THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 6, 1995 TAG: 9510050157
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Pam Starr
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Bob Irving and Lu Grant looked a little out of place in the organ classroom at Jordan Kitt's Temple of Music in Pembroke Mall.
The burly former Army men, both over 6 feet and over 60, are taking organ lessons - yes, organ lessons - with other seniors every week. They may not look like your typical organ student, but both men say that playing the organ is something they always wanted to do.
``Last year my wife told me I had to learn Christmas carols,'' said Grant with a chuckle. ``I learned only a couple. This year I'm under a lot of pressure. I just want to get it right.''
Irving, a retired foreman from Norfolk Naval Shipyard, is learning for a different reason.
``I retired on July 31 and have the time now,'' said the Chesapeake resident. ``It's nice to have skills like that - it's comforting and relaxing. I needed a hobby anyhow. I just do it for self-satisfaction.''
The men have joined 40,000 other seniors across the country in Jordan Kitt's popular Music for Life programs - which come in both 10-week and three-week sessions. Although they're not just for seniors, 95 percent of the students are seniors.
The company started giving free organ lessons more than 25 years ago as a motivational tool to those who bought or traded-in organs. Chris Syllaba, general manager of the Pembroke Mall store, said complimentary lessons are given 45 minutes a week for 10 weeks with the purchase or trade-in of an organ.
``We've sold tons of organs, the vast majority of which are sitting in people's homes collecting dust,'' said Syllaba, 29. ``There's direct correlation between taking classes and playing the organ. We actually teach the fundamentals and basics of music.''
The company also offers Jump Start classes, which are free classes for three weeks for those who don't own an organ. These classes are offered separately, said Syllaba, because they don't want to mix organ-owning students with those who don't have one.
Organs at Jordan Kitt's range from $99 for an older, used model to $50,000 for the top-of-the-line. The average person, however, buys within the $99 to $1,500 range, said Syllaba. The organ business nationwide is estimated to have annual sales of $100 million, with 70 percent of the market coming from the senior population.
About 10-15 prospective organists at a time take one of eight levels of Music for Life classes (six offered each semester) ranging from introductory to expert levels. Organ buyers can take each 10-week class and repeat as many as they want, hence the ``Music for Life'' name.
At the introductory class last Thursday, a dozen eager students listened as fresh-faced Syllaba sat at the organ and went through musical terms.
``When you play, you can play like this - soft or loud,'' he said, demonstrating. ``Pitch is how high or how low the note is.''
Syllaba rose and talked about musical terms and theory. Musical codes live in a house that looks like a staff, he said, drawing five horizontal lines on the wall board. A cleft always goes to the left, and the bar line tells you how to count the beats, he added, drawing those symbols.
After talking about musical time, beats, rests and measures, Syllaba started playing ``Beautiful Brown Eyes'' with the waltz rhythm on the organ. The students hummed along as the resonant sounds filled the room.
``How many beats are needed in each measure?'' he asked. ``This is three-four time, so we need three beats. One-two-three, one-two-three.''
After the class the students milled about, talking with each other and their ``keyboard adviser,'' or KA.
Syllaba said that the home organ was designed primarily for seniors because it allows them to recreate the music they grew up with from the '20s, '30s and '40s.
``Just in this one store here, we've had several hundred students in the classes,'' said Syllaba, who has been with the company for 11 years. ``The organ has always been popular with seniors. It's an opportunity for senior adults who don't have the next 20 years to become proficient at the violin or piano. With an organ, you can be proficient immediately.''
One of the more advanced students in the introductory class is Elsie Judge, a retired city clerk who has been playing the piano all her life. She is taking the organ lessons with husband John, a novice, to offer encouragement and brush up her techniques. They hope to play duets together - she on the piano and he on the organ.
``I'm getting older and playing gives me something for enlightenment and enjoyment,'' said Elsie Judge. ``It adds fulfillment to your life. After I retired I felt like I needed something. Life was just too dull without it.
``It's really a new life together.''Bob Irving and Lu Grant looked a little out of place in the organ classroom at Jordan Kitt's Temple of Music in Pembroke Mall. MEMO: For more information on the Music for Life or Jump Start classes, call
Jordan Kitt's Temple of Music at 499-0551.For more information on the
Music for Life or Jump Start classes, call Jordan Kitt's Temple of Music
at 499-0551.
ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MORT FRYMAN
Chris Syllaba said lessons are given 45 minutes a week for 10
weeks.
by CNB