Cheerful and melodious melody,

Smart and jumping notes,

accompanied by gusts of river wind,

floated into the city Riverside Garden

In the ears of passers-by.

A group of retired elderly people,

got together,

accordion,

electric guitar,

Erhu,

violin,

flute,

guzheng and other musical instruments,

transformed in their hands

Play out one after another

pleasant music.

This is an elderly band that has been playing for 14 years.

The members are all over 60 years old.

The oldest one is 74 years old. .

A group of sixty-year-olds gather together for music

As long as it doesn’t rain, every day from 2 to 4 pm, a song by the song will always be played near Tongchuan Bridge in the Binhe Amusement Park. A melodious tune composed by an ensemble of erhu, accordion, flute and other musical instruments. The people who perform these pieces of music are not professional performers, but a group of retired people with an average age of more than 60 years old. They gathered together because of their hobbies, provided their own instruments, and formed a grassroots band.

Many people in the band were talents from all walks of life or artistic backbones when they were young. Band leader - accordion player, 70-year-old Tang Benzhong said: "We didn't know each other at first, but we all got together because of our love for music."

Talking about the situation when the band was first established , Captain Tang laughed and said that in order to pass the time after retirement, he played the accordion alone on Binhe Road in 2003, which is known as "a carnival of one person". Later, due to the mutual attraction of music, more and more retired music enthusiasts gradually joined in, one, two... Now the band has more than 20 permanent members.

"Our band also has a name - 'Tebel Canto Senior Band', which means particularly beautiful voice." Captain Tang said proudly.

Self-taught musical instruments and picked up my music hobby after retirement

"After retirement, I took some time off. Because I love music, I taught myself musical instruments. This hobby allowed me to meet more friends and also It makes my old life more colorful." Yang Yonglian, a 62-year-old bell player, told reporters that joining this band was led by his 66-year-old wife, electric guitar player Xiang Zhijiang. "My wife and I are both. A retired employee of the hospital, my wife used to repair medical equipment in the hospital. Although she liked music, she knew nothing about musical instruments. After retirement, my husband learned the electric guitar at home and joined in. At first, I just accompanied him to listen to music. Under his guidance, I also became a member of the band, and now I can also use the bell to synchronize the rhythm."

"I was also brought into the band by Sister Yang," said Sister Liu Yun beside her with a smile. She said that she and Yang Yonglian were both members of the senior college choir. After the two got acquainted, Yang Yonglian invited her to join the band. Now the band is like a big family. Everyone talks about music and family affairs together. It feels like the days are very fulfilling. "We have activities every day, but we never engage in commercial performances. We only want to bring happiness to ourselves and the citizens." What the band members feel most deeply is that through daily performances, they not only enrich their retirement life, but also enrich their spiritual life. Many passers-by were attracted by their music. “Their playing was melodious, well coordinated, full of emotion, and very touching,” the surrounding audience said in admiration.

Wu Wenyue, the erhu player of the band, is the oldest member of the band. The old man told reporters that he has liked erhu since he was a child and has been studying it non-stop. Later, he neglected to practice when he was busy with work. After retiring, I had more time. At first I just practiced at home. Later I saw Tang Benzhong and his band playing at the Binhe Garden and joined in. "I feel happy as soon as I play the erhu. I am immersed in the music without any distracting thoughts." Wu Wenyue, an old man explain.

14 years of hard work to achieve a higher level of performance

In order to facilitate communication with each other, the seniors also set up a WeChat group. If everyone has their favorite music, they can post it in the group for discussion. , and then print them out and distribute them to other members of the band. "There are probably close to a hundred pieces of music in a music score collection. There are more than ten such music score collections, but our repertoire is often updated."

Classic songs such as "Ode to Red Plum Blossoms", "The Waves of Honghu Lake" and "Osmanthus Blossoms Bloom Everywhere in August" are often played by the band. "People of our age just like red songs, just like you young people like pop music. Same."

Captain Tang said that this year the "Tebel Canto Senior Band" is 14 years old. Due to long-term experience accumulation and cooperation, the partners have a tacit understanding with each other, and there is no need to get new music scores. Rehearsal can also be started directly. And there are no restrictions on the band. If you are unable to participate, just let us know in the group. "But we have very high requirements for the performance level of the band, and we must be more professional in the control of pitch. This is our strict requirement for ourselves."

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the sun shines warmly through the branches. The beautiful music attracted passers-by. "I really like watching them play. They come here basically every day. They look very energetic." Mr. Qian, a citizen, is a loyal fan of the "Tebel Canto" band. He told reporters that in recent years, the band has played for the public for free. Except for bad weather, it will perform on time at the Riverside Amusement Park every day.

Postscript

Many elderly people will inevitably feel at a loss when faced with the slow pace of life after retirement. Because there is no sense of pressure brought by work, some negative emotions such as confusion and loneliness follow one after another. I even feel that I am old and useless and gradually lose my passion for life.

But this group of retired old people got to know each other because of their love of music. They used musical instruments to play a happy old age. Making your retirement life more colorful not only brings you health and happiness, but also transforms this happiness into beautiful pieces of music to be passed on to more people through playing. This optimistic and open-minded attitude towards life deserves praise!