Ithaca College is finding ways for 76 million baby boomers to age better. The school's gerontology studies and a new research center show having a creative hobby keeps your brain young. Drummer George Reed wants to live to see 100. The 85 year old has been playing music since he was a kid. "I started playing on garbage can tops in New York City," smiles Reed, who says music is the creative force that keeps him and his mind young, and still learning. "I'm still experimenting and getting different sounds out of them. I haven't even... I barely scratched the surface of the sounds you can get out of a set of drums," Reed describes. "It's amazing. The cymbols and all the different sounds." Whether you write, paint, sculpt or play music, having an active skillset sets you apart when it comes to aging. "I believe that everybody has a creative side to them which is waiting to come out," says Myer Stolov, a 78 year old retired violinist who has found a second career in painting. "Not everyone realizes it of course." Gene Cothran, a 62 year old pianist agrees. "I'm the biggest offender of sitting down in front of the television and wasting a lot of time," he says. "And there's nothing wrong with that, but it can't be all that you do." The Gerontology program at Ithaca College is celebrating its 15 year anniversary and the Linden Center for Creativity and Aging is one of the first of its kind in the nation. The research center aims to break the stereotype that old people are slow, boring and a drain on society. Studies show in face, you can become more creative because of age, not despite of it. "Brain cells don't stop generating at age 16 or 20 which was the old idea," says John Krout, director of the Gerontology Institute. "100 year olds can generate new connections between brain cells if they engage in activity." Something drummer George Reed, who plays multiple gigs a week still, already knew. "I feel I'm getting younger all the time," he says. For more information about the Linden Center for Creativity and Aging and Ithaca College's Gerontology degrees, visit http://www.ithaca.edu/aging/