Loss of innocence can mean the loss of child-like belief in the inherent happiness and goodness of life because of experiences that render one more aware of reality.  How (or maybe why?)  did we go from Mayberry to Woodstock, from Broadway’s “The Sound of Music” to “Oh! Calcutta.”  From what is remembered to have been the most tumultuous and divisive decade in world history, and yet spawned some of the best pop and Broadway music. Emancipation or anarchy?  What was created, what destroyed?  Over eight weeks, we’ll review the decade close-up: history, music, and personal recollections.  And of course, we’ll “let the sunshine in.”

Lorraine Dutile Masure has led senior college courses about Broadway musicals across four academic venues during the past eight years. She continues to delight connecting with seniors and discussing the alluring world of music and theatre.

Over the six sessions of this course, we will continue what we began with the Jazz Age as we explore the people and events of the 1930’s and early 1940’s, along with the distinct music that gave this era its name.  With the sounds of big bands, combos, instrumentalists and vocalists to accompany us, we will go back to this important time in our history and perhaps, along with Duke Ellington, come to truly believe that…It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing!

Paul Doherty is retired from teaching, broadcasting, and ministry. He is now enjoying this time of life by enriching his own knowledge, spiritual and otherwise. He gratefully shares the fruits of this gift

Have you ever wanted to play guitar? Bruce will be teaching semi-private lessons this semester. His focus will be on proper hand technique (left and right), learning the fingerboard, note quality (birth-breath-finish), basic music theory and understanding how this stuff fits together. We will be covering scales (diatonic major and minor, blues scale et.) simple tunes and how to build songs out of these scale lessons. Limit 2 students per session. Series of 10 classes. 

Bruce Bjork has been playing guitar for more than 55 years, banjo, dobro for more than 30 years and pedal steel since 2017. He hosts an open mic at SoMe Brewery in York and has been teaching guitar since 2015 as part of the Guitars4Vets program; music therapy for combat veterans. This will be his third semester at South Coast Senior College.