Plum and Mike Cluverius picked up the guitar and banjo in mid-life. They now play together in a bluegrass band called Good Question. Photo by Dan Ottney

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Ric Bergstrom began playing banjo several years ago, when his wife gave him one as a birthday present.

“At 47, I decided to pick up a stringed instrument, and the last time I’d touched any instrument was literally in ninth grade,” said Bergstrom, the owner of a Richmond insurance agency.

Almost everyone knows the joy of listening to music, the way it can transport you to someplace glorious. Not everyone, though, tries to make music.

Maybe you were one of the lucky ones, and you caught the music bug as a kid. But then adult life kicked in and crowded out music. You figured you could always come back to it. One day.

If not now, when?

Many Richmonders are saying now is the time for them to do more with music, and they’re discovering the joys of playing in the second half of life. Bergstrom is one of them.

After six months of lessons, Bergstrom went to a large jam at a local church but found it intimidating.

“There were so many great musicians over there playing off of each other,” he said. It was more than just their experience that was challenging to a newcomer.

“People are sitting there with their backs to you, so they can see each other,” he said, “but it came off as a little unapproachable.”

Since he was uncomfortable playing with more experienced musicians, Bergstrom put an ad on Craigslist to start a beginners’ slow jam. In response, he was invited to a formal jam, where people played with a mic on stage.

Though he wasn’t ready to get under the lights, he kept attending and watched for a year to see how it was done. He continued taking lessons.

Finally, he felt prepared. He started playing at several informal jams and learned of others farther afield. He began collecting the emails of musicians who liked jamming and sent them notices of area jams. He kept meeting new people.

Now his list of players has grown to more than 150 names, and he e-mails them weekly with the details of the many jams offered throughout the Central Virginia area.

“Jamming has challenged me to do things I wouldn’t have done,” he said.

Clean-shaven, wearing khaki pants and Oxford shirts, Bergstrom has a reassuring demeanor at jams as he encourages musicians new and old to join in.

When you play with others, he said, “you’re creating your own little ball of art in the middle of this circle. It’s innovative, it’s creative. You can play the same song over and over again, but it’s never the same. And once you create it, it disappears, so then you do it over again.”

Bergstrom continues to get more from music each year, as he expands the circle of people he jams with, continues improving with his banjo, vocals and bass, and now plays with a band.

“My social life is my family and wife and kids. But the kids are a little bit older now, so I slip out of the house and go make some music.”

Music camp can help

There’s never been a better time to learn how to play. As the population ages and awareness of the benefits of music spreads through popular media, musical organizations appealing to those in the second half of life have multiplied.

Wherever you turn, you can find places to learn and play — whether you like classical, jazz, folk, bluegrass, swing, R&B or rock.

To celebrate their 35th anniversary, Richmond couple Mike and Plum Cluverius decided to try something new — attend a music camp together. It was such a success, they’ve celebrated every anniversary since at Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia.

Mike returned to the banjo in his 40s after a gap when he rarely played. He had faced the usual impediments, including the couple’s young children.

“When I would get the banjo out with two inquisitive, active boys, I would think, ‘Oh my gosh, how can I get this back in the case before they’ve unscrewed all the parts?’” he said.

Plum had picked up a few guitar chords in her teens but didn’t start playing seriously until her 50s. “I can be a poster child for ‘It’s never too late,” she said.

A leadership coach and consultant who’s at ease speaking to a full auditorium, Plum was initially so shy that she wouldn’t play in front of Mike.

But after years of lessons, jamming and performing, she and Mike enjoy playing with each other now.

“We play music together at night,” she said. “We don’t watch much TV.”

Music camps have increased their enjoyment and musical satisfaction. Mike said he appreciates “the opportunities to play with so many other people, to learn from them and to share with them. It’s just the camaraderie of it.”

Music camp, “turned out to be this awesome experience,” Plum said. “You’re in a small class, so you get to know the people really well. It’s interactive, and everyone is playing. It’s that supportiveness that we’re all in it together.”

Since bluegrass has traditionally leaned toward male musicians, Plum felt that the women needed extra support, so she organized an all-women’s jam at camp. Dozens showed up.

Giving back through music

Music, which has given the couple so much, is now helping them give to others.

As Mike and Plum’s musical abilities improved, they began making music in other settings, too. One of their most meaningful experiences was playing to patients on the memory unit where Mike’s mother stayed.

People in all stages of dementia brightened up when they heard familiar songs. The music became a way to offer something of themselves and to connect to his mother and the other residents.

Plum has also been volunteering for the Guitars for Vets program to help soldiers suffering from PTSD. “I do a lot of listening as well as teaching guitar,” she said.

Plum is good humored about how far she has come: “Thank you, Mike, for being patient with me and for playing music even when I totally sucked,” she said, laughing.

Developing a new gig

Ashland resident Roger Reynolds enjoys music in countless ways — as a radio DJ, music teacher, festival and concert host, vocalist and guitar player. In his youth he played in various ensembles, including rock, jazz, a cappella, and dance bands.

But now he performs in two unique formats — as a soloist playing songs about trains, and in an authentic Civil War music band. In fact, Reynolds has developed a reputation as “The Singing Conductor.”

It began one year when, with his shaved head and goatee, Reynolds donned a conductor’s hat for a talent show performance and created a new persona.

He was asked to show up for one of Ashland’s many train-related events in costume, and one thing led to another. He learned some railroad songs and is now getting booked for as many gigs each year as he wants. (Albert Hammond’s “I’m a Train” is a reliable hit.)

Reynolds’ love of children and knowledge of performance come through as he sings, plays his guitar and hams it up for the kids in his conductor’s hat, suit and vest. The train buffs in the crowd love it, too.

Reynolds has also played for a dozen years with Southern Horizon Band, a group that performs 19th-century “old-timey” music. They play in period costume with guitar, banjo, fiddle, recorder and bodhran (a frame drum played by hand) doing vocal, instrumental and dance arrangements. The ensemble aims to accurately present period music.

As a radio DJ for his streaming program “The Drive Thru with Rog,” Reynolds plays a rock/folk format on weekdays and bluegrass on Sunday. He interviews bands at festivals and airs the recordings on his show, too.

With his wife, Rachel, Roger created CJ’s Thumb’s Up Foundation to provide financial support to families of children with chronic, life-threatening illnesses. The foundation, which has provided more than 10,000 meals and over 200 grants to families facing illness, was created to honor the memory of their daughter Charlotte.

Roger organizes and also plays at some of the fundraisers for the foundation, including a one-day annual music festival in Ashland, concerts in people’s homes and more.

Wising up

He no longer gigs with a rowdy band. “Age is always a thing. They want the young, good-looking guys up there,” he said, “and rock ’n’ roll is hard on the voice. You’re expected to have a lot of grit and growl.”

Reynolds appreciates how time can mellow musicians. “The behavior of an older band is much more responsible,” he said. “We’re not hard-drinking and partying animals.”

As the saying goes, with age comes wisdom.

“The meaning of a song is kind of lost on a lot of younger people until they get life experience,” he said. “All these love songs I was singing as a jazz student really didn’t mean anything to me until I had my first heartbreak.

“‘Oh, that’s what this song means. Now I get it.’ The life experience opens your mind and you can interpret it more deeply.”

This article was excerpted from Mills’ book Making Music for Life: Rediscover Your Musical Passion, published in 2019. Mills, a Richmond writer, has also recorded three albums with her husband, Gene, and performed since 2004. To learn more, visit gaylamills.com.