By Angus Yip (18A01A)
Those Days– what better name for a concert dedicated to the elderly in our lives? Implicit in those two words is a bittersweet sense of returning to simpler times and moments, and when it comes to reminiscence, no one else holds a greater wealth of memories than our elderly relatives. The opportunity to retrace those steps with our relatives is something to be treasured.
Poster designed by Elizabeth Xu (18A13A)
Those Days is an annual concert organised by The Humanz Initiative (THI), a group of Humanities Programme students from RI committed to giving back to the community by coordinating and enacting various Values-In-Action (VIA) projects across the country.
The concert is organised in collaboration with the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society (THK), and is part of a longer-term project, where students from RI have been visiting elderly from one of THK’s Senior Activity Centres and organising activities for them, with the aim of keeping the elderly active and socially integrated.
This year, Those Days will be held on 29 April, Saturday, from 2pm-4.30pm at the PAC, and all are cordially invited to attend. If you are looking for a way to spend a great day with your grandparents and bond with them, then Those Days is the concert for you. You could also get together with a group of friends and come down to enjoy the various performances while contributing to a good cause.
Other than providing entertainment for the elderly, the proceeds from this concert will also go towards a good cause. All proceeds will be used to purchase provisions for the seniors at THK, and together with the Children Cancer Society, volunteers will be distributing these provisions to elderly receiving assistance from THK.
Seniors from THK having fun during one of THI’s sessions!
Since seniors from THK will be invited to attend the concert as well, Those Days will be a community event where young and old will be under one roof. With this in mind, the performances during the concert are specially themed such that both young and old will be equally entertained.
There will be performances for the elderly, such as renditions of old popular songs, that aim to bring them back to the old days.
If the idea of singing old songs isn’t up your alley, don’t fret – there will also be exciting performances such as a wushu performance. On top of that, students who are not part of the team who interacted with the elderly at THK have nevertheless agreed to play their part for a good cause as well, so you can look forward to a variety of student performances.
For instance, there will be a tap-dancing performance by Ayrton McCully (17S06N), and a musical act by vocalist Isaac Tan (18S06Q) and his accompaniment Manas Srivastava (18S06H). The full programme can be found at the end of this article.
In fact, since performances are designed to ensure that the elderly will enjoy the concert, you’re encouraged to attend this concert with your elderly family members too. As Azeem Merchant (18S03O) states, “I’m looking forward to this opportunity to do something with my grandparents, as we usually don’t talk much.” Or, as Warren Liow (18A01B) aptly puts it, “I’m going on a date with my grandma!”
One key highlight of the concert is the ukulele ensemble performance, which is fully planned and directed by the seniors from THK! Those of them who are performing have practised for months, and this performance will be the culmination of all their efforts. Their performance will certainly bring as much joy to the audience as it did to them during the preparation process, and is to be eagerly anticipated!
Seniors from THK during a rehearsal for the ukelele ensemble performance.
Apart from these performances, there will also be a screening of a short film produced volunteers who have been interacting with the seniors from THK. The short film ruminates upon their experiences with the elderly at THK since the beginning of the year, focusing on the topic of loss, and is sure to be poignant and contemplative.
As assistant IC Jared Ong (18A13A) proclaims, “The THI concert will certainly be an afternoon of fun and song as we have prepared a talented lineup of singers and performers!” Those Days will be a meaningful and enjoyable way to spend your weekend, so if you have nothing planned, what’re you waiting for?
The concert will be held on 29 April, Saturday, from 2pm-4.30pm at the PAC. Tickets cost $6 each. If you are interested to attend, please sign up here.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact the THI team at thehumanzinitiative17@gmail.com.
Performance Lineup
Acoustic Duo: Gillian Cheong (17S05A) & Joelle Ocampo (17S03A)
Wushu: External Group
Tap-Dancing: Ayrton McCully (17S06N)
Strings Ensemble: Ashley Tan (18A13A), Jovi Koh (18S03R), Calista Chong (18A01A), Rachel Chung (18S06E), Fong Huan Ting (18S03I), and Tian Xindi (18S03S)
Music Act: Isaac Tan (18S06Q) & Manas Srivastava (18S06H)
Ukulele Ensemble: Elders from THK
Film: Directed and produced by Timothy Fong (17A01A), Jotham Ng (17A01A), Teoh Xuan Min (17A01B), Samuel Ho (17A13A) and Jared Ong (18A13A)
Acoustic Duo: Jesse Tan (17S06N) & Goh Chou Xuan (17S03J)
Duet: Su Ying (17A01B) & Samuel Ho (17A13A)
