Enliven Kāpiti Day Programme volunteer Tricia Ness learnt to play the ukulele as part of her professional development and has been entertaining and engaging participants ever since.
“I’m a great believer in the power of music,” says Tricia. “It’s not about singing or playing perfectly, it’s about the joy music and singing brings to people.”
Tricia says her approach is inclusive and there’s no pressure to perform.
“I strum and we sing all the old favourites from ballads to folk songs: ‘Haere Mai, ‘This Little Light of Mine’, ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down’ and ‘You are my Sunshine,’ always get smiles from the group,” she says. “They know all the words and Leonard Taylor one of our regulars, has brought in his ukulele for me to play.”
Tricia, who spends the day at the Kāpiti Day Programme once a week, is also supporting the wife of one of the day programme clients to play the ukulele.
“She wants to learn so she can play to him at home as he loves the music. It’s something they can enjoy together.”
As well as volunteering at Enliven’s Kāpiti Day Programme for the past two years Tricia also works at one of the local early childhood education centres.
“I find working with the two very different age groups helps me to discover things about how each group ticks,” she says. “I learn something new every day.”
