CHARLOTTE, N.C.  – Now retired, David Mollert has a lot of time on his hands and decided now was the moment to live out a new passion; playing the guitar. 

What You Need To Know

  • David Mollert started playing guitar during his retirement in early 2020.

  • He had never played guitar before.

  • One study found that playing music, when compared to other activities can slow memory decline and cognitive aging.

Mollert says he usually practices guitar five times a week for at least an hour.

Before retirement, he was a mechanical engineer for more than 40 years. He worked in an office or as he says “a cube.” When he left that career, he wanted to do something more interactive and fun.

“I was sitting at home and had a lot of time on my hands and was thinking about where I was going to go from here,” Mollert says. “I thought, ‘gosh it would be fun to learn how to play guitar.’”

Mollert met once a week with Bold Music Instructor Eric Davis. They had a mix of virtual and some in-person classes.

“I think if anything it is just kind of further proof that there is never a wrong time to start,” Davis says. “You can do it anytime.”

Mollert decided he wanted to take it to the next level. After a year of practice, he decided to do his first street performance in front of others at a shopping center in Charlotte.

“I am at my age and I want to cram in as much as I can in the time that I have,” he says. “I have 13 songs that I know pretty well, so I am going to play those.”

It didn’t take long for a few people to gather, with some even clapping.

“People enjoyed it I think,” Mollert says. “They walked by and it was really fun.”