A cappella programme enriches elderly lives

The Jockey Club Yat Po ‘Happy A-ge-cappella’ seeks to provide retirees and the aged with a platform to stay active and showcase their talents.

“Retirement can seem like fun at first, but soon after, you have so much idle time to spend that it can get boring and depressing easily,” says Phyllis Tai, an elderly student of the ‘Happy A-ge-cappella’ programme. “The programme engages us in a range of enriching activities. It’s a wonderful way to enjoy one’s twilight years.”

‘Happy A-ge-cappella’, funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, is a three-year a cappella choral and life enrichment programme designed for seniors. Organized by Yat Po Singers, the first professional a cappella choral theatre company in Hong Kong, the programme recruits young tutors to impart to elderly pupils the art of a cappella.

“On the one hand, seniors can find joy in learning about new musical knowledge and developing team spirit through interacting with younger teachers. On the other hand, it establishes a common bond between people of different generations,” says Sam Lau, Programme Director (Artistic) of Happy A-ge-cappella.

In addition to workshops and gatherings, students get to partake in a variety of performances, helping to bring a cappella music into the community.

The creative team at Yat Po Singers also tailor-makes songs for students, which are then recorded into music videos. While strengthening the students’ self-confidence, the programme recognizes value in the aged.

Lau, who treasures the joyful time spent with the seniors, says that they share a lot more in common than he thought. “Who would have thought that they are also familiar with young singers like G.E.M.?” he says when ruminating on one of the past lessons.

Together the teachers and students cultivate a tight-knit community that promotes intergenerational inclusion, and the compatibility is equally felt on both sides. Despite the age difference, Tai says the teachers are patient and highly professional.

“They understand we often have poor memory and cater to our learning progress with light-hearted and lively teaching methods,” she says.

Looking back on when she first applied for the programme, Tai shares her reluctance to try a cappella, a new area she hasn’t set foot on. “I’m so glad that I did! I’ve not only learned new singing skills but made so many new friends, especially Sam Sir [Sam Lau],” she says.

Having found a new hobby, Wendy Lam, a student of the ‘Happy A-ge-cappella’ programme, says she has learnt how to count the beats and read sheet music from the lessons. She adds that the programme attends to the social needs of retirees.

“By bringing the young and the old together, we are able to stay in touch with our peers and make new friends,” says Lam. “Every lesson is filled with laughter. Aside from learning how to do a cappella, I’ve developed a close bond with fellow students.”

“Having joined so many choir programmes in the past, I can safely say that I have the most fun participating in ‘Happy A-ge-cappella’ and highly recommend others to join and share our merriment,” she says.