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).
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.
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.
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.
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!
Attendees, Class of 1958, Sinton High School, Sinton, Texas, 9-27-2025
On Saturday, 27 September, my high school classmates, spouses, and children gathered for our 67th annual reunion at The Inn at Fulton Harbor on the Gulf coast of Texas, near my hometown, Sinton, where we grew up. We are the SHS Class of 1958.
First, we had supper at the Butter Churn Restaurant in nearby Aransas Pass, and then we reassembled in the meeting room at the Inn, where some people simply talked while others solved a jig-saw puzzle. And for the third such reunion (2022, 2023, and 2025), I performed a short trumpet show–afterwards, one classmate shouted, “It keeps us young!”
Practice mute and Jupiter Pocket Trumpet
I brought my Jupiter Pocket trumpet so that I could practice on the beach or in a local park or in the condo where we regularly stay. When I practice indoors, I use my Japanese-made Best Brass practice mute so I won’t disturb anyone. When I practice outdoors, I let ‘er rip (see photos below).
Each year, I open the show with our school alma mater and fight song. This year is the 100th anniversary of our alma mater, “Maroon and White” (see photo left). Daniel E. Sharp, Sr. wrote it in 1925, and one of his sons, Mike, came to this reunion and spoke about his Dad and their musical family.
In between these three core pieces, I entertain with a few songs and jokes. In 2022, I played “When I’m 64” and “What a Wonderful World.” In 2023, I played, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” (My wife and I did not attend in 2024.)
This year, I chose a hit song from each year that we were in high school, fall of 1954 to spring of 1958. The five in-between pieces were “That’s Amore” (’54), “Rock Around the Clock” (’55), “Blue Suede Shoes” (’56), “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” (’57), and “Splish Splash” (’58).
Before I close with either “God Bless America” or “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” we stand with hands over our hearts, facing the USA flag, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, as we did beside our desks each morning in Grammar School (grades 1-8).
I pass out the lyrics to all the songs and invite my classmates to sing along as I play. As the songs remind us of our school years, we interact with each other, take group pictures and videos, tell stories, remember our friends, reminisce about things we did, what we wore, where we went, who our teachers were, and such. It’s fun, and they’ve invited me to do it again next year, God willing–we’re all about 85 years old! Many of our absentee classmates would like to come but simply can’t make the trip anymore.
Years ago, the high school building where we attended was replaced by a much larger and nicer one. But now, it also has been superseded by a new, even bigger group of buildings, athletic fields, gymnasium, and tennis courts, and this year is the first that students are attending classes in it (see photos below). The buildings are sized for enrollment growth. I visited with the long-time band director, Mr. Robert Flores. (He kindly lends me a music stand for my reunion shows.) He showed me the new, first-class Performing Arts Center, including the huge band room with surrounding practice rooms, and a very large percussion room. The magnificent theater seats a thousand. For perspective, just think–my class graduated about 77 kids.
Please click on any photo to enlarge it.
Almost all our attendeesPracticing at Don & Sandy Billish Park, Padre IslandAt St. Andrews Park, Corpus ChristiAt Whitecap Beach, Padre Island
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.
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.
Glenn's Trumpet Notes 