Theoretical/pedagogical background Later-life music learning and participation offer vital opportunities for inclusion, wellbeing, and community connection, aligning closely with ISME’s theme of Unity in Music Education: Building Bridges for All. Yet pedagogical models addressing the specific challenges and possibilities of later-life facilitation remain underdeveloped. This paper presents an evidence-based pedagogical framework that integrates critical and humanistic perspectives, emphasizing responsive, reflective, and inclusive practice. The framework draws on multiple case studies of later-life music learning and participation, encompassing community groups and long-term residential care contexts, where music served as a bridge across generations, abilities, and life experiences.Focus of the research reportedThe paper aims to present a pedagogical model to guide critically reflective practice among facilitators of later-life music learning. The model supports practitioners in navigating tensions between care and creativity, structure and flexibility, and tradition and innovation, while fostering inclusive and responsive music-making environments.Method of inquiryThe framework was developed through a synthesis of findings from several qualitative case studies using participatory methods, including observation, interviews, and practitioner reflection. Cross-case analysis revealed recurring pedagogical principles that enabled meaningful participation and learning among older adults, including those facing cognitive or physical challenges. These findings were interpreted through critical and humanistic theoretical lenses to construct a model of facilitation that is both practically grounded and conceptually rich.Summary of the main ideasThe model is represented by the metaphor of a shared lifeboat, capturing the collaborative and adaptive nature of facilitation in later-life music learning. The anchor represents the facilitator’s values, beliefs, and lived experiences that ground and stabilize practice amid shifting or turbulent contexts. The hull symbolizes the pedagogical frameworks that guide facilitation, such as collaborative, exploratory, experiential, and intergenerational learning. Finally, the sails represent the creative activities that foster musical growth, such as songwriting, improvisation, singalongs, and ensemble work. Central to the model is responsive leadership, through which facilitators navigate evolving needs, capacities, and aspirations with sensitivity and shared purpose.Conclusions and implications for music educationBy foregrounding responsiveness, reflection, and shared purpose, the model contributes to broader conversations about unity and inclusivity in music education. The paper also questions how far such models can adapt to culturally diverse and intersectional contexts. Through this critical lens, the model is offered not as a universal prescription, but as a reflective tool to support ongoing dialogue and adaptive practice across the lifespan.