Local guitar dealer to teach blues class at UD

UD officials expect Hussong’s course to be “oversubscribed.”

“People are now lining up to take a history of the blues,” said Julie Mitchell, UD’s director of special programs and continuing education.

The institute’s winter program started this week. The Osher network is a collection of 119 similar programs around the country, serving mostly adults 50 or older, offering non-credit seminars to broaden horizons and continue learning.

“Most of our folks … their average is around 68, so we’re talking about mostly a retired group,” Mitchell said. “But then again, in this day or age, many of them are not retiring completely.”

Hussong, 70, has had a long history of buying and selling vintage guitars in Beavercreek, Franklin and today, at Centerville Music off Miamisburg-Centerville Road. A longtime writer for Vintage Guitar magazine, he is a familiar presence on WYSO, 91.3 FM, playing the blues in the "Hall of Fame Blues" show Monday nights.

“It’s almost like an extension of just what I do every day,” Hussong said. “I don’t mean that from a self-centered standpoint. I’m just really blessed to be able to do this.”

Students in Osher seminars study history, film, theater, finance, religion, philosophy and more. Music is another “heavy-hitter” among favorite subjects, Mitchell said.

Instructors or “moderators” are often well known local figures with a recognized expertise. Neal Gittleman, artistic director for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, for example, has taught classes on music, Mitchell said.

The moderators can draw student interest as readily as the subjects themselves. “That passion and that enthusiasm … just draws them right in,” Mitchell said.

Those interested in registering for an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute course should call (937) 229-2347, Mitchell said.