My Ukulele Teaching Method

My approach to ukulele prepares folks to make music with others. The repertoire and the skills I present are part of the common folk wisdom of our culture. The most important skills involve right hand and left hand coordination used to produce and strum the most common chords.  These chords work together in specific pairs in order to support the melody of a song. The first lessons are directed towards giving students the practical experience of accompanying a melody.

I like to work with a repertoire of common songs that can be accompanied with two chords. These songs are simple enough so that students can focus on basic skills in a manageable way. This is the foundation of my approach. It gives my students a very strong basis with which to understand their own music and the music of others.

My experience on Ukulele specifically  is based on private teaching over the past 10 years and teaching a Ukulele based curriculum at YTV Trad Camp, at Burlington’s Integrated arts Academy and also through Parks and Recreation and the Flynn Center.

As a ukulele instructor I base my approach on your needs. My most accessible program involves basic chord forms and strum styles which can be used with familiar songs. Gradually your chord vocabulary will expand in order to play the songs you want to play. A more rigorous program is also available which focuses on playing simple melodies and reading notation.

Method Books:

For students working without notation:

• Rise Up Singing by Patterson et al. (Sing Out Publications)
• A huge array of supplemental material.

What I don’t do.

I do not offer chord voicing approach to jazz playing.

My right hand technique is based on Celtic, contra dance and American folkloric music. I do not present an authentic Hawaiian or Latin American technique.