It is never too late to learn

Aileen Carney is proof that it’s never too late to learn.At 94, Carney is taking violin lessons from Mary Stephenson through Community Education at Gordon State College. She wants to learn but she also wants to make up for a Christmas she experienced 88 years ago.’Oh, I was 6-years-old and my brother and I found our presents before Christmas,’ Carney explains with a laugh. ‘I was sure mine was a violin, it turned out to be a raincoat. Oh, I was so disappointed. It was the worst Christmas of my life.’Her daughter, Linda Bledsoe, had heard the violin story over the years and was finally able to get her mother her dream gift last year. But learning to play proved a little daunting, even for her ‘musically inclined’ mother. So this fall, while thumbing through a catalog of classes offered through Gordon State College Community Education, Bledsoe saw that violin lessons were being offered. Just four lessons in Carney can play a few Christmas songs, a few hymns and is working hard to learn some classical pieces.Stephenson, who has been teaching violin for many years, is blown away by Carney’s talent.’I have students who are much younger who don’t progress like Mrs. Carney has,’ Stephenson said. ‘I am so impressed.’Carney just smiles and reminds everyone in the room that ‘you are never too old to learn.’Violin is just one of the many classes and courses offered through Gordon State College Community Education. For a full listing go to: http://www.gordonstate.edu/commed/