The storied life of Sir Richard Francis Burton, the television comedy genre, political biographies and beginner’s harmonica are among the diverse classes offered by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt for winter 2024.
Other topics include the life of a 16th-century executioner, reverse meditation, steel drum band and choral singing. There are also classes on 1950s U.S. history, memoir writing and the stories told by artifacts found at the Tennessee State Museum. OLLI at Vanderbilt is open to all those who are 50 and older.
“There is so much to explore this winter through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt,” said Director Norma Clippard. “Our program offers the opportunity to expand your knowledge and creative skills through high-quality instruction in a supportive and collegial environment. Classes will meet in person and online, and many of the classes will be recorded.”
Registration for winter 2024 classes is open Nov. 27–Dec. 29. Visit OLLI at Vanderbilt to register. Classes for the winter term begin on Jan. 7.
- OLLI Steel Drum Band – Beginner, taught by Mat Britain, adjunct instructor in music. This musical journey to the Caribbean is a hands-on experience in which participants learn how to play the steel drums. Previous musical experience is helpful but not required. Students will meet for seven Sundays beginning Jan. 7, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at the Blair School of Music.
- OLLI Steel Drum Band – Intermediate, taught by Mat Britain. For students who have grasped the basics, this course helps to refine techniques on the steel pans. Students will work on slightly more difficult music and dive deeper into the culture of Trinidad and the steel band art form. Completion of the beginner course is a prerequisite unless the instructor grants permission through invitation or a short audition. Students will meet for seven Sundays beginning Jan. 7, from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m., at the Blair School.
- OLLI Steel Drum Band – Advanced, taught by Mat Britain. This group, which often performs in the Vanderbilt Steel Bands Concert, approaches music that is more difficult with advanced playing techniques. Completion of the beginner and intermediate classes is a prerequisite unless the instructor grants permission through invitation or a short audition. Students will meet for seven Sundays beginning Jan. 7, from 1 to 2:15 p.m., at the Blair School.
- Reverse Meditation, taught by Gordon Peerman, Episcopal priest, psychotherapist and mindfulness meditation teacher. This class is open to beginner and experienced meditators and will explore meditation by studying Andrew Holecek’s Reverse Meditation: How to Use Your Pain and Difficult Emotions as the Doorway to Freedom. Reading the book is not a requirement for the class, but doing so will deepen participants’ understanding and practice of reverse meditation. Students will meet for six Mondays beginning Jan. 8, from 10 to 11:15 a.m., online over Zoom. There will be no class on Monday, Jan. 15, in observance of MLK Day.
- Funny You Should Mention It: TV Comedy in the 21st Century, taught by Jim McKairnes, a writer, teacher and TV historian. This course looks at the current state of prime-time sitcoms and of comedy itself, tracking the evolution of the TV comedy from its earlier, simpler forms to the more recent complete revision of its writing, structure, pacing and timing, rules and expectations. Students will meet for six Mondays beginning Jan. 8, from 2 to 3:15 p.m., online via Zoom. There will be no class on Monday, Jan. 15, in observance of MLK Day.
- Beginner’s Harmonica, taught by Bronson Herrmuth, a teaching artist and multi-instrumentalist. Participants will learn and practice effective techniques for holding and playing the harmonica, including the “train” exercise to develop lung capacity and use of the diaphragm; the “pucker” technique for playing single notes; and how to create vibrato and “bend” notes. While having fun learning simple, familiar songs and playing music together, participants will be introduced to basic music theory and harmonica tablature. Harmonicas will be provided for all participants; no experience is required. Students will meet for six Tuesdays beginning Jan. 9, from 9 to 10:15 a.m., at The Temple, 5015 Harding Pike.
- Choral Singing, taught by Mary Combs, choral director and educator. This course will instruct singers in blending tones, vocal techniques, singing in harmony and in musicianship, as well as prepare the participants to perform a few songs for an audience. The goal for the overall experience is to have fun while making beautiful music together. To benefit most from this course, attendance at each class is encouraged, barring signs of illness. Students will meet for seven Tuesdays beginning Jan. 9, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., at The Temple, 5015 Harding Pike.
- How to Write a Memoir, taught by Carole Webb Moore-Slater, an educator and community speaker. This creative nonfiction writing series provides practical information designed to motivate and inspire each participant to write a personal or family memoir one story at a time. Information includes organizational guidelines when planning a story and writing tips to bring characters to life as a story unfolds. Students will meet for eight Tuesdays beginning Jan. 9, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., online using Zoom.
- Sir Richard Francis Burton: The Most Fascinating Man of the 19th Century, taught by Marshall C. Eakin, Distinguished Professor of History at Vanderbilt. Burton was one of the most famous explorers of the 19th century, gaining initial recognition for his dangerous pilgrimage in 1853 to the Great Mosque at Mecca disguised as a Muslim. His fame and notoriety increased as he tenaciously pursued the source of the Nile River in East Africa in the 1850s. As a British consul in West Africa, Brazil, Syria and Trieste from 1861 to 1890, he edited and translated numerous works from Portuguese, German, Arabic and Sanskrit. In this class, participants will look at the principal chapters in Burton’s life: his pilgrimage to Mecca, the search for the source of the Nile, his travels in Brazil and his life as the translator of the exotic East and human sexuality. Students will meet for six Wednesdays beginning Jan. 10, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., at The Commons Center on the Vanderbilt campus, 1231 18th Ave. S.
- Understanding the Profession of Politics from Reading Political Biographies, taught by Bruce Oppenheimer, professor emeritus of political science at Vanderbilt. Is politics a profession like medicine, law or carpentry? If it is a profession, how can we understand it in a systematic fashion? How do people learn or obtain training to be a politician? In this course, participants will read, analyze and discuss selected chapters from several outstanding biographies to help them focus on a range of notable politicians to identify their commonalities and differences. At the very least, participants may develop a new motivation for reading political biographies as well as an appreciation and better understanding of politicians in general. Students will meet for six Wednesdays beginning Jan. 10, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at The Commons Center on the Vanderbilt campus.
- Stories from the Past to the Present at the Tennessee State Museum, taught by Dan Pomeroy, retired director of collections and chief curator at the Tennessee State Museum. Each session will tell rich Tennessee stories through selected artifacts. For example, the Civil War might be told through the uniform coat of Irish immigrant Hugh Gwyn, which exemplifies the story of immigration, brother against brother (Gwyn’s brother was a Union general) and commitment to the Southern cause during and after the war. Pomeroy will introduce each session to be presented by a knowledgeable and engaging staff member at the Tennessee State Museum. Students will meet for six Wednesdays beginning Jan. 10, from 2 to 3:15 p.m., at the Tennessee State Museum’s Digital Learning Center, 1000 Rosa L. Parks Blvd.
- The Life and World of a 16th-Century Executioner, taught by Joel Harrington, Centennial Professor of History at Vanderbilt. We all know the stereotype of pre-modern executioners: sadistic, bloodthirsty masked men with axes. Thanks, however, to the surviving journal of an actual executioner, Frantz Schmidt of Nuremberg (1554–1634), virtually everything we think we know about such men is wrong. In this class, participants will explore the everyday life of Meister Frantz, as he was popularly known, including his family history, his training, the careful cultivation of his public reputation and, of course, the many aspects of his unsavory profession. Students will meet for six Thursdays beginning Jan. 11, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., at The Commons Center on the Vanderbilt campus.
- The 1950s: The Decade When Everything Changed, taught by Carole Bucy, professor emerita of history at Volunteer State Community College. In this course, participants will investigate the many changes that took place in the United States and the world in the 1950s, beginning with the Cold War and the fight against the spread of Communism as well as its impact on American politics. This class will include a discussion on the impact of consumerism that was unleashed with the coming of television, the civil rights movement, youth culture and the role of women during the decade. Students will meet for six Thursdays beginning Jan. 11, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at The Commons Center on the Vanderbilt campus.
All class meetings are on Central time. The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is housed within Government and Community Relations at Vanderbilt. For more information, visit vanderbilt.edu/olli or call 615-343-0700.