Greg’s passion for jazz first developed thanks to his father playing at their home in Dayton, Ohio. While Greg’s since moved to live in Oklahoma, he hasn’t lost his passion for jazz. That’s why he’s bringing jazz to the GetSetUp platform in his discussion and listening session All about Jazz. The group will listen to a variety of jazz eras and genres and discuss the music to walk away with a better understanding and appreciation of all the diversity of jazz out there. 

Greg first found out about GetSetUp thanks to an article about how adult learning is no longer just for kids and has gone remote. Naturally, curious Greg clicked on GetSetUp to learn more. 

“What caught my eye were the Microsoft classes. I had been working in customer service for the past 15 years and an acquisition suddenly meant we were using a lot more Microsoft tools. But there wasn’t a lot of training for it offered by the company. I felt there was more that I could do if I had a better idea of all the Microsoft options like Microsoft Teams.”

So Greg signed up for a couple of classes at night to learn more about the different Microsoft products. 

“I thought this is great I can do this! I really needed to get more into learning there was so much available, so I decided to take a leave of absence.”

Greg’s not entirely sure if he wants to retire yet but is enjoying his leave of absence. Now that he’s home more, he’s started to sign up for even more classes. He’s learning new cooking tips that he feels are implementable and enjoying classes on reading and movies.

“I just keep taking one class after another. About 4 to 5 months into taking classes, I found Stacey’s morning exercise classes. I’m a morning person, so these are perfect for me. I get my exercise done first thing in the morning, and I don’t have to worry about it the rest of the day.”

The more time Greg’s spent on the platform, the more activities he’s finding that are helping him to stay fit, be healthier, learn, and find like-minded people to share enriching ideas with.

Moving forward with new roles

Greg has loved taking classes and recently put his house up for sale to move to a bigger city. While he’s planning to take advantage of volunteering there and other activities, he plans to keep GetSetUp as an integral part of his life.

“GetSetUp is accessible. The tech is reasonably simple for people to get involved with. It's not terribly complicated. It’s flexible as you can join classes at different times - night or day, so it works in your schedule. Plus, classes are on topics that people have a genuine interest in learning more about, and they are tailored to older folks.”

That’s why he decided to step up to volunteer to host a session. He kicked around a few ideas about climate change and other topics but ultimately decided to start with jazz music.

“I’m not a musician, but my dad has been a jazz listener for as long as I can remember. My dad liked piano jazz the most. I’ve listened to many different jazz genres and love the variety.”

Greg hopes other people his age who strayed from rock and roll will come to learn more about the background of jazz and share their interest in the genre. He plans to tailor the discussions to participant interests from specific instruments, artists, or types of jazz. He’s open to ideas and exploring!

He’s planning to kick off the group with some basics around the beginnings of jazz and ragtime, but from there, he’s open to moving into how it’s found in swing, big band, beat bop Latin jazz, and more!

If you are a jazz fan, come and explore the genre with Greg in All about Jazz