insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 15 - May 2016 | Page 39
ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
IT’S never
too late TO LEARN
George Eliot once said, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” She was right. If there
is something you always wanted to learn but for whatever reason – financial, having the time to
do it, not feeling confident enough to try – you didn’t, perhaps now is the time to pick up that
paintbrush, dust off those knitting needles, or open up that guitar case and finally give it a try.
Forget all you’ve heard about not being able to teach old dogs new tricks; young or old, it is
always possible to learn something new, and if it is something you have harboured a yearning to
be better at for years, then all the better. Now is the time because if not now, when?
Languages
Singing
Many people express a wish to learn a language – anything from French
to Japanese or even Latin – and wonder if, had they tried harder in their
school days, they might have been fluent by now. Don’t worry though;
learning a language doesn’t depend on age but on the want to learn, so
when the feeling that learning a language might be a good idea comes
upon you, act on it. Choosing the language to learn is possibly the hardest
part, and it should be remembered that languages that involve a different
alphabet such as Russian or Mandarin for example do present more
challenges than German or Spanish.
It is probably wise to pick a language that will help you – perhaps somewhere
you enjoy going on holiday, or somewhere you’re planning on visiting in the
future. Maybe you have your family originally hails from a different country,
and you like the idea of learning the language. Whatever your reason, once
you have chosen the language you want to learn, stick with it. That’s the
key; don’t stop. It will take around six months of hard work to really get the
idea of whichever language you’ve chosen, so stay dedicated and it won’t
be long before you have a good working knowledge of a brand new language.
There are language centres based in colleges and school all over Kent and
Sussex, some offering one on one tutorage and others working in a larger
group setting. You’ll probably know what works best for you. Some examples
of classes are Spangles (teaching Spanish to adults) in Maidstone
(www.spangles.cc), Gaétane Mirol in Meopham
(www.frenchlessonsinkent.com), and Aspire Sussex Adult Education
(www.aspiresussex.org.uk).
Just like any instrument, the voice needs tuning and practise in order to be
at its best. And although the voice does change over time, there is no upper
age limit on having singing lessons and turning a ‘nice’ voice into a magnificent
one. Singing lessons are said to be good for the health too because the
action of singing is an aerobic one, giving you a good workout as you ge