Organization uses music to help adults get into the holiday spirit

Encore Creativity for Older Adults is a Maryland-based organization that brings music to adults who may have never gotten the chance to partake in the arts.

The choir group hosts regular concerts, and this holiday season, they're bringing joy to their friends and families from the stage.

"Singing is joyful," Jeanne Kelly, founder and artistic director at Encore Creativity, told In The Know. "However you want to think about it, it makes people really happy to sing."

According to the foundation's website, its mission is "to provide an excellent and accessible artistic environment for older adults, regardless of experience or ability, who seek arts education and performance opportunities under a professional artist."

Older adults, the site claims, represent "an underserved population in the arts, throughout the country."

And Kelly wants to remedy that through her program, which does not discriminate based on age or even musical experience.

"We have singers that are 55," she said. "We at one time had a singer that was 103 years old and she joyfully sang."

"It gives so many people the opportunity to participate," she added. "People who never thought they could sing come out and sing."

But beyond helping adults experience the arts, the choir group has amazing benefits for seniors who may be suffering from ailments like dementia and Alzheimer's, according to Towson Chorale Master Esther Layton.

"One of the important things that they said to help delay dementia was socialization, and boy do we have that," she said.

"For people to get out and be social and have this, it lifts their spirits," Kelly echoed.

Watch the full episode of In The Know: Holiday Heroes above to learn more.