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After retiring, more seniors are going for classes to fulfil their childhood dreams or to pass timeYou can teach an old dog new tricks.迷你倉最平 And the silver brigade here is proving this as more of them pick up new skills right through their 70s.Even disciplines such as piano and ballet, which are traditionally deemed to be beyond older learners as they demand mental and physical agility, are drawing more seniors.Play By Ear Music School in Victoria Street, which was set up in 2003 and offers pop piano classes for adults, has seen a rise in the number of students aged 40 and above. They now make up about 25 per cent of the school's 400 students, up from 10 per cent in 2003.Founder Andrew Yau, 34, says older people are more open to learning the piano these days due perhaps to the rise of social media."Some of them may have been exposed to the Internet and YouTube, where they read or watched videos about older people learning the piano and they decided to try it out too."Adult ballet, too, has been attracting older students in community clubs.Ballet teacher Yu Shu Huai, who started a class for about 10 adults at Kebun Baru Community Club more than 10 years ago, now teaches at five other CCs.He has about 60 students in all, of whom more than 95 per cent are aged 50 and above.Mr Yu, 58, who also teaches ballet to younger people, finds older adults are more committed than younger ones."They seem to have a greater sense of responsibility. They seldom miss a practice or a performance, even if they have minor aches and pains. Some will reschedule their family gathering or a holiday so that they won't have to miss classes."RSVP Singapore - The Organisation of Senior Volunteers, a non-profit organisation of senior volunteers, has also seen "a noticeable increase" among seniors who want to learn more about infocomm technology, especially in "lifestyle" courses such social media and digital photography.Its executive director, Mr Edmund Song, 59, believes this is partly due to the "prevalence of small, handy electronic devices in everyday life", and also because the seniors want to keep up with the times as well as with their children and grandchildren.Many of the seniors interviewed say they were prompted to pick up new skills later in life to fulfil a childhood dream. Others simply want to keep themselves occupied after retirement.Research has shown that it is never too late to pick up new skills.Dr Philip Yap, a senior consultant at the department of geriatric medicine at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, says: "In the past, we used to think that the brain stopped 'growing' in adulthood. But now, we know the brain has sufficient reserves to continue to be malleable throughout life."Through constant engagement and stimulation, he says the brain responds by making new synapses (connections) and growing new neurons (brain cells) and picking up new skills and knowledge.But he notes: "Given the effects of degeneration, older brains may take more time and effort to learn new skills."He adds that research also shows that even stroke patients who suffer brain damage and those with early dementia can regain lost skills and pick up new ones.Mastering a new skill brings about social and mental benefits too.Mr Gerard Ee, 63, chairman of the Council for Third Age, which advocates active ageing and lifelong learning, says: "Seniors can also interact with their course mates. This promotes social wellness and helps them stay connected."leawee@sph.com.sgLEARNT INLINE SKATING AT 59Retired primary school teacher David Ng, 67Mr David Ng used to go for the occasional swim or a game of badminton. But sweating it out was never his idea of fun until he picked up inline skating at age 59, a year before he was due to retire from teaching.Now, he spends at least two evenings a week skating at parks. He also teaches inline skating on weekends and some weekdays at Skateline, a skate school in Bishan which has two other branches.He stumbled upon inline skating by chance. During his 40s and 50s, he used to take his wife and two children to East Coast Park every weekend to walk the family dog or let the children play at the beach. "I would admire the young skaters zooming around. They looked like they were having so much fun."But he never thought of joining them in what he felt was a sport for the young until weeks before he turned 59. "One evening, I was admiring the skaters as usual when a crazy question popped into my mind: Why admire them, why don't I join them?"So, on his 59th birthday, he bought a pair of skates costing slightly more than $100 and enrolled for lessons at Skateline. Having always been "a slow learner", he says he took about 21/2 years to learn the set of 20 basic skills. Most people take six to nine months.But he never thought of giving up. He mastered his basic skills so well that his instructors encouraged him to get certified as an instructor. He is now the oldest instructor at the school but that does not bother him. He hopes to skate - and teach - till he cannot "stand on two feet".But he is careful to avoid moves that involve jumping and speeding. "I cannot afford to fall at my age."So far, he has injured himself once during skating, but that was because he was trying to avoid a child who suddenly dashed into his path. He hurt his right hamstring and took six weeks to recover.His wife, 63, a piano teacher, initially disapproved of him skating. "She told me it was too dangerous and that I was too old for it. But later, when she saw how comfortable I was on skates, she went around telling her friends how good I was," he recalls with a laugh.Mr Ng looks forward to picking up more skating skills. "Right now, I have learnt only a few per cent of what's out there," he says.For the last two to three years, he has been trying to master the "parallel slide", which is when one turns the skates perpendicular to the line of travel and skid to a sudden stop. "I am not giving myself any timeline for this. It's okay if I never master this skill, so long as I am doing better than I did three weeks ago."LEARNT COMPUTER AT 62Retired seamstress Yeong Yuen Hoe, 68When Madam Yeong started learning to use the computer six years ago, she never thought she would end up teaching it to others. "I was so bad at it, and I did not own a desktop or a laptop."She recalls an incident in 2006, when she had to key in her SingPass, a personal passcode that lets users access their Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts, at the CPF office in Robinson Road."I didn't know how to handle the keyboard. I would type a letter and, instead of releasing the key immediately, I would keep pressing it. It was very malu." Malu means embarrassing in Malay."I wanted to learn to use the computer so that I could keep up with the times," says the divorcee with two grown-up children.In 2007, two years after she retired from her seamstress job, she signed up for a nine-hour basic computer course at RSVP Singapore - The Organisation of Senior Volunteers, which promotes volunteerism among seniors.After the course, her interest in computers grew. From Mondays to Fridays, she would take the MRT from her home in Tanjong Pagar to RVSP in Bishan to practise on the computer for about two hours each time. She also signed up for other IT courses at RSVP, including Microsoft Office and digital photography management, which includes editing photos to make them look brighter or sharper.A year later, she started to assist the volunteer trainers in teaching these courses to those aged 40 and older. In 2009, she was certified as an IT trainer in Microsoft PowerPoint after taking a certification examination by Microsoft Office. Today, she not only teaches PowerPoint, but also digital photo management and other IT courses at least twice a week at RSVP.Madam Yeong now owns a desktop, a laptop and a notebook, and hopes to continue to upgrade her IT skills. She is now undergoing certification so she can teach at community clubs.Her new skills have come in handy when she plans her holidays. She now books her airline tickets and hotel rooms online.LEARNT ACTING AT 60Businessman Michael Tan, 64He had never acted and seldom attended plays or other forms of visual arts.But four years ago, Mr Tan signed up for a three-year theatre training programme called Theatre For Seniors by theatre group The Necessary Stage. He was in the first intake of the programme, which is open to those aged 55 and above.To his surprise, he found that it was "quite easy" to immerse himself in a particular role. "Maybe I have some dormant acting gene in me," says Mr Tan, who runs a small agency which represents overseas manufacturers in the sale of their 迷你倉roducts.The initial challenge was having to remember the lines.The first time the father of two had to perform in front of a crowd, with the other course mates, was at the Marine Parade Community Club theatrette. It took place about a year after his first class. "It was a scary experience. It didn't help that the play was in Mandarin. I am more comfortable with English."The ticketed play, called Encore I, was a series of four skits about ageing, family and relationships. Mr Tan played a grandfather in a two-person skit. With practice, he could also remember his lines better and found that he actually enjoyed acting."I love the adrenaline rush of performing on stage... And when the audience claps and shows its appreciation, it feels good."He also found it refreshing to learn about other aspects of theatre-making during the course, including lighting, playwriting and directing."It gives me a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes," says Mr Tan, who now watches plays regularly.He has completed the course but continues to go for shorter training sessions with The Necessary Stage and other theatre groups. He has also performed in about five other plays, mostly serious family dramas in English and Mandarin.His wife, 62, a retired logistics officer, sometimes complains that he spends too much time on rehearsals when he should be helping her care for their 10-month-old grandson.But she and their two daughters, aged 36 and 32, are largely supportive of his venture into theatre. He says: "They are among my most honest critics. Sometimes, they may tell me I am too stiff and should relax. Other times, they will say, 'You did well'."He hopes to play a wider variety of roles. "Maybe something more light-hearted that can make people laugh."LEARNT BALLET & VIOLIN AT 60Retired account executive Koh Lian Hiok, 71When she was 59, Madam Koh suffered a severe drug allergy that left her hospitalised for a month. "I told myself that if I managed to come out alive, I would reorganise my priorities in life," says the mother of two.After she was discharged from the hospital, she decided to retire earlier from her job as an account executive - at age 60 instead of 62 - to pursue her childhood dream. She says in Mandarin: "I'd wanted to learn ballet and violin since I was young, but classes for these were not available widely then."A friend told her about an adult ballet course at Kebun Baru Community Club and she signed up for it immediately. She also signed up for one-on- one violin classes at another community club.After five years, however, she decided to stop her violin classes because of the cost (about $30 to $40 for a half-hour class), and she practises the instrument on her own at home.But she continued with her weekly ballet classes, which she started in 2002 and cost about $100 a month. At first, she had trouble with some of the movements, especially those involving squats. "But ballet is something I had dreamt of doing for a long time, so I told myself to be patient."It helped that she had picked up some basic dancing skills from Chinese dance during her secondary school days.She is not self-conscious about wearing the tutu during performances or classes. "It makes dancing easier because it does not restrict our movements."Neither does she feel any pressure to lose weight to look better in her costume. "I am not the type to sacrifice my health for the sake of looking better."Her daughter, 46, and her son, 30, often turn up for her performances with their spouses. Her husband died five years ago.Two years ago, she signed up for advanced classes, including one that involves pointe work (standing on the tips of her toes). She now attends classes three times a week and pays about $200 a month.Says Madam Koh: "Dancing en pointe is a dream come true for me. It makes me feel like I am really dancing ballet."She will dance for as long as her health permits. "Dancing makes me more agile, and when I am more agile, I feel younger."WENT BACK TO SCHOOL AT 62Part-time executive at a Singapore Indian Development Association family service centre Rajam Sadanandan, 66Mrs Sadanandan stop schooling after Secondary 4 when her father, a supervisor in a rubber company, died of a heart attack. The eldest of six girls, she began working as an account clerk to help support the family. Her mother, who died in 2005, was a housewife who never went to school.At age 22, she married a sales representative in a book publishing firm. They have three children.She had no time and money to think about furthering her studies until a few years ago. Her son, 42, has a diploma in social service practice and is now working as a motivational trainer. Her elder daughter, 41, has a master's degree in law from Harvard University and is a partner in a law firm in London, while her younger daughter, 39, has a master's degree in public policy from the London School of Economics and works as a civil servant here.In 2009, Mrs Sadanandan came across a newspaper advertisement by Singapore Institute of Management about a part-time bachelor of arts degree in general studies for adults and decided to sign up for the eight-year course. "I wanted to get a degree, for my own personal satisfaction and to fulfil my father's wish. At least, there would be one graduate in my family," she says. Only two of her sisters made it to A levels. The rest dropped out after secondary school.Her husband, who completed secondary school education, encouraged her to go back to school.She attends three-hour classes in the evening twice a week. "It is a good feeling to go back to school and learn new things. The three hours always pass by quickly."But preparing for examinations was stressful at first. "There seemed to be so many things to prepare for. But now, I know better what to focus on."While she revises her work at least twice a week, she always takes a week's leave before her examinations to study in the school library on weekdays from 10am to 8pm. So far, she has passed all her subjects, which are mainly on psychology, her area of interest. Her average grade is C. "It would be nice to get As but my main aim is to do the best and complete the course without stressing myself too much," she says.She reckons it would take another two to three years before she can graduate. "I am really looking forward to the day when I can wear my graduation gown and go on stage to get my certificate. It would be one of the greatest moments in my life. My late parents and my children would be so proud of me."LEARNT THE PIANO AT 53Part-time clinic assistant Slim Tan, 56As a schoolgirl, Ms Tan (right, with her piano instructor) envied classmates who could play the plano. "Sometimes, I would coax them to teach me some simple tunes."But her late parents did not send her for classes because they did not think their free-spirited child could adhere to the strict routine of classical piano playing.All thoughts of tinkling the ivories were shelved when she started working as an executive, first in the banking industry then later in the civil service."I had to work 10 hours a day and it was normal to work till 3pm on Saturdays."When Ms Tan, who is single, hit her 50s, she developed an interest in health-care but could not find a full-time job in the industry. She decided to work as a clinic assistant three evenings a week and to take on other health-related or administrative part-time jobs in the day.This left her with more free time for herself.In 2009, she signed up for weekly pop piano classes at the music school, Play By Ear.The first three months were the most challenging. "My hands refused to cooperate. I started to have doubts. Could I really do this? Or was it just wishful thinking on my part?"Besides formal 45-minute lessons once a week that cost about $160 a month, Ms Tan, who does not own a piano, also goes to her school to practise four other days each week.Three months after her first lesson, she found that she could coordinate her hands.After six months, "Grandma", her nickname by the school instructors, progressed from Level 1 to Level 2.She still cannot read notes and plays by labelling all the musical notes with letter names. She takes about a month to learn a simple song.But it does not matter. She is happy that she can now play from memory about a dozen pop songs, including Till by Tom Jones and Always by Irving Berlin.She has no plans to take examinations but wants to improve her playing skills. She also hopes to be able to read notes and buy a piano eventually."One day, I hope to be good enough to play at a lounge. I also hope to bring the joy of music to those who need it, including the sick and the elderly."儲存