When Preparatory ballet instructor Nicole Bealand meets a new class of her lifelong learning students, she looks forward to working with dancers who might range in age from their 20s to their 70s.
“Some may be kinesthetic learners, like I am, who have to actually do the movement for the body to remember it,” she says. “Others are more auditory and need me to say: ‘Step on your right foot, bring your left arm up.’ And some people are visual and just need to see me do it.”
Her ability to incorporate these approaches into a single instructional flow allows her to reach everyone in the room, “not just the select two or three who will understand.”
In 2023, Bealand took over the adult dance program at Peabody Preparatory with approximately 80 students. Last year, 360 students enrolled in 16 classes ranging from beginner workshops to advanced level ballet as well as other dance styles such as jazz, contemporary, and modern. They are taught by nine Peabody Preparatory faculty members.
The program also offers performance opportunities with the Adult Dance Ensemble.
Risa Carlson, interim director of the Preparatory, says the division is actively expanding its focus to embrace lifelong learning across all disciplines. “Continuing arts education into adulthood fosters deep joy, personal growth, and a lasting sense of connection,” she says. “We’re committed to creating meaningful opportunities for learners at every stage of life.”
Renowned as the region’s premier performing arts school for children and young adults, Peabody Preparatory has campuses in Annapolis, Baltimore, and Howard counties as well as Baltimore City. It has been building its adult learning programs in chamber music and dance for the past several years. Other Peabody Plus adult group classes include piano and classical guitar.
In 2023, Bealand took over the adult dance program at Peabody Preparatory with approximately 80 students. Last year, 360 students enrolled in 16 classes ranging from beginner workshops to advanced level ballet as well as other dance styles such as jazz, contemporary, and modern. They are taught by nine Peabody Preparatory faculty members.
The program also offers performance opportunities with the Adult Dance Ensemble.
Risa Carlson, interim director of the Preparatory, says the division is actively expanding its focus to embrace lifelong learning across all disciplines. “Continuing arts education into adulthood fosters deep joy, personal growth, and a lasting sense of connection,” she says. “We’re committed to creating meaningful opportunities for learners at every stage of life.”
Renowned as the region’s premier performing arts school for children and young adults, Peabody Preparatory has campuses in Annapolis, Baltimore, and Howard counties as well as Baltimore City. It has been building its adult learning programs in chamber music and dance for the past several years. Other Peabody Plus adult group classes include piano and classical guitar.
The growth in lifelong learning programming is part of a national trend buoyed by a growing body of research—including reports by the National Institutes of Health and the National Endowment for the Arts—suggesting that participation in the arts may foster pathways to healthy aging.
“I’m sure that if I hadn’t been dancing, I wouldn’t have felt nearly as confident.”
‘Living Life’
Joshua Vickery, CEO of Encore Creativity for Older Adults, the nation’s largest choral organization for adults 55 and older, notes that the Washington, D.C.–based organization has expanded its programs into 12 states since 2021. “I think many older adults feel that COVID took a little bit of time away from them,” he says. “We’re seeing a lot of older adults who are ‘living life’ and doing new things. A lot of them say, ‘I’ve always wanted to sing in a choir, and I’ve never taken the time to do it.’”
Learning something new increases neural pathways that may offset age-related decline, Carlson says. She adds that many instructors like herself consider community arts education the purest form of teaching. “We are teaching people to put more beauty into the world and to become more confident in themselves.”
She adds that mastering anything new, especially in the arts, is empowering and liberating. “As you make microscopic improvements here and there, you feel like you know yourself better.”
Just ask dancer Sarah Royka, who is in her final year of law school at the University of Maryland. After dancing for 11 years as a child, Royka doubted she would ever return to a practice she had found competitive and stressful. “The first class really healed my inner child,” Royka says. “You come back to the pure joy that is dance in this whole new way where there aren’t any other pressures. It feels like you’re coming home.”
She believes the practice has also improved her presentation skills in Moot Court, a simulated oral argument meant to resemble arguing cases before appellate court judges. “You have to be really in tune with how you’re standing, if your hands are moving, how you’re responding. I’m sure that if I hadn’t been dancing, I wouldn’t have felt nearly as confident.”
‘Living Life’
Joshua Vickery, CEO of Encore Creativity for Older Adults, the nation’s largest choral organization for adults 55 and older, notes that the Washington, D.C.–based organization has expanded its programs into 12 states since 2021. “I think many older adults feel that COVID took a little bit of time away from them,” he says. “We’re seeing a lot of older adults who are ‘living life’ and doing new things. A lot of them say, ‘I’ve always wanted to sing in a choir, and I’ve never taken the time to do it.’”
Learning something new increases neural pathways that may offset age-related decline, Carlson says. She adds that many instructors like herself consider community arts education the purest form of teaching. “We are teaching people to put more beauty into the world and to become more confident in themselves.”
She adds that mastering anything new, especially in the arts, is empowering and liberating. “As you make microscopic improvements here and there, you feel like you know yourself better.”
Just ask dancer Sarah Royka, who is in her final year of law school at the University of Maryland. After dancing for 11 years as a child, Royka doubted she would ever return to a practice she had found competitive and stressful. “The first class really healed my inner child,” Royka says. “You come back to the pure joy that is dance in this whole new way where there aren’t any other pressures. It feels like you’re coming home.”
She believes the practice has also improved her presentation skills in Moot Court, a simulated oral argument meant to resemble arguing cases before appellate court judges. “You have to be really in tune with how you’re standing, if your hands are moving, how you’re responding. I’m sure that if I hadn’t been dancing, I wouldn’t have felt nearly as confident.”
A Total Workout for the Brain
The adult chamber music program has flourished under Lura Johnson, resident pianist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She became coordinator of adult chamber music in 2018. At that time, she recalls there were only four amateur students. Last year there were more than 30 performing in nine chamber ensembles.
Playing chamber music, Johnson says, provides a powerful model for collaborative engagement. “Communicating without words teaches us to listen deeply, to share responsibility, to navigate differences of opinion with respect and flexibility, and to leave our egos at the door in service of a greater whole,” she says, quoting from the program’s mission statement.
“In a time when these values are too often in short supply, this program affirms that making music together is also a way of practicing empathy, cooperation, and community. It is about much more than music—it is about cultivating the very qualities that connect us as human beings.”
Geriatric psychiatrist Susan Lehmann, a pianist, had never played in a chamber group until joining the program. “It’s often lonely when you’re playing the piano,” Lehmann says. “Chamber music is a social experience I’ve never had. It has really enhanced my life to meet other adults who, like me, had an instrument they loved but went down a different career path.”
She also appreciates neurological benefits she calls a “total workout for the brain.”
“You’re using the visual cortex looking at the music. You’re using auditory cortex listening to the sound. You’re using limbic system as you’re thinking about the spirit and emotions of the piece. You’re using the parietal lobe as you’re touching the keys, and the motor cortex as you’re thinking about moving your fingers.”
“Music is a gift to us at every stage of life.”
“In a time when these values are too often in short supply, this program affirms that making music together is also a way of practicing empathy, cooperation, and community. It is about much more than music—it is about cultivating the very qualities that connect us as human beings.”
Geriatric psychiatrist Susan Lehmann, a pianist, had never played in a chamber group until joining the program. “It’s often lonely when you’re playing the piano,” Lehmann says. “Chamber music is a social experience I’ve never had. It has really enhanced my life to meet other adults who, like me, had an instrument they loved but went down a different career path.”
She also appreciates neurological benefits she calls a “total workout for the brain.”
“You’re using the visual cortex looking at the music. You’re using auditory cortex listening to the sound. You’re using limbic system as you’re thinking about the spirit and emotions of the piece. You’re using the parietal lobe as you’re touching the keys, and the motor cortex as you’re thinking about moving your fingers.”
The chamber music participants’ skill levels range from intermediate to very advanced. Johnson says her biggest challenge is making sure that each group’s members are well matched. And she disagrees with the belief that older learners cannot really change their technique. “I have found that adults can learn just as well as younger students,” she says. “They may not learn as quickly but I think they learn more thoughtfully. They know how to learn, and how they learn best.”
Lehmann, who has played the piano for six decades, has no dream of reaching a professional level through the program. “We’re all on our own journeys trying to improve our skills and make the most of whatever time that we have in this world,” she says. “Music is a gift to us at every stage of life.”
“When the group has a clear idea . . . the piece goes from sounding ‘correct’ to being something magical that is much more than the sum of its parts.”
Something Magical
Violinist Dana Polson spent 20 years working in the Baltimore City school system before she began playing with a Peabody piano quintet in 2023. This time, her musical world was free from the competitive stresses she confronted in school and college.
“Nobody is putting pressure on me, which has allowed me to dismantle all this stuff in my head that’s judgy,” she says. “It’s been a real joy.”
Polson is grateful that she has performed with the same quintet for three years and praises the program’s “truly wonderful” weekly coaching sessions (with one of four professional performing musicians who are on staff at Peabody and/or playing with symphony orchestras in the region).
“We meet and rehearse and then meet with our coach for an hour,” Polson says. “We’ll work on technical things, on playing together, and on the music itself—what’s the character and the mood? What’s the structure of the piece and how does that relate to the meaning and emotional content? When the group has a clear idea of these things, then the piece goes from sounding ‘correct’ to being something magical that is much more than the sum of its parts.”
The collaborative practice has also improved her work as an anti-racism consultant who guides individuals and organizations toward greater racial inclusivity. “It’s about learning to listen,” Polson says. “Worrying about how you sound, rather than really playing and listening to others, is similar to consulting with a client. You need to ask yourself, ‘Am I really thinking about what I want to say next instead of what the client is telling me?’”
Something Magical
Violinist Dana Polson spent 20 years working in the Baltimore City school system before she began playing with a Peabody piano quintet in 2023. This time, her musical world was free from the competitive stresses she confronted in school and college.
“Nobody is putting pressure on me, which has allowed me to dismantle all this stuff in my head that’s judgy,” she says. “It’s been a real joy.”
Polson is grateful that she has performed with the same quintet for three years and praises the program’s “truly wonderful” weekly coaching sessions (with one of four professional performing musicians who are on staff at Peabody and/or playing with symphony orchestras in the region).
“We meet and rehearse and then meet with our coach for an hour,” Polson says. “We’ll work on technical things, on playing together, and on the music itself—what’s the character and the mood? What’s the structure of the piece and how does that relate to the meaning and emotional content? When the group has a clear idea of these things, then the piece goes from sounding ‘correct’ to being something magical that is much more than the sum of its parts.”
The collaborative practice has also improved her work as an anti-racism consultant who guides individuals and organizations toward greater racial inclusivity. “It’s about learning to listen,” Polson says. “Worrying about how you sound, rather than really playing and listening to others, is similar to consulting with a client. You need to ask yourself, ‘Am I really thinking about what I want to say next instead of what the client is telling me?’”
Opening Possibilities
Dancer Mira Swartzlander, a Johns Hopkins doctoral student in neuroscience, has found that her ballet classes and work with the performance ensemble not only help her mental health—especially when her experiments aren’t working—but also her physical self-awareness.
“As adult [dancers], we’re not in our prime anymore,” she says. “I think there’s a lot more emphasis on how to make the movement look beautiful with your body language. How do you evoke the idea that you’re getting your leg up high, even when it’s not as high? I think it may actually improve how you appear because you’re more focused on the energy of the movement.”
Ballet instructor Bealand says she loves walking into the studio and realizing what younger and older students can learn from each other. Swartzlander, who began dancing as a toddler, says she never imagined that adult beginners could not only balance but also perform well on pointe.
“It’s very inspiring to see that they’re able to develop the ankle strength to do pointe safely, and continue to improve,” Swartzlander says. “It opens up the possibilities in everything you don’t think you can do.”
Opening Possibilities
Dancer Mira Swartzlander, a Johns Hopkins doctoral student in neuroscience, has found that her ballet classes and work with the performance ensemble not only help her mental health—especially when her experiments aren’t working—but also her physical self-awareness.
“As adult [dancers], we’re not in our prime anymore,” she says. “I think there’s a lot more emphasis on how to make the movement look beautiful with your body language. How do you evoke the idea that you’re getting your leg up high, even when it’s not as high? I think it may actually improve how you appear because you’re more focused on the energy of the movement.”
Ballet instructor Bealand says she loves walking into the studio and realizing what younger and older students can learn from each other. Swartzlander, who began dancing as a toddler, says she never imagined that adult beginners could not only balance but also perform well on pointe.
“It’s very inspiring to see that they’re able to develop the ankle strength to do pointe safely, and continue to improve,” Swartzlander says. “It opens up the possibilities in everything you don’t think you can do.”