A song in your heart will lift your spirits, but sharing that song with others will spread joy far and wide. That is the philosophy of the members of the Schaumburg Park District Senior Glee Club.
Director George Fox of Schaumburg sees the glee club as more than just a musical outlet. “As seniors, we still have the capacity to give, not just receive all the time,” Fox said. “Everyone wants to contribute, to make the world a better place.”
“One rule for membership in our group: You must be at least 50 years old and have a pulse!” said member Bonnie Slaw of Hoffman Estates.
The Schaumburg group is one of the few vocal groups in the area exclusively for senior citizens. The members have performed throughout the area, including at Septemberfest in Schaumburg, Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, the Pumpkin Festival at Goebbert’s Farm Market in Arlington Heights and Friendship Village, a senior citizens residence in Schaumburg. The glee club also is scheduled to make an appearance Aug. 22 at the Park District Conservation Day at the Illinois State Fair.
Carryl Howell is activity program manager of Friendship Village in Schaumburg. “I had this group in the fall of ’97 and . . . the residents really enjoyed them,” Howell said. “Now it’s hard to get them because they are so busy.”
Marjorie Stumpo, a resident of Friendship Village, helps coordinate the entertainment there. “They offered a beautiful choice of songs and harmony for half an hour ,” Stumpo said. “Our residents are very discerning; when they ask to have a program repeated, this is a fine recommendation.”
Begun in April 1997, the group has grown to 50 members. Local seniors contacted Susan Jackson of Schaumburg, senior recreation leader at the park district’s Community Recreation Center, about starting a glee club, and she first posted a notice in a park district brochure in the winter of 1997.
“It all came into place. It was really easy,” Jackson said. “We needed people, and they came out of the woodwork.”
One of the first on board was Fox. “George Fox came forward and said he had experience as a director, so we appointed him,” Jackson said.
“We have no auditions; you do not have to be a pro,” Fox said. “It’s a great outlet. We have fun, (and) we’re good!”
Chorus members, who do not have to be from Schaumburg, pay $30 per year; in return, they receive a white jacket with a chorus patch, the music needed for performances and a monthly newsletter.
The group practices from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays at the Community Recreation Center on Springinsguth Road in Schaumburg. At a recent rehearsal, group members talked about why they joined and why they stay.
“It’s the neatest thing,” said Betty Brennan of Schaumburg. “It’s so nice to see people who didn’t know each other get along so well. We care about each other.”
James and Mercedes Newcomb of Elk Grove Village sing tenor and alto in the choir. “I’ve been a musician and choral director all my life,” said James, 79, who was a church organist for 30 years. “After retirement, rather than sit waiting for God, my wife and I decided to join a glee club and do what we enjoyed doing all our lives.”
The members learned about the group in different ways. Jerry Schmitt of Roselle, a tenor, noticed the membership signs while walking on the exercise track at the recreation center. Lee Krizka of Hoffman Estates, a former music director at St. Hubert’s Catholic Church in Hoffman Estates, was asked to join by Bob Healy of Schaumburg, a longtime church choir member.
Bette Burtner, 74, of Hoffman Estates saw an ad in the paper. “I love to sing,” she said. “I’ve sung with several other groups, but they were all women. This is the first time with men; it makes a difference in a small group like this.”
In fact, attracting men to the group was a bit of a challenge. “At the beginning, we sent letters to churches and other groups to find members,” Jackson said. “It’s hard to find men. I’m pleased with the number of men in the chorus.” About one-third are men.
Their repertoire includes a mixture of old-time favorites, religious songs, barbershop melodies, show tunes and patriotic hymns. At a recent rehearsal, the group makes transitions from “Edelweiss” and “Over the Rainbow” to “When You Wore a Tulip” — complete with kazoo accompaniment — to “Beautiful Savior” and “Oh How Lovely Is the Evening.”
As the group varies its offerings among full chorus, solo and women’s chorus numbers, Fox drills members on weaker passages. He combines affirmation and encouragement with crisp attention to detail.
Surveying those assembled makes it clear that a hearing aid, a walker or a portable oxygen tank is not an impediment to full participation.
The club theme song, “May All Your Days Be Special Days,” embodies the group’s philosophy, and its signature greeting is, “May you be blessed with all the joy that can be given to you.”
Instrumental in giving this joy is Mary Drobnik, 59, of Schaumburg, who is the piano accompanist. “It’s a lovely thing to look forward to every Monday night,” Drobnik said. “It makes my week go faster.”
Drobnik, who is recently retired from her profession as a microbiologist, is not a professional pianist, though her 12 years of lessons led to a lot of accompaniment duties for groups such as the Northern Ohio Madrigal Singers. But she hadn’t played in 10 years, so this gave her an opportunity to brush up.
“I love to play and practice and to learn new things,” she said. “This group keeps you young; it’s exciting to learn and to meet new people.”
The key is Fox, who has a varied musical background, from singing in a boys choir at age 5 to performing with the American Male Chorus, made up of former servicemen.
He recalls seeing the American Male Chorus on a goodwill tour at the University of Pittsburgh in 1945. “I was awestruck by how great they were,” he said. “I auditioned, quit school and left the next day with them.” The group members crossed the country, staying a week at a time in various places and existing on free-will offerings. The 37 men in that chorus fostered other musical careers, including two future members of the Ink Spots.
Fox reaped an unexpected reward through his membership in the American Male Chorus. On July 4, 1945, he met a woman while on tour in Springfield, Ohio. Six weeks later he married her, and Wanda Fox has remained an enthusiastic supporter of her husband’s musical endeavors. Now he has found a new musical home in the Senior Glee Club.
The group’s goals are to sing the National Anthem at a Cubs, Sox, Bulls or Bears game and to expand to 100 members by midyear.
“It’s a great bunch of people,” he said. “We’re offering music that people enjoy, like and know. These simple songs jog memories.”
ELK GROVE VILLAGE SENIORS SING ALONG
Schaumburg is not the only park district sponsoring a senior citizen vocal group. In Elk Grove Village, the Elk Grove Senior Center sponsors the Ambassadors, which began six years ago as a kitchen band.
The group of 30 men and women, most of them over 65, performs at local hospitals and senior centers.
“We sing songs appropriate to the season; sometimes we close with a religious song,” said member Philip Barry, 75, of Elk Grove Village. “We also do some skits while singing.”
Barry noted that “it’s always more fun to participate than to watch,” a thought suburban singing seniors seem to share.
