(L to R): Yesterday’s Trumpeters Stephanie, Roy, Dave, and Stan (and Glenn, cameraman)
Yesterday, for the first time in 9 years, I played trumpet as a member of the University of Washington’s Husky Alumni Band. We performed a few lively tunes at the closing ceremony of the 10th annual conference of Peer Pathways, held at the Lynnwood Event Center on 13-14 August. The conference brings together peer supporters, advocates, and community leaders.
Peer Pathways is engaged in peer support, wellness, and empowerment (https://www.peerpathways.net). The event was funded by the Washington State Health Care Authority and hosted by The Rainbow Makers and Jones Community Solutions. For the band’s performance, they made a “very generous donation” to the scholarship fund of the Husky Marching Band Alumni Association. HMBAA’s scholarships are for current students. Please see https://hmbaa.org.
The band is available for hire for numerous kinds of events, including parades, weddings, birthday parties, engagement parties, retirement parties, business/office openings and parties, celebrations of life, and more. All proceeds go towards supporting the UW Husky Marching Band through scholarships and financial support.
The band’s next performance will be at the UW’s annual Varsity Alumni Game (the first game of the football season) when the Huskies host the Colorado State Rams on Saturday, 30 August.
The last time I had performed with the band was on 30 September 2016 when the Huskies stomped the #7-ranked Stanford Cardinals, 44-6 before 72,000 roaring fans. On 9 November 2016, I posted an article here on my blog, where you can re-live that terrific game by viewing about 80 stellar photos. Use either the Archives in the left column or search the keyword “Stanford” in the search box in the right column.
Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
My Husky PurpleBand Director Issues InstructionsEntrance from Parking LotWhere conference attendees sat and where we performed for them
This was a very fun event! The audience was responsive to my songs and jokes, and judging by the banter among them, they all seemed to know and like each other. The more I played, the bigger the crowd! I’m talking about my performance of “Where Were You, Back Then?” at Vineyard Park at Mountlake Terrace on 17 July 2025.
“Where Were You, Back Then?” is comprised of 15 hit songs that appeared in musicals, movies, and recordings during 1947-2008. I name the year and ask the audience members to remember their own lives during that year. Then I read some major events in the world that happened that year. Sometimes, I tell what was going on in my life. Then I play the song I’ve selected for that year. For example, 1956—Actress Grace Kelly marries Rainier III, Prince of Monaco—“I Whistle a Happy Tune” from the musical, The King and I. I used my trumpet, pocket trumpet, cornet and flugelhorn, sometimes with mutes. Meaningful fun!
Of the 67 bugle calls published by Carl Fischer, I have sounded six in public, plus “Echo Taps.” But until the morning of Saturday, 12 July 2025, at a memorial service, I had never had the opportunity to perform “Church Call.” The service was for Merlin D. Staatz at Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood (https://opendoorbaptist.com/). My “Church Call” opened the service, and my “Taps” helped close it.
In the afternoon, I sounded “Taps” for Gerald “Jerry” L. Seldon, Sr. at Nile Shrine Center in Mountlake Terrace (https://nileshriners.org/). It was a Masonic service, the second one in which I’ve ever participated. Inscribed on the statue in front of the clubhouse is this: “A man never stands so tall as when he stoops to help a Child.”
Each ceremony attracted about 100 friends and relatives. They were honorable men who served our country and on whose shoulders we stand. Regrettably, I know nothing of Seldon’s military service. Staatz was born in 2026 and was 99 years old when he passed in June. According to the program, he “served in the Philippines during the last year of World War II, sleeping in foxholes and leading his unit as a scout as they tried to take back the island of Luzon, one hillside at a time. He was awarded a Purple Heart. A week after Japan surrendered, he was stationed near Tokyo.”
At each of these two events, the flag presentation ceremony was performed by the Color Guard of the Shoreline unit of the U.S. Volunteers-Joint Service Command (USV-JSC) (https://www.usvjsc.org/). With these two, my “Taps” performances now total 245. I use my Getzen bugle.
Glenn Ledbetter with four horns for “In Retrospect” trumpet show at 2:30 p.m., 10 July 2025. Photo by David G. Ledbetter
This was a very special day, 10 July 2025, because I got to return to Mountlake Terrace Plaza and perform another one of my six trumpet shows for the residents. In August 2021, I performed “Showtune Favorites,” and this time, I presented “In Retrospect,” where we look back, through great songs from the residents’ era, at common experiences that we all share in living life.
It was extra special, also, because my son and his family were visiting from New Zealand, and this is the first time they ever attended one of my shows. My two grandchildren helped me by distributing a handout to the residents. It contained 25 jokes, so that they could have some fun and laughs with their friends and relatives. And afterwards, the whole family helped me load my gear into the car.
Moreover, energetic, friendly Anne Paine, Director of Wellness Programming, also made it special. She printed and displayed a brief bio of me (see photo). That was a first, too—that’s never happened at any other of the 35 retirement communities in the Greater Seattle area where I have performed since 2017. In other ways, too, her support was exceptional. Mountlake Terrace Plaza offers assisted living and is a member of MBK Senior Living Company.
“In Retrospect” is comprised of two dozen hit songs during the 84-period, 1892-1976. The oldest is “Bicycle Built for Two,” and the most recent is “Money, Money, Money,” by ABBA. All these songs stir deep memories, and people sing along or hum. Each song has a unique message, so I choose the horn with the most appropriate sound—trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, or pocket trumpet.
L to R: Bugle, Pocket Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, and Cornet
On this Independence Day, I finally got to perform one of my six trumpet shows at La Conner Retirement Inn. In 2022, I was scheduled to perform “I Stand for the Flag,” on Flag Day in June, but Covid struck in March, and we cancelled that show. Then the Activities Director, Allie Kester, booked me for a Christmas show, and we had to cancel that one, too. This year, we hit paydirt. On 4 July, I performed “I Stand for the Flag” for the residents during their Friday afternoon Happy Hour.
The Inn offers both Independent and Assisted Living accommodations and services. Allie proudly told me that they have three residents who are 100 or more years. The oldest one to attend my show is 98, and I dedicated “You’re a Grand Old Flag” to her. She and others liked to sing along to some of my patriotic songs and marches. The audience voluntarily stood while they sang “God Bless America,” and stayed standing while we said the “Pledge of Allegiance” and closed with “The Star-Spangled Banner.” It was an extra-special performance for me because my youngest son from Las Vegas happened to be visiting in nearby Oak Harbor and came to hear me play for the first time. He helped with the handouts and reloading my car. We shared dinner afterwards.
I used all five instruments and used my flugelhorn mute once. The bugle and trumpet are Getzens, the pocket trumpet is a Jupiter, the flugelhorn is by ACB (Austin Custom Brass), and the cornet is a Super Olds, given to me by my parents when I became a freshman in high school in 1954. This show features about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls.
After sounding bugle calls in the morning at the Memorial Day ceremony, 26 May 2025, at Veterans Park in Lynnwood, I drove to (formerly) Edmonds Landing Retirement Community in Edmonds in the afternoon to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag.” It consists of about two dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. The residents sing along with me.
I have six one-hour trumpet shows. During this one, I use all five of my horns: Getzen trumpet and bugle, Jupiter pocket trumpet, ACB (Austin Custom Brass) flugelhorn, and Olds Super cornet (71 years old, given to me by my parents when I became a freshman in high school).
Photos courtesy of Edmonds Landing by Cogir. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
Large crowd stands for the Invocation at Veterans Park, Lynnwood
To me, Memorial Day is always special, apart from its main purpose–to remember those veterans who gave their lives in service to our country. I’m one of the lucky ones who get to perform at this special memorial ceremony! And not only that, I get to sound bugle calls. And more than that, one of them is “Echo Taps”. And on top of that, the other two are “Assembly” at 11 a.m. to call the meeting to order and “To the Color” as the flag is raised at noon from half-staff to full staff. And such it was this Memorial Day, celebrated on Monday, 26 May 2025.
Joining me to sound the “Echo” part was Jasper Stutes, a senior trumpeter at Lynnwood High School. Among the other participants were the VFW Post 1040 Honor Guard, the Nile Shrine Legion of Honor, and Boy Scout Troop 49. I’m sure those participants felt as lucky, proud, and honored as I did.
I used by Getzen bugle–love that horn!
Photos by Julia Wiese, Lynnwood Today. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
Glenn LedbetterBoy Scout Troop 49Jasper Stutes (background)Nile Shrine & VFW Post 1040Navy Veteran & Navy FlagVFW Post 1040 Honor Guard
On Saturday, 24 May 2025, I traveled to Renton to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag,” for the first time at Solstice Senior Living (please see https://solsticeseniorlivingrenton.com/). It is a Provincial Senior Living Community, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. They operate about 70 retirement communities across the country. Others in Washington state include Bellingham, Normandy Park, Point Defiance (Tacoma), and Kennewick. At Renton, Independent Living is offered, with the support of health care professionals, when needed.
I entertained the residents with about a dozen patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls. They sang along with me and laughed at my jokes. I used all five of my horns: trumpet, pocket trumpet, cornet, bugle, and flugelhorn.
For awhile now, I’ve been wanting to perform one of my six trumpet shows at Mirabella, Seattle. My chance came this spring, thanks to Diana Rawls, Activities Director. On 11 April, I performed “Showtune Favorites”–about two dozen songs from popular musicals and movies familiar to the residents.
Why did I especially want to play there? Because it’s operated by a non-profit organization, occupies a whole city block in downtown Seattle, and is still quite new, opening for business only 15 years ago. I’m impressed!
I used four of my five horns–Getzen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, ACB flugelhorn, and Jupiter pocket trumpet (but not my Getzen bugle). I’ve owned the flugelhorn for only two and a half years, but the cornet for 71 years—Holy Cow! My parents gave it to me when I was a freshman in high school, and it took me to the Texas All-State Band when I was a senior. Love that horn! (Thanks again, Mother and Daddy, may they rest in peace.)
Besides At-Home Care, Mirabella, Seattle offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, and Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation. Residents from all levels came to my performance. One couple among the audience has lived there since it originally opened!
Photos are courtesy of Mirabella, Seattle. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
It’s always nice to be invited back, especially when you get to perform a different show (I have six). Seven months ago, I played “I Stand for the Flag,” a patriotic show, here at Cogir of Kirkland Senior Living (https://glennstrumpetnotes.com/?s=cogir). This time, on 13 March, it was a personal history show, “Where Were You, Back Then?” Here’s how it goes.
I’ve chosen 18 years between 1947 and 2008. Then I tell some significant events and situations that happened in each of those years. They remember those things, and I ask them to remember also what was going on in their own lives during that year. Sometimes, I sprinkle in some tales of my own, like when in 1967, I was single and an officer in the Navy, stationed near San Francisco, and I bought my yellow Camaro convertible–oh, boy! I hope these things trigger memories in their minds, too.
Next, I’ve chosen a song that was popular that year—perhaps from a musical or a movie or a hit that won a Grammy Award or Academy Award Oscar. I invite them to sing or hum along with me, as I play one of four horns: Getzen trumpet, Super Olds Cornet, ACB (Austin Custom Brass) flugelhorn, and Jupiter pocket trumpet. Sometimes, I use one of my mutes. For example, I especially enjoyed playing “That’s Amore” (1953) on my trumpet, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” (1968) on my cornet, “Some Days Are Diamonds” (1981) on my flugelhorn, and “Money, Money, Money” (2008) on my pocket trumpet.
As often happens, we started out with a crowd of size “X,” and as I played, more people came, and we ended up with all the chairs filled, including one up in the balcony! I recognized several people from my first performance there last August. And now I’m ready anytime to return for a third show!
Glenn's Trumpet Notes 