Introduction

Abstract

It is a deep Canadian winter morning and the start of the third session since singing was introduced into the intergenerational art program at Picasso Retirement Home. The participants, Picasso elders and preschoolers from an adjacent child care centre, exuberantly share a welcome song. The children taught this song to the adults on day one of the new singing-infused curriculum and through it, the participants practice each other’s names, extend greetings, and signal that they have gathered as a collective. In a little while, after the class has been led in a singing warm-up, participants will be invited to collaborate as intergenerational pairs to create a painting of their hands together holding flowers.