 May 2017: https://daniellevitin.com/levitinlab/articles/2013-TICS_1180.pdf 

APA.org “Science Watch: Music as Medicine.” Posted by Amy Novotney; (Nov 2013 44:10). Accessed on 4 May 2017:

Sloboda, J.A. and O’Neill, S.A. “Emotions in everyday listening to music.” In Music and Emotion: Theory and Research (Juslin, P.N. and Sloboda, J.A., eds) (2001)  pp. 415–429, Oxford University Press. Accessed 4 May 2017