Title:Music and Belonging: An Exploration of Senior Music Education in the “Café Malta“ Project of Malteser Hilfsdienst e.V in Dettingen, GermanyAbstract:In response to the conference theme“Building Bridges for All“, this study reflects on the unique role of music as a nonverbal form of communication - one that transcends the boundaries of age, culture, and cognition. Music has the capacity to evoke empathy, dissolve social barriers, and create a shared sense of connection, serving as a bridge between different generations, cultures, and memories. Within this framework, the study investigates the “Café Malta“ project organized by the Malteser community in Dettingen, Germany, exploring the social and psychological dimensions of music education among older adults experiencing cognitive aging.The participants were community-dwelling seniors aged between 83 and 95, who, despite varying degrees of cognitive decline varying degrees of cognitive decline, retained autonomy and the ability to engage socially. The researcher, positioned as an educator coming from a different cultural background and being part of a generation more than fifty years younger than the participants, observed how cultural and generational differences were expressed and negotiated through musical interactions, as well as the memories they brought back to the participants. The sessions were structured within the framework of Dalcroze Eurhythmics, integrating rhythmic movement, group singing, and improvisation into everyday social contexts. This approach emphasized bodily experience, collective participation, and musical perception as interrelated components of the educational process, fostering an open and meaningful learning atmosphere.Findings indicate that music activities based on Dalcroze principles facilitated the building of bridges between generations, cultures, and also between experiences within a person´s memory.These memories encouraged the emotional expression and social interaction among participants, strengthened trust and communication within the group, and reinforced a sense of belonging and self-recognition in an informal learning environment. In this process, music functioned as an educational medium that supported social connection and intergenerational understanding. Situated in a cross-cultural context, this study further reveals how music, as a shared educational space, can transcend cultural differences, fostering empathy and social inclusion. Moreover observation showed that music helped build cognitive connections within a person´s memories. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the social and cultural significance of music education in the context cognitive aging and community learning.Keywords: music education; sense of belonging; cognitive aging