For many individuals, engagement with the arts and music in later life plays a significant role in identity formation. Research indicates that music engagement facilitates successful aging. While participants may or may not establish identities as musicians, musical activities provide interactions and opportunities that facilitate their self-images as healthy older adults. Further examination will clarify the psychosocial means by which people form identities through music and identities as musicians as well as the actual influence that music has on those processes. As music educators come to understand how seniors use music in identity creation, they will begin to understand how they can design and implement programs for them. The root of the question lies in the purposes of music education.