Ukulele Lessons Foster Joy and Cultural Preservation for Little Tokyo Senior Resident
Few things are as powerful and inspiring as music. This is especially true for the group of seniors who gather every week to play the ukulele and connect with one another and their Japanese culture at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center (JACCC) in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles.
Yoko plays her ukulele during her weekly lesson at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Los Angeles.
“Remembering the good old days and playing and singing together with everyone, I can forget many things and feel happy,” says Yoko Isobe, a student of the Ukuleles for Little Tokyo program.
Yoko has attended ukulele classes with friends from her housing group for many years. The free, bilingual English-Japanese music program is specifically designed for local older adults. The program celebrates the ukulele’s rich cultural legacy and its ability to foster joy, connection and creativity across generations, as the seniors are periodically joined by a group of preschool children who bring their youthful energy to the classroom.
Part of the nonprofit’s Sustainable Little Tokyo program, free ukulele lessons are just one of the many programs the JACCC offers to support local seniors, specifically Low to Moderate Income (LMI) residents of Little Tokyo. Little Tokyo is designated as a Disadvantaged Community and a Low-Income Community by the state of California, with older adults comprising almost one quarter of the population.
JACCC feels a responsibility for the community, especially given its role as a haven for Japanese Americans who came home to nothing when they lost their Little Tokyo homes while incarcerated in camps during World War II.
“Second-generation Japanese Americans rebuilt our community for the first generation, and these individuals come through our campus every day,” explains Patricia Wyatt, President and CEO of JACCC. “Here, people can interact as a community in a process, rather than only observing, and share in the beauty of our culture and how it intersects with other cultures in L.A.”
The center’s local impact is what drew Enterprise's Community Bank President John Murillo to the organization, now serving on the JACCC Board of Directors. “The JACCC first seeks to understand its community members, then identifies gaps and addresses them. This is how Enterprise also approaches its service to the community, John says. “We are proud to partner with JACCC and provide monetary support for its programming, theater, gallery and other initiatives.””
Yoko appreciates the JACCC’s warm support for seniors, and how a ukulele class has allowed her to connect with others and herself. “I always think it is important to have hobbies, and the ukulele is one of mine. It allows me to live a cheerful and joyful life,” Yoko says.
