Songs for the ages: At 95, he plays trumpet for fellow retirees

USA Today

30-03-2025

Songs for the ages: At 95, he plays trumpet for fellow retirees Mark Anson says playing trumpet keeps him busy and gives his neighbors some sweet music to help ease loneliness.
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Playing a musical instrument can be beneficial for an aging brain
Practicing and reading music is a complex endeavor, so complex that experts believe it could help sustain good memory.
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Mark Anson really didn't have an answer when asked his secret for longevity.
"It's a surprise to me that I'm this old," the 95-year-old admitted. "I think I woke up one day and I was 90."
Kayla Malott, residential living director at Heritage Pointe of Warren, the Indiana retirement community where Anson lives, has a theory: She thinks maybe Anson's daily trumpet concerts help him stay young at heart.
The retired farmer said he started playing trumpet as a boy, when he heard a trumpeter who played for a neighborhood band. "We didn't have money for a horn," Anson remembered, "so he gave me his."
Many decades later, Anson entertains his neighbors at Heritage Pointe, going out to his third-floor balcony to serenade staff and fellow seniors with standards like "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."
"We have a lot of music lovers here," said Malott, who's been at Heritage Pointe for about a year. "A lot of our residents have an interest in music."
Trumpet sounds, three floors up
When the weather is nice, Anson plays outdoors, and the sound carries, said Malott, spreading some joy around the community and the small town of Warren (population: 1,205).
"Sometimes you can hear him across town, or when you're rolling up to work or to visit," she said.
Anson used to be a farmer, raising corn and beans and a herd of as many as 80 Holstein cows ‒ a career he said that "went pretty well for me," even if it was hard work. He is a father of three (one daughter died last year) and grandfather of three, and passed his love of music to his sons. His new trumpet, which he admitted he's still getting used to playing, was a gift from his grandson.
Playing for fun and his neighbors
Anson, who never played professionally, said he learned to play the trumpet even though a heart condition kept him out of the Armed Forces when he was young. He played from time to time in a local ensemble called the Erie Band, but mostly, he said, "I played to entertain myself."
He's also entertaining his neighbors at Heritage Pointe, a retirement community of just over 100 residents in Warren, about 90 miles north of Indianapolis. Malott said residents who've fallen ill and have to be isolated are especially appreciative of his music, which makes them feel a little less alone.
Anson sometimes starts a little early, Malott said, and occasionally staff might need to remind him "some people like to sleep in." But, she said, he's always considerate of others.
The nonagenarian enjoys playing for his neighbors, and said sometimes the people living on floors beneath his will call up to him with requests. "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," popularized by Bing Crosby, seems to be a favorite.
"I thought (the song) was for old people," Anson said of the song. "But it turns out I'm old, too!"
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