Back when he was still living in the kampung as a teenager, Ramli Bin Selamat would often get together with a couple of friends for informal jamming sessions.
"We weren't professionals, but we had fun making music together."
Now aged 73, the spry retired technician has reprised his love for performing with a group of seniors. Every Wednesday, the group gets together at the Lions Befrienders’ Active Ageing Centre at Block 494E in Tampines for an hour of drumming practice.
Being in their 60s and 70s hasn’t stopped these intrepid silvers from uninhibitedly expressing their inner Ringo Starrs on the Latin and African drums at the centre.
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Ramli, the oldest member of the group and its unofficial leader, plays the djembe (a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands).
Another group member, 66-year-old Yeo Djeng Piaw, plays the tubano (a modern invention based on the Latin American conga drum).
These silvers are living proof that you are never too old to pick up a new skill, even drumming, an activity more commonly associated with long-haired, freewheeling rock stars.
None of them had any exposure to drums before, but that did not deter them from signing up last year.
"After all, it was free. I told my husband 'let’s just try it out'."
Drumming up interest
The drum programme was actually sponsored by the Tote Board with the intention of testing the cognitive enhancements drumming brings about in seniors, explains Jeanie Neo, Lions Befrienders’ Brand and Strategic Department Manager.
Participants were asked to fill out pre- and post-programme questionnaires, and made to play games to gauge their motor skills.
The seniors found the programme (which was completed in November 2024) enjoyable and easy to follow.
In just four weeks, the group of 14 learnt to play a few songs and were able to make music together. And once the course was over, they decided to continue anyways.
The centre supported the group’s wish and managed to retain the instruments to allow them to continue with their practice.
Besides doing it for fun, they also banded together to take part in an internal competition where their rendition of the invigorating Chilli Cha-cha – a popular line dance tune – garnered them the position of first runner-up.
Credit: Lions Befrienders
Playing together has also helped strengthen their teambuilding skills.
Keeping in harmony as a large group can be challenging, requiring concentration and teamwork. But the group, which calls itself Golden Drum, takes that in their stride.
In addition, it has also widened their social circles.
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Beyond the music
Drumming (with a bit of joget thrown in) has injected a renewed zest for life into Golden Drum’s members. He “eats, sleeps, and breathes” drumming, jokes Hamidah about Ramli’s dedication to the craft.
He also practises on his kompang a lot.
For the group as a whole, the focus required to keep to the beat and rhythm, and coordinating with team members, has helped improve their memory, coordination, and observation skills. It also takes their minds off everyday problems and worries.
Listening to the tempo and following the rhythm has made the retired engineering project manager and father of two less stressed and more cheerful, he reveals.
Besides personal gains, what keeps the group going is the desire to contribute and give back to society.
The group had already performed in July and August this year to daycare seniors at the nearby All Saints Home, and they are set to perform again in September and October.
How do their families feel about their drumming?
"It reminds me that as a retiree, it's important to keep myself happy and energetic."
