I wrote these stories years before artificial intelligence became my writing companion. Today, at 91 nearing 92, I am revisiting some of them not to change my memories, but to see what I understand differently after another decade of living.
Choral Singing Reminds Me of Our Life Together and Why I Am Singing Again
Choral Singing Reminds Me of Our Life Together and Why I Am Singing Again
From the Philippines, to church choirs, to singing with Macrine and now, after more than eight years, back to singing with the THD Singers
Music has been part of my life for much longer than I realized.
Sometimes a song brings back a person. Sometimes it brings back a place.
Sometimes it brings back an entire chapter of your life.
And sometimes, as I recently discovered, it can bring you back to something you thought you had left behind. Singing.
I am now 91 years old, nearing 92. For more than eight years, I had not sung in a choir.
Then something wonderful happened here at The Heritage Downtown.
We are preparing a Christmas Concert and Sing-Along for our fellow senior residents, and a group of us decided to form a choir.
We named ourselves the THD Singers. And I joined. I am having a wonderful time.
After more than eight years away from choir singing, I feel as if I have rediscovered an old friend.
My First Love of Choral Singing-UPSCA Choir Christmas Concert, 1953, UP Diliman, QC 
My love of choral singing began when I was a young student in the Philippines.
During my college years at the University of the Philippines, Macrine and I participated in the University of the Philippines Student Catholic Action Choir.
There were many of us hundreds of students from different colleges.
I sang bass/baritone. Macrine sang soprano.
Looking at photographs of that choir today, I sometimes have to smile.
There we were two young students who had no idea what the future had in store for us.
We did not know that we would eventually marry.
We did not know that we would spend more than 63 years together.
We certainly did not know that decades later I would be sitting at a computer in America, looking at an old photograph of that choir and remembering those days.
But that is how memory works. A song can open a door that you thought had been closed for decades.
Singing Became Part of Our Married Life
Macrine and I continued singing after we were married.
In Northern California, we sang together in church choirs.
In the late 1980s, we sang at Sunday Mass in Pinole and also participated in the University of the Philippines Alumni choir in the Bay Area.
Later, we sang in our church choir in Fair Oaks.
One Christmas, Macrine and I even sang a duet of “Silent Night” in Tagalog before Midnight Mass.
That remains one of my favorite Christmas memories.
Macrine also loved to sing. In her younger years, she had a beautiful soprano voice.
She even sang at weddings. I always joked that she was the professional singer in the family.
I was merely the husband who enjoyed singing beside her.
We Even Brought Singing to Maryland
When we lived in the Washington, D.C. area in the 1990s, Macrine and I helped organize a Christmas caroling group through the Marinduque Association of the Capital Area.
Again, singing brought people together.
Filipinos who had moved thousands of miles from the Philippines could gather during Christmas, sing familiar songs and feel, for a little while, as if we were back home.
That is one of the special powers of music. It crosses geography.
It crosses generations. It crosses languages. And sometimes it crosses time.
Music Also Helped Me Remember Macrine
After Macrine died in 2020, I began writing a series about her life through her favorite music.
I realized that I could tell parts of our love story through songs.
One song would remind me of a trip. Another would remind me of church.
Another would remind me of our children. Another would take me back to our younger years.
“Moon River” was especially meaningful because it was one of Macrine's favorite songs.
I wrote about music because it gave me a way to remember her.
That experience taught me something I had probably known all my life but never put into words: Music is a form of memory.
You can forget a conversation from 40 years ago. But hear the melody of a song you loved when you were young, and suddenly you are there again.
I Was Never a Great Musician
I should make one confession. I was not a musical prodigy. I love writing more than singing.
When I was a boy in the Philippines, my mother tried to make me learn the piano and organ.
I lasted about two weeks. That was it. I quit. My mother was disappointed.
Years later, however, I discovered that I did enjoy music, especially singing.
In 2022, I wrote about whether musical ability is inherited or learned. I still don't know exactly where my own modest singing ability came from.
Perhaps there is some genetic component. Perhaps it is practice. Perhaps it is simply enthusiasm.
Whatever the explanation, I have always enjoyed singing much more than playing an instrument.
My One and Only Solo Performance
There is one singing story I have never forgotten. When Macrine and I were living in Pinole, I was singing in our church choir.
One Sunday, during Communion, something strange happened. My voice suddenly came through the church speakers by itself.
I froze. The congregation could hear me. I thought:
Oh my goodness. They can actually hear me!
I was terrified that everyone was going to discover that I could not sing.
Later I learned that the microphones of the other singers were not working.
Mine happened to be the only one that was on. I survived.
And, surprisingly, people told me that my voice was not bad.
That was my first and last public solo performance.
I have jokingly said that I remain a frustrated singer and will sing solo only in my bathroom.
Music Came Back Into My Life at THD
After moving to The Heritage Downtown, I began discovering that music was everywhere.
We have had concerts, sing-alongs and music enrichment programs.
One of my favorites was a music-enrichment program led by Claire Baffico, a certified music therapist. We sang familiar songs and participated in rhythm activities using instruments such as maracas and bells.
She explained how music therapy can be used to support wellness, stress management, emotional expression, memory, communication and rehabilitation.
I also attended THD Candlelight Concerts.
At one of them, we sang along with songs such as “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Bali Ha'i,” “Unforgettable” and “The Impossible Dream.”
I remember thinking how fortunate we were. We were sitting in our senior community, listening to live music and singing together.
No long drive. No expensive theater ticket. No need to dress up. Just residents enjoying music together.
And Now We Have the THD Singers
But the new THD Singers is different. I suggested our group name to be The THD Chorale. I was outvoted, and our name is: The THD Singers.
This time, I am not just sitting in the audience. I am part of the group.
We are practicing for our Christmas Concert and Sing-Along.
There is something very enjoyable about learning songs together.
We sometimes make mistakes. We sometimes have to repeat a section.
Sometimes we don't come in at exactly the right time. But we laugh.
And then we try again. That is part of the fun. I think this is especially meaningful for seniors.
At our age, we sometimes hear that we should slow down. I understand that.
But slowing down does not mean stopping. There are still things we can learn.
There are still new friendships to make. There are still songs to sing.
What Does Singing Do for Us?
I have written about the health benefits of singing before. Now I am experiencing some of them myself.
Research is increasingly interested in music and healthy aging. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that making or listening to music activates brain systems involved in thinking, movement, sensation and emotion, and that music can evoke memories and promote social bonds.
Studies specifically involving older adults who sing in groups have reported possible benefits involving mood, social connection, verbal fluency, memory and aspects of physical function. A 2026 study found that older adults participating in group singing experienced improvements in mood and social bonding during the sessions.
A two-year study of older adult choir singers also found some evidence of benefits in verbal fluency, although the researchers emphasized that the effects on other measures of quality of life and cognition were less clear.
So I would not say: “Singing will make you live longer.”
That would be too strong. But I would say:
Singing gives us another reason to live more fully. And at 91, that is important to me.
My Ten Reasons for Singing
After thinking about my own experiences, here are my personal reasons for continuing to sing.
1. Singing makes me happy.
This may be the simplest reason.
2. Singing exercises the brain.
You have to remember words, melodies, timing and cues.
3. Singing brings back memories.
One song can take me from THD directly back to the Philippines.
4. Singing connects people.
You cannot sing in a choir without listening to the people around you.
5. Singing encourages breathing.
Proper singing requires controlled breathing, posture and attention to the breath.
6. Singing reduces isolation.
You are not sitting alone listening to music. You are making music with other people.
7. Singing gives seniors something to look forward to.
A rehearsal on the calendar can be a very good reason to get up and get moving.
8. Singing creates new friendships.
The people standing beside you during rehearsal can become friends.
9. Singing keeps us learning.
Even at 91, I can still learn a new song.
10. Singing gives us a chance to share joy.
That may be the most important benefit of all.
Singing and Healthy Aging
I have written many times about Living Longer, Living Better.
For me, healthy aging is not simply about taking the right medicines, eating properly or exercising.
Those things matter. But so do purpose, friendship, curiosity and joy.
That is why activities such as bridge, dancing, music, writing and social gatherings are important to me.
They keep the mind engaged. They keep us connected. They give us something to talk about. And sometimes they simply make us smile.
The National Institute on Aging has similarly noted the growing interest in arts participation as a way of supporting healthy aging, including possible effects on cognitive function, memory, self-esteem, well-being and social interaction.
The Wonderful Thing About Group Singing
One thing I especially appreciate about the THD Singers is that nobody has to be a great singer.
We are not auditioning for the Metropolitan Opera. We are senior residents having fun.
That is important. You don't have to sing perfectly. You just have to sing.
The person beside you may have a beautiful voice. Another person may occasionally sing off-key.
I may forget a word. Nobody cares. We are there together. And that is the beauty of a choir.
Your voice becomes part of something larger than yourself.
From the UPSCA Choir to the THD Singers
Sometimes I think about that young Filipino student who sang bass in the UPSCA choir more than 70 years ago.
Then I look at myself today. I am 91. My voice is certainly not what it was when I was 20.
But here I am again. Singing. The choir has changed. The country has changed.
My life has changed. Macrine is no longer standing beside me.
But when I sing some of the songs we used to sing together, a part of her is still there.
And perhaps that is another gift of music.
It allows people we love to continue singing with us, even after they are gone.
My Christmas Wish
This Christmas, when the THD Singers stand before our fellow residents, I don't think I will be thinking about whether we sound perfect.
I will be thinking about the journey. From a young Filipino student singing bass in the Philippines...
To a young husband singing beside Macrine...To church choirs in California...
To Filipino Christmas caroling in Maryland...To years of listening to music and writing about it...
And now, after more than eight years away from choir singing, to the THD Singers. What a wonderful circle.
At 91, I have learned that growing older does not mean giving up the things that once gave us joy. Sometimes it means rediscovering them.
So if you are a senior reading this and you think you are too old to sing, I have one piece of advice:
Sing anyway. As the say, if you can talk, you can sing, Perhaps not as beautiful as Pavarotti.
You don't have to be a great singer. You don't have to remember every word.
You don't have to sing solo. Just find some people and sing together.
You may discover, as I have, that the music does more than fill the room.
It fills something inside you. And perhaps that is why I am enjoying the THD Singers so much.
After 91 years, I am still learning new songs. And I am still finding new reasons to sing.
Merry Christmas from the THD Singers!
May our songs bring a little happiness, a few memories, and perhaps a smile to everyone who hears us.
And if I forget a word during the concert... Please sing a little louder. I'll follow you.
AI Impressions and Revisions on this Topic:
I found several of your related music and singing posts, and they give us much more material than the 2019 article alone.
I especially found your 2022 reflections on whether singers are “born or made,” your memories of singing with Macrine in the UPSCA choir and later church choirs, your 2024 THD concert experiences, your 2025 music-enrichment session with Claire Baffico, and your earlier writing about music for relaxation and meditation.
I also checked the more recent research. A 2026 study of older adults found that group singing was associated with improvements in mood and social bonding, while other research has found potential benefits involving verbal fluency, memory, breathing/respiratory strength, and quality of life. I have been careful not to turn those findings into claims that singing “prevents” disease or guarantees better health.
Most importantly, I think the THD Singers should become the heart of the new version. Your return to choir singing after more than eight years gives the old article a wonderful “full circle” ending.
Lastly, I particularly like the ending because it sounds like you-warm, slightly humorous, and not trying to make a grand scientific claim. Your older music writings provide the history, but the THD Singers give this article a living present, which is exactly what makes it feel like a genuine David at 91 nearing 92 update rather than a revision of an old post.
My Reel of the Day: Change It to How I feel Nearing 92
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