‘There is no limit’

North Point Douglas

Jeanette Perez’s cheeks trembled and eyes welled up in tears as she recounted why she started teaching seniors ukulele for free within the Filipino community.

The 63-year-old’s brother died back in 2020 and among his belongings, she saw an old VHS tape from the ’90s. It was of him playing a guitar. Watching the tape stirred something in her, and for the first time, she picked up her son’s ukulele to learn how to play.

“My motivation is beyond monetary means,” said Perez. Her sorrow over her brother’s death was replaced by music.

She learned to play by putting in 20 hours a week. She then started posting on Facebook every weekend of her playing the ukulele.

Soon, someone approached Perez to ask if she’d teach a group of seniors how to play.

Eventually, she found herself teaching the group — something she’s now done for three years.

“You can teach for a while, but you can’t continue it without a cause,” Perez added.

Members of the Filipino Ukulele Club gather at the Filipino Seniors Group of Winnipeg Event Hall (49 Euclid Ave.) twice a month on Wednesdays. The club now has 40 members and there are roughly 20 members who consistently attend every class.

“They’re so consistent,” said Perez, smiling as the group started to pile into the hall before class began.

Perez focuses on teaching her students to play old Filipino classics, English songs from the ’60s and ’70s and even some traditional Filipino folk songs.

“If no one is going to play the (old) songs, then who would?” Perez pointed out.

As a teacher, Perez said it gives her joy to see her students enjoy learning, especially the moment when the chords, notes, and the rhythm clicks in.

Perez described how the ukulele is also one of the most convenient instruments to teach seniors — it’s light and chords are easy for them to learn.

On the other hand, learning how to play the ukulele is not only the main purpose of the club.

“It gives the seniors a sense of something to do,” said Aida Champagne, the club’s convener. “Especially in the winter season.”

To help fund the club, Champagne secured a $3,000 grant from New Horizons for Seniors and used it to buy 15 ukuleles.

Perez’s motivation also comes from seeing the seniors feel important within the community, especially during performances where they are the “star of the moment,” said Perez.

“The ukulele club is the only time that is theirs,” she added. “And they also want to be with their fellow seniors.”

On top of that, Perez said playing an instrument helps slow down the brain’s aging process.

Research backs her up. A recent study from Kyoto University, released in 2026, followed a group of older adults (average age 73) over four years. Those who kept practicing a musical instrument maintained their memory performance and showed less brain shrinkage than those who quit. The benefits held up even for participants who’d only started learning later in life.

“It’s not too late to learn a new skill, there is no limit,” said Perez.

The oldest student in the ukulele club is 83, and the youngest is around 50. There’s also a mother-daughter pair, and a husband and wife who bond over learning to play together.

Despite the word “seniors” in the group name, and with the growing diaspora within the city, Champagne said they’ve removed the age limit of people who can join their sessions.

“How do you get the younger generation to learn if you won’t let them?” said Champagne.