Glenn’s Trumpet Notes

News & Tips for Trumpet & Cornet Students

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Posts Tagged ‘Super Olds’

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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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Third Performance at The Gardens at Town Square, Bellevue

Posted by glennled on December 13, 2024

Courtesy of The Gardens at Town Square, Bellevue

Veterans Day, 11 November 2024, found me in Bellevue for my third performance at The Gardens at Town Square retirement community. That afternoon, I presented my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag” to a large, generous audience.

Actually, I have two versions of this show. In 2021, after the Covid Pandemic peaked, I performed the “talk version.” In this show, I not only play patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls, but also, I talk about veterans’ current well-being, concerns, and activities. But this year, I performed the “standard version”–about two dozen pieces of music with a bit of talk to introduce each piece. The audience sings along as I play my five horns: Getzen Eterna Severinsen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, Austin Custom Brass (ACB) flugelhorn, Getzen bugle, and Jupiter pocket trumpet.

We had such a great time that I look forward to returning sometime in 2025, God willing. I have six different trumpet shows, so there’s plenty to choose from. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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“I Stand for the Flag” at Merrill Gardens, Renton Centre on 23 May for Early Memorial Day Celebration

Posted by glennled on May 25, 2023

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Armed Forces Day Draws Me to Merrill Gardens at the University in Seattle

Posted by glennled on June 1, 2022

Until this year, I’d never been asked to perform my one-hour trumpet show, “I Stand for the Flag,” on Armed Forces Day. But that changed when Mindy Milton, Active Living Program Director, booked me to return for the second time to Merrill Gardens at the University in Seattle on Saturday, 21 May 2022. (Please see my blog article of 15 August 2021.)

I played 24 patriotic marches, songs, and bugle calls on four instruments: my Getzen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, Getzen field trumpet (bugle), and Jupiter pocket trumpet. The repertoire includes “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” “Tattoo” (a bugle call), the official songs of all five branches, “The Liberty Bell” (a march by John Philip Sousa), “Over There,” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” The audience sang along and laughed at a few jokes.

How does Armed Forces Day differ from other military holidays and observance days? It celebrates all five branches of the military on the third Saturday of May, annually. The five branches are the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. The first four are within the Department of Defense (DOD), created in 1947. The Coast Guard is within the Department of Homeland Security, created in 2002. The Space Development Agency is one of many agencies within the DOD.

Armed Forces Day was created on 31 August 1949 when Harry S. Truman was President. It was first celebrated on 20 May 1950—five years after WWII ended and one month before the beginning of the Korean War.

The longest, continuously-running, Armed Forces Day Parade in the USA is held in Bremerton, Washington. This year, Bremerton celebrated its 73rd Armed Forces Day Parade.

Major wars and conflicts in which the U.S. military participated:

  • Revolutionary War
  • Indian Wars of the 1790s
  • War of 1812
  • American Civil War
  • Spanish-American War of 1898
  • World War I
  • World War II
  • Korean War
  • Vietnam War
  • Gulf War
  • Afghanistan

Numerical facts:

  1. About 800 military bases outside the U.S.
  2. About 1.2 million active-duty personnel in the U.S. military
  3. About 800,000 reserves
  4. About 18 million living veterans
  5. More than 81,600 POW/MIA personnel, mostly from WWII

Photos are courtesy of Merrill Gardens at the University. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Second Trumpet Show at Overlake Terrace Retirement Community, Redmond

Posted by glennled on May 16, 2021

Courtesy of Overlake Terrace Assisted & Senior Living

This spring, Overlake Terrace Assisted & Senior Living, a retirement community in Redmond, invited me back for a second trumpet show, 28 months after my first performance there shortly before Christmas in 2018 (please see my blog post of 23 December 2018 in the Archives in left column). Then Covid shut everything down, everywhere in 2020.

That first show was “Things Remembered,” featuring mostly Christmas carols and songs. This one, on 23 April, was “Showtune Favorites,” featuring hit songs from musicals and movies. I have six different shows, each with about two dozen familiar songs from the residents’ era.

For these shows, I use my Getzen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, Jupiter pocket trumpet, and (sometimes) Getzen bugle.

On Memorial Day, 31 May, I’ll be back there again in my VFW uniform, to sound “Taps” at their ceremony. I’ll use my beautiful Getzen bugle.

For more information about Overlake Terrace, please see Overlake Terrace Assisted & Senior Living in Redmond, WA (stellarliving.com).

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Christmas Trumpet Show at Quail Park of Lynnwood

Posted by glennled on February 11, 2020

QPL Exterior View

Quail Park of Lynnwood

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Along driveway to hilltop entrance to Quail Park of Lynnwood

 

Want quiet privacy in the city? Try Quail Park of Lynnwood (QPL), where I played my one-hour Christmas trumpet show, “Things Remembered,” on 15 December 2019. About 25 residents attended; meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks played the Carolina Panthers, and others watched the game elsewhere on TV. The award-winning QPL is situated on a hill between Highway 99 and I-5, but you’d never know it if you didn’t see the sign pointing up the driveway through the trees. Drive up there into the sunshine at the top. IMG_0626

When I did so, I found that they are building new facilities and enlarging the complex. QPL offers independent living, assisted living, and memory care. There are 85 existing apartments and 45 memory care suites. The expansion will add another 96 apartments, along with 26 luxury cottages. Please see https://www.quailparkoflynnwood.com.

Candace Hartzell, Life Enhancement Director, invited me to play there. My “Things Remembered” show is one of six that I perform. It consists of 25 familiar pieces—14 Christmas songs and 11 others, mostly from popular musicals and movies from the residents’ era. I used my Getzen trumpet (c.1977) and Super Olds cornet (1954), along with two mutes, and my Yamaha Allen Vizzutti mouthpiece.

Veterans Administration Benefits 

I have now played my trumpet shows at 15 different retirement communities from Issaquah to Edmonds, and QPL’s website is the first one I’ve seen that includes information which encourages veterans to use their benefits in order to live there. Here is some of that information:

 

 

Types of Benefits Administered by Veterans Benefits Administration

  • Education benefits
  • Vocational rehabilitation
  • Home loans
  • Health care
  • Life insurance
  • Burial benefits
  • Service-connected compensation and non-service connected pension
  • Survivor’s Benefits (Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, and Death Pension)

Additional Benefits Available to Veterans

  • Social Security Administration (SSA)
  • Preference in federal hiring
  • Unemployment insurance (if actively seeking work)
  • Military retirement, medical severance and separation pay
  • State programs including tuition assistance, emergency funds, PTSD and grief counseling, soldiers’ homes and elder care, fiduciary and guardianship, license plates, hunting and fishing licenses, park passes, burial plots, claim assistance, access to discharge papers and other Veteran records

For detailed information about Service-Connected (S/A) Compensation, please see https://www.quailparkoflynnwood.com/va-benefits/

Partner Communities
QPL is part of the Living Care Lifestyles family of retirement communities. Living Care Lifestyles offers Senior Care and Memory Care in Arizona, California, Oregon, Texas and Washington. There are three Living Care communities in WA: Browns Point (Tacoma); West Seattle; and Lynnwood. The one in Lynnwood has received the Readers’ Choice Award for Independent Living from the Everett Herald.

Retirement and Assisted Living Apartments

  • Option for color customization of accent walls
  • Full-size kitchens
  • Major stainless steel appliances – range, microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher
  • Lovely wood cabinetry and granite countertops – kitchen and bath
  • Full-size washer and dryer
  • Walk-in closets
  • Walk-in showers with seat
  • Kitchenettes in studios
  • Air-conditioning in all apartments

These Retirement and Assisted Living Apartments come in four floor plans:

  • Studio – 364-598 s.f.
  • One Bedroom – 592-794 s.f.
  • One Bedroom Deluxe – 818-1,014 s.f.
  • Two Bedroom – 893-1,031 s.f.

Memory Care apts (23 suites) come in two floor plans:

  • Adjoining Shower – 374 s.f.
  • Private – 374-469 s.f.

Expansion floor plans fall into four types: EAL Suites (377 to 399 s.f./unit); Coho Studio Suite (499 s.f./unit); Chinook Suites (579 to 582 s.f./unit); and Sockeye Suite (828 s.f./unit).

The amenities at Lynnwood include pool, bistro and pub, movie theater, pet friendly, salon, 12-hour anytime dining, daily nurse, 24-hour awake team, maintenance 7 days a week, weekly housekeeping and linen service, concierge, and transportation.

Photos are courtesy of Quail Park of Lynnwood, including existing facilities and renderings of expansion facilities. For more photos, see https://www.quailparkoflynnwood.com/photos/. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

Existing Facilities

 

Renderings of Expansion Facilities Under Construction

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St. Patrick’s Day Private Concert in Condo of an Irish Couple in Edmonds

Posted by glennled on May 7, 2019

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L to R: DeeDee Kelly, Nancy MacDonald, and Robert E. Kelly

 

Sunday, the 17th of March, was St. Patrick’s Day, celebrating the life of the patron saint of Ireland who died during Lent on this date in 461 A.D. My wife’s cousin and her husband, DeeDee and Bob Kelly, in Edmonds are thoroughly Irish, so I offered to play a few Irish tunes for them in their own condominium. They chose five traditional Irish songs:

  • “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling”
  • “Danny Boy”
  • “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral”
  • “Molly Malone”
  • “My Wild Irish Rose”

I played three instruments: my Getzen Eterna Severinsen trumpet, Super Olds cornet, and Jupiter pocket trumpet.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

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St. Patrick’s Day Celebration—My Trumpet Show at University House, Issaquah

Posted by glennled on March 30, 2019

 

University-House-Issaquah

University House, Issaquah

On the 15th of March, two days before the actual St. Patrick’s Day, my one-hour trumpet show, “St. Patrick’s Day Celebration,” was listed on the calendar of University House, free-shamrock-clip-art-9BXAvf-clipart[1]Issaquah (UHI) as only one of seven events scheduled that day. Compared to many retirement homes, that’s a lot of activities for the residents to choose among when they ask in the morning, “What shall we do today?”

th5STAXPZ1So, at 3:00 p.m., about 50 of them showed up in Gilman Auditorium to hear me play 27 Irish tunes on my three horns and tell a dozen Irish jokes. Amber Duffy, Life Enrichment Director, had advertised the event thusly on the UHI Calendar: “St. Patrick’s Day Happy Hour with the Irish Trumpet.” And it was grand.

Among the ballads, jig, and reels that I played were many old favorite traditional songs, including “My Wild Irish Rose,” “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,” “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral,” “Molly Malone,” and “Danny Boy.” Others included “Chicken Reel,” “The Irish Washerwoman,” “St. Patrick’s Day,” “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” “Whiskey in the Jar,” “The Irish Rover,” and “The Rocky Road to Dublin.”

For most of them, I used my Getzen Eterna Severinsen trumpet; for several, I played my Super Olds cornet; and for one, the finale, I played my Jupiter pocket trumpet.

Here’s a sample joke:

The doctor was puzzled and said, “I’m very sorry, Mr. O’Flaherty, but I can’t diagnose your trouble. I think it must be the—alcohol.”
“Don’t worry about it, Dr. Cullen, I know how you feel. I’ll come back when you’re sober.”

When the show ended, I handed out a sheet containing 22 good, clean Irish jokes, encouraging the residents to have some fun on the phone, the internet, or in person with their grandchildren and others during the festive weekend.

University House, Issaquah

UHI is one of eight Era Living Retirement Communities (please see https://www.eraliving.com/communities/issaquah/). It offers senior independent living CaringStar2019[1] and assisted living care, but it is not an average senior living community. It has unique partnerships with the University of Washington’s Schools of Nursing, Social Work and Pharmacy and the UW Retirement Association in order to deliver innovative programs designed to foster healthy living.

It appeals to residents who “share a passion for knowledge, a fascination with art and culture, and the desire to stay active in mind, body, and spirit.” The community has “a distinct academic flavor where residents enjoy a connection to UW programs and a commitment to lifelong learning.”

Amenities:

  • Elegant restaurant, flexible dining options, variety of cuisines, in-house chef
  • Vibrant Life Enrichment programs [such as my trumpet show]
  • Reception
  • On-site Wellness Center, nurse, caregivers
  • Emergency call and daily check-in system
  • Maintenance services
  • Weekly housekeeping and linen services
  • Personal and group transportation services
  • Swimming pool
  • Fitness center featuring EnhanceFitness classes
  • Full-service, on-site salon*
  • Two solariums
  • Garden courtyards
  • Game and crafts room
  • Library
  • Internet Cafe
  • Professionally curated art collections
  • Auditorium for large gatherings and events [such as my trumpet show]
  • Resident parking*
  • *Additional fee

Residence Features:

  • Full kitchens
  • Easy-access shower, bathing benches, grab bars
  • Individually controlled heating
  • Ceiling fans
  • All utilities included, except telephone
  • Cable TV and internet access
  • Emergency call system
  • Additional storage available
  • Pet-friendly

Floor Plans: UHI_Oak_2b1.5bDen_1180_800P[1]

There are 184 senior residences, offering 44 different floor plans, including expansive three-bedroom penthouses.

Common Areas:

  • Lobby
  • 1st Floor Loft
  • Dining Room with Patio
  • Private Dining Room
  • Library
  • Game Room and Pool
  • Living Room
  • Gilman Auditorium [where my trumpet show was held]

Assisted Living’s Memory Fitness Program:

This innovative program is designed for residents with early to mid-stage memory loss. It offers a distinct set of specialized memory support services with structured full-day activities. Incorporating research results and community best-practices, this program enhances the daily experience and quality of life of residents with early to mid-stage Alzheimer’s or dementia. Some Memory Fitness activities include:

  • Memory engagement activities
  • Exercise group
  • Social activities
  • Cooking
  • Art and music
  • Travelogues
  • Famous biographies

Photos are courtesy of University House, Issaquah. Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

 

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My 45th Student Is Only 70 Years Old

Posted by glennled on February 2, 2019

IMG_2674

Olds Ambassador cornet in its original case with 1962 Indiana state trumpet competition medal pinned inside the lid (left)

Why does the above headline read, “only 70 years old”? Well, because my student #26 was an 81-year old retired engineer (see my blog post of 18 February 2016), and my student #38 was a 76-year old retired Army veteran (see my blog post of 17 November 2017). The 81-year old played a Kanstul cornet, and the veteran played a Getzen bugle. My new student (#45) plays an Olds Ambassador cornet, and as you may remember, I still play a Super Olds cornet given to me by my parents when I entered high school in 1954.

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Olds Ambassador cornet, c. 1961

On 27 December 2018, I had my first private lesson with Victor Snyder at his home in the Bryant neighborhood in Seattle, east of the University of Washington. In fact, in 2015, he retired from UW, where after 20 years of employment, he was the Associate Director, Career Counseling Center [now, Career and Internship Center]. Now that he’s retired, he wants to play cornet again.

The first time Vic played his cornet was when he was a 7th and 8th grade student at St. Pius Catholic School in Tell City, Indiana. In 1962, while in the 8th grade, he won a state solo competition, was graded “superior,” and was awarded a medal by the Indiana School Music Association. He performed “The Pals” polka by George D. Barnard (see photo). The next year, as a freshman, he started taking band at Tell City High School but then dropped it. Nevertheless, his mother saved his cornet and his music, thinking that since he was talented, he might someday take it up again. I’m sure that would make her happy and proud again.

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“The Pals” polka by George D. Barnard can be played as either a solo or duet with piano accompaniment

After high school, Vic earned a Bachelors degree at Kent State University in Ohio, served a tour in the U.S. Navy including being stationed on Whidbey Island in Washington, and then earned a Masters degree at the University of Washington in 1976.  The next time he played his cornet was in 1989, twenty-seven years after winning that medal. He took private lessons for about half a year. The tutor assigned him only exercises in Arbans Complete Conservatory Method: Trumpet, but he wanted to play songs, too. As everyone knows, Arbans is a wonderful instruction book and even contains many old songs, but it is designed for advanced students, not beginners or re-starters. He became bored and frustrated and stopped the lessons.

Now, Vic is taking up the horn once again, simply for his own pleasure. Eventually, he might join a combo with a friend and/or play with a community band and such—or not. He’s really doing this to please himself. He found me through http://www.takelessons.com. His weekly lessons are one-hour long, and he often practices twice a day. He’s working his way through two exercise books that are more appropriate for his current performance level:

  • Rubank Elementary Level, Cornet or Trumpet by A. F. Robinson.
  • Progressive Beginner Trumpet by Peter Gelling.

The skills are coming back, but in addition, Vic is learning much more than he ever did. He knows that I host an annual recital in my home in late May or early June. Perhaps by then, he will be able to play “The Pals” again, but if he wants to play something else, we’ll find the right thing. I’m betting that his mom, who passed away in 2005, would be proud to hear him once more—after all, he’s only 70 and has many more miles yet to go.

Please click on any photo to enlarge it.

 

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“Things Remembered”—My 1-Hour Trumpet Show on the First Day of Advent at Overlake Terrace Retirement Community in Redmond

Posted by glennled on December 23, 2018

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My Christmas trumpet show is called “Things Remembered” because, by using some old favorite songs, I walk the audience through the common pattern of life that we all share—living single, falling in love, getting married, raising a family, celebrating Christmas year after year, laughing at jokes, overcoming adversity, facing retirement, and celebrating the fantastic blessings of life in America during our wonderful time in human history. On 1 December, the first day of Advent this year, I performed this show for an audience of 25-30 residents and staff at Overlake Terrace Retirement Community in Redmond.2017-assisted-living-award-sm

20181201_132322The show consists of 24 songs, half from musicals and movies and half about Christmas. All are favorites of the age group living today in retirement communities. They sing along as I play. And as they listen to me play and talk, they recall where they were and what was happening when they first heard and learned those songs—“Things Remembered.”

2018-assisted-living-awardFor variety and fun, as appropriate for each song, I play three instruments (two trumpets and one cornet) and use four mouthpieces and one mute. One mouthpiece makes my Super Olds cornet sound like a flugelhorn, so in effect, it’s like playing four different instruments for them.

Overlake Terrace provides independent, assisted living, memory care, and respite services. For more information, here is the link to the website:  https://www.stellarliving.com/overlake-terrace/. And for a tour of the interior of the facilities, please see the photo gallery here: https://www.stellarliving.com/overlake-terrace/photo-tour/. The 14 photos show the main lobby entrance, café, and dining room; model bedroom and living room; family rooms, library, exercise room, activity room, and movie theater.

Overlake Terrace is part of Stellar Senior Living, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The group consists of 8 retirement communities, including two in Washington (Redmond and Kent), two in Utah, two in Idaho, and one each in Colorado and Arizona.

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

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