Glenn’s Trumpet Notes

News & Tips for Trumpet & Cornet Students

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Posts Tagged ‘flugelhorn’

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Third Performance at Quail Park in Lynnwood

Posted by glennled on March 31, 2026

Three photos courtesy of
Qual Park, Lynnwood

It’s always fun to perform for the residents at Quail Park in Lynnwood. On 13 February 2026, I did so again, for the third time. The secluded campus is on a hilltop, so driving along the street below you’d never know it was there except for the sign pointing the way uphill along a short county road that turns into a private drive. Once there, it’s a nice surprise— it’s gated and not only is there a large, main building, but also there are cottages. Looks like an exceptionally pleasant place to live. And judging by the residents’ response to my new one-hour trumpet show, “Happy Songs Only!” that must be the case.

The show consists of 26 spirit-uplifting songs. All were written before 1978. That’s the year that Jacques Morall, Henri Belolo, and Victor Willis wrote “Y.M.C.A.,” the “youngest” song in the show’s repertoire. When I was developing this show, I was surprised by how many of the positive-message songs were written in times of trouble and stress—the recession of 1899, WWI, the Great Depression, and WWII. Maybe songwriters were offering diversion, encouragement, and hope through entertainment. Anyway, I presented the songs as if they were messages from our peers, parents, and grandparents. We heard them, and it’s good to be reminded, for example, of “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life” (1899) and “Cheek to Cheek” (1935).

Quail Park has 258 apartments and 26 cottages for a total of 284 units (see Quail Park of Lynnwood Assisted Living Facilities, WA | Living Care). Here are some of my photos of the grounds. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Premier Performance of “Happy Songs Only!” Trumpet Show at Revel Issaquah

Posted by glennled on March 29, 2026

Revel Issaquah

Sometime in January, an idea captured my imagination—how about doing a one-hour trumpet show comprised of nothing but happy songs? So, I developed it and began to offer “Happy Songs Only!” to several retirement communities. The first to bite was a gem—Revel Issaquah. And thus came the premier performance on 7 February.

The beauty of it is that the residents know all 26 songs and can sing (or hum) along as I play. I use four horns—trumpet, pocket trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn. The oldest song was composed by an Englishman, Harry Dacre, in 1892. “A Bicycle Built for Two” is 134 years old!

We’re old, but not that old, yet we all remember that song from our childhoods. The memories swam back and the hearts swelled as the residents sing, “Dasie, Dasie, give me your answer do…” And so it continues, song after song, for a whole hour.

Revel Issaquah is the 37th retirement community in the Greater Seattle area where I have performed my trumpet shows. It is a first class facility (https://www.revelcommunities.com/communities/issaquah). There are 146 units, offering independent living for people 55 and over.

It is part of The Wolff Company, a fully-integrated real estate investment company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona (https://www.awolff.com). The firm is invested in several senior living communities in the western states and New York. It has a branch office in Seattle, and there are also Revel communities in Lacey and Spokane, Washington.

Photos are courtesy of Revel Issaquah. Please click on any photo to enlarge it and in some cases, read captions.

Patios and Balconies
BBQ
Outdoor Dining
Ovation Restaurant

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Veterans Day Honored at Mountlake Terrace Plaza—My Third Performance There

Posted by glennled on March 25, 2026

Courtesy of Mountlake Terrace Plaza

On Veterans Day, 11 November of any given year, I always have more than one opportunity to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag,” at various retirement communities, partly because I’m a Vietnam veteran and I wear my Honor Guard uniform as VFW Post 1040 Bugler. But it’s first come, first served, and last year, Mountlake Terrace Plaza (MTP) booked me first. I played 24 patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls before a large audience in the dining room in the afternoon. I used five horns—trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, pocket trumpet, and bugle.

It was my third appearance at MTP. In August 2021, I performed my show, “Showtune Favorites,” and in July this past summer, I performed “In Retrospect.” You can easily read my blog articles about these two appearances by searching “Mountlake Terrace Plaza” in the box at the upper right of this page.

For me, it was unique to see that Anne Paine, Director of Wellness Programming, had displayed a “Missing Person Table” at the entrance to the dining room. As of this performance, I had performed six different one-hour shows at 36 retirement communities in the Greater Seattle area, and I’ve never seen that Table set anywhere else. Most other activity directors probably have never heard of it. And I have also seen it set when I sounded “To the Color” and “Taps” at several ceremonies at Edmonds Community College.

According to the National League of POW/MIA Families, the “Missing Man Honors Table” carries the message that American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from the Vietnam War shall never be forgotten. The table, its empty chair(s), and its contents are all symbolic, and a proper candlelight service can be conducted. At the table at MTP, there were two empty chairs and place settings, a white tablecloth, three American flags, the New Testament and Psalms, a red rose, a burning candle, and a flyer that explains the symbolisms. For more information, please see https://www.pow-miafamilies.org/the-missing-man-table.

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, “At present, less than 81,000 Americans remain missing from WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and the Gulf Wars/other conflicts. Out of the less than 81,000 missing, 75% of the losses are located in the Indo-Pacific, and over 41,000 of the missing are presumed lost at sea (i.e. ship losses, known aircraft water losses, etc.).” At present, the number from the Vietnam War is 1,566. For more information on the government’s efforts to identify the missing, please see https://www.dpaa.mil.

The photos below are courtesy of Mountlake Terrace Plaza. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

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My 7th Trumpet Show Performance at Fairwinds Bright Court in Lynnwood

Posted by glennled on March 22, 2026

Fairwinds, Brighton Court, Lynnwood

My mother-in-law lived at Fairwinds Brighton Court (FBC) in Lynnwood for a couple of years, and that permanently endeared me to this vibrant retirement community. So, I was delighted to return there on 10 November 2025 for another performance, my seventh. FBC is the current leader for my total appearances among the 36 communities where I’ve presented at least one of my six one-hour trumpet shows. This time it was “I Stand for the Flag” because the next day was Veterans Day.

“I Stand for the Flag” calls for five horns—trumpet, pocket trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, and bugle. I play 24 patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls, and I invite the audience to sing along (or hum). Who doesn’t know “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Over There,” “God Bless America” and many more such?

FBC’s staff, led by Colleen Loveridge, Program Supervisor, are always expert in setting up the room and equipment that help make the shows successful. The audience is always sizeable, engaged, and responsive. They know and like each other. In short, it’s fun for them and fun for me. “See ya next time.”

Photos are courtesy of Fairwinds, Brighton Court. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Bistro
Dining Room
Salon
Gazebo

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First Trumpet Show at Vineyard Park at North Creek, Bothell

Posted by glennled on November 12, 2025

Vineyard Park at North Creek (VPNC) in Bothell just opened last January, and it’s now the 36th retirement community where I have performed one of my six one-hour trumpet shows. It was my first appearance there (on 8 November), and the show was “Where were you, Back Then?” This new place is lovely. As I played before the fireplace in the large dining room, the crowd grew, as it often does when people begin to hear tunes they remember well and like.

In this show, we recall songs from selected years from 1947-2008. I invite the residents to sing along (or hum), and they do! Here’s the format: I name a year and cite a few significant events that happened that year; then I ask them to remember where they were and what they were doing; I might tell them something about my own life at that time; and finally, I play a hit song from that year. I use four horns: trumpet, cornet, flugelhorn, and pocket trumpet, four mouthpieces, and three mutes.

For example, in 1968, the Apollo 8 crew of three American men became the first humans to orbit the moon (10 times), the first humans to see the dark side of the moon, and the first to see the whole earth. And for that year, I played “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” written during the Great Depression in 1931 but made popular for the residents’ generation in 1968 when the Mamas and the Papas recorded it with Cass Elliot the lead singer. Did you ever sing that song about your lover? “Say nightie-night and kiss me….” Bet you can hear it as you read this!

VPNC is a CarePartners community; for more information, please see https://www.carepartnersliving.com/vineyard-park-at-north-creek/

Photos are courtesy of VPNC. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Fundraising for VFW—Busking Again at Veterans Plaza in Edmonds

Posted by glennled on August 24, 2025

Glenn Ledbetter busks again at Veterans Plaza on Saturday’s Market Day, Edmonds

Last Saturday, 23 August, I got out there again, using my horns to raise money for VFW Posts 8870 (Edmonds) and 1040 (Lynnwood). The yellow sign reads, “All Donations go to VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars),” and people gave generously, as usual. I started busking here in 2017, but I missed a few years, starting with Covid-19 in 2020. My last appearance was in June 2022.

I played for more than one and half hours. My busking book contains some 100 songs, and I played about half of them, some more than once, as the large crowd kept changing in and out, mingling, sitting, eating, coming and going. I always play in the Veterans Plaza in downtown Edmonds, adjacent to the Edmonds Museum Summer Market (please see https://historicedmonds.org/summer-market). The warm, clear summer day was perfect.

The crowd responses are always great fun. For example, parents give their little kids a few dollars to toss in the trumpet case. They approach carefully, one eye on the open case and one eye on me, quickly drop the money onto the pile, and run back to their parents! Other kids will dance to the music, and both kids and adults will talk to me. Remember being taught to donate to charities? Remember teaching your kids the same? Often, people just say, “Thank you for your service,” and I reply, “You’re welcome.” (I’m a Navy vet who served on three ships in the Pacific and taught NROTC at the University of Washington.)

After I played “Summertime,” a woman came up and told me that’s her favorite song. After “Wand’rin’ Star,” one man shouted “Lee Marvin!” [the actor (and a Marine) who sang it in the movie, “Paint Your Wagon.”] We waved to each other. An elderly lady in a motorized wheelchair came up and asked me if I have seen the movie, “The Legend of 1900.” I have not. She said there’s a great trumpeter in that movie. “That’s when I fell in love with the trumpet and that trumpet player,” she said.

I brought only two of my five horns this time–my cornet and flugelhorn. One song got stuck in my mind, and so I played “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” three times. It was written in 1917, shortly before WWI ended. I always loved the tune but never paid attention to the words. So, I looked up the lyrics. It’s about a depressed person who always dreams about success and happiness but is just a natural-born loser who always fails. But I remember it from the MGM musical, “Ziegfeld Girls,” in 1941, early during WWII. Judy Garland sings the song, but eventually her character does become the top showgirl in the Ziegfeld Follies.

As is my custom as VFW Post 1040 Bugler, I split the donations in two and gave half to each VFW Post (please see https://vfw1040.org and https://vfw8870.org).

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“Where Were You, Back Then?”–Trumpet Show at Vineyard Park, Mountlake Terrace

Posted by glennled on July 22, 2025

Vineyard Park at Mountlake Terrace

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!

Vineyard Park at Mountlake Terrace offers independent living, assisted living, and memory care (https://www.carepartnersliving.com/vineyard-park-of-mountlake-terrace/). Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Photos courtesy of Vineyard Park at Mountlake Terrace

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“In Retrospect” Trumpet Show at Mountlake Terrace Plaza

Posted by glennled on July 15, 2025

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.

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Independence Day, La Conner Retirement Inn

Posted by glennled on July 11, 2025

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.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Courtesy of La Conner Retirement Inn:

By Me:

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Memorial Day at Edmonds Landing by Cogir–My 3rd Performance There

Posted by glennled on July 9, 2025

Edmonds Landing is now Cogir of Edmonds

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.

It was my third performance there, but this time, the ownership and the facility’s name are new—Edmonds Landing by Cogir—and so is the Lifestyle Director, Stephanie Fyfe. Please see https://cogirusa.com/communities/cogir-of-edmonds/?rcstdid=Mg==-YRjTEizZPgM=&utm_source=GMB&utm_medium=organic. They offer assisted living and memory care. I am grateful they invited me to play there again.

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.

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