Shannon Potter

Come Together Choir® Senior Enrichment Toolkits

Come Together Choir® is a Key Chorale initiative designed to bring the power of participatory music into senior living communities, memory care programs, adult day services, community organizations and other settings serving older adults. At its heart is a simple idea: people should not simply listen to music—they should have the opportunity to become part of it.

The Come Together Choir Senior Enrichment Toolkits provide organizations with a structured, ready-to-implement music experience that makes meaningful participation accessible to people with varying abilities and musical backgrounds. Each eight-week experience includes seven guided rehearsals followed by a themed culminating performance, giving participants something to look forward to, work toward and celebrate together.

The program was created to move beyond traditional entertainment. Rather than bringing in an entertainer for residents or participants to watch, Come Together Choir creates an opportunity for them to actively contribute. Participants can sing, move, listen, clap, engage socially or participate in whatever way is comfortable and meaningful for them. The emphasis is on participation, not performance or perfection.

Each toolkit provides the resources needed to make implementation practical for staff and facilitators, including senior-friendly musical arrangements, rehearsal and playback tracks, lesson plans, facilitator resources, leader materials and performance resources. This allows organizations to offer a consistent, engaging music experience without having to develop an entire program from the ground up.

CTC has been particularly meaningful in settings serving people living with dementia and other cognitive or physical limitations. Through group music-making, participants have opportunities for social connection, creative expression, confidence, purpose and accomplishment. The program also creates shared experiences that can extend beyond the rehearsal itself, bringing staff, families and communities together around a common celebration.

During its early implementation, Come Together Choir has reached more than 200 participants through nearly 100 sessions and created close to 3,000 moments of connection. Feedback from participating organizations and families has highlighted engagement, enjoyment, social connection and accomplishment, including one powerful testimonial describing the experience as having “gave Jim his voice back.”

Come Together Choir is more than a music activity. It is an opportunity to connect, participate, accomplish and belong—through the universal language of music.