I’ve been getting through these last four Monday nights by taking a music appreciation course at UofT named “Rock and Roll Classics of the 1950s: Sheboom!”. Signing up for this course I really didn’t know what to expect. My parents were born in the 1950s and I’m sure I was not even a thought in their minds. But the course description said that there would be a 3-piece band to accompany the class and I thought to myself: “Live music and you learn something too, why not? Besides, what else do I have to do on a Monday night?”.
On day one I took my seat and waited patiently for the rest of my classmates to settle in. It didn’t take long until I realized that I was the youngest student in the entire class. I am not exaggerating when I tell you that the average age in the class was 60! 60!!! As I did whenever I’d catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror during Salsa lessons, I thought to myself “Good Lord Mike, what the hell are you doing here?”. But I stayed and I’m happy I did. While the majority of the class had lived through the 1950s and were taking the course to relive their youth, I managed to grow an appreciation and love for the music from this era. Professor Marcel Danesi is one of the instructors of the course and even as a senior citizen, rivals the energy of some of the band members. The second instructor is Sophia Chadwick who also sings in the band and does one of my new found favourite songs Mack The Knife.
Professor Danesi’s love of music is infectious, so it’s difficult not to stomp your feet and clap your hands when he gets going on the piano. He seems to me to be the soul of the Semiotones. The Semiotones are the band that play in class and are composed of UofT students. Lucky for me these guys were around my age so I didn’t feel completely out of place. I love live music and these guys delivered every Monday. It never ceases to amaze me how little you need to create music. With a piano, guitar, drums, and singers, you can produce music that has the power to change your Stormy Monday Blues to feeling All Shook Up. The sad thing is the course is now over and my Mondays are back to being dull and boring, Gah! I guess all good things must come to an end.