UKULELE CLASSES & ENSEMBLES
The ukulele is a BRILLIANT first instrument for young and old and probably one of the most fun and accessible instruments on the planet! Once you pick it up you'll be hooked! Even if you have absolutely NO musical background whatsoever, it doesn't take much to gain the confidence and skills necessary to start playing the songs you love.
DISCOVER THE MUSICIAN WITHIN!
Over the past 10 years, we have developed and designed a clear and structured learning pathway to help you progress on your ukulele journey. This includes a variety of short beginner and intermediate level courses as well as our regular ukulele ensemble (The Lightly Strung Orchestra) to continue your development once you have gained some playing experience.
We hope that playing your ukulele brings you hours of endless fun, nurtures your spirit and opens up a whole new world of social connections with ukesters in like-minded musical communities. Join us and experience the "happiness factor" that comes with playing the ukulele - it's UKE-tastic - and we hope it inspires you to MAKE MUSIC FOR LIFE!
Our Beginner Course
Get the happiness factor that goes with playing one of the most enjoyable instruments of all time!
If you have never played a ukulele before, or have very limited experience, our 4 week intensive Beginner Ukulele Course is a great way to kick-start your musical journey.
You will learn techniques to:
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maximise sound tone and how to make your ukulele "sing"
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read TAB notation and play basic melodies
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strum with a variety of different rhythmic grooves
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finger pick to make your music more magical!
Our Intermediate Course
Expand your musical knowledge and upskill your ukulele techniques on this 4 week intensive Intermediate Ukulele Course.
You will learn techniques to:
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gain a solid understanding of the musical alphabet and underlying keys
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transpose music easily using a capo or underlying chord families
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play chord inversions
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play more challenging and syncopated strumming patterns
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expand your finger picking techniques
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embellish your rhythms with flamenco-style fan strums and percussive chunking techniques
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make your melodies more lyrical by adding vibrato, hammer-ons and pull-offs and bends
Our Ukulele Ensemble
The uber-uke-tastic Lightly Strung Orchestra is a performance ukulele ensemble for players of all levels.
Our motley crew of joyful ukesters meets weekly to play, sing and improve their ukulele techniques through regular participation in structured, multi-part musical arrangements.
The LSO also performs at a variety of local events and gigs further afield including Ukulele Festivals and concerts in collaboration with visiting artists. Not to mention our love of dress up parties!
The LSO also holds a fabulous line up of visiting artists and ukulele teachers from all over the world, well certainly when we were not dealing with a global pandemic!
Individual Lessons
Already have experience? Unsure where to start?
No matter what level of playing experience of musical background you have, undertaking a 1:1 private lesson will allow us to assess your skills and help you identify the developmental areas to work on going forward. Individual lessons are tailor made to your areas of interest and can be taken as an alternate pathway OR as an adjunct to our ukulele courses and ensembles.
We offer 60 minute sessions. Please email us if would like further information regarding 1:1 lessons.
TESTIMONIALS
"I absolutely loved these classes, plenty of fun energy, upbeat, a great pace and kept me engaged along the whole way. I was amazed how quickly I managed to pick up the concepts quickly. I've virtually had no musical experience prior so was a bit apprehensive that I may not be able to keep up."
Pam, Beginner Uke Student
"I now feel more confident with chord changes and strumming. The course was very enjoyable, because you made it fun. There was no pressure, but it was still stimulating and challenging. You have excellent organisational and interpersonal skills. I also enjoyed the social aspect, meeting new people. I think I am now ready to go on to Stage 2."
Brian, Beginner Uke Student