January 6-27: Beginning Ukulele 1

Description

Beginning Ukulele 1

Dates: Four Tuesdays, January 6-27

Time: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Location: Fitness for Life, 4210 Bridge Street Suite 4, Cambria

Cost: $150 non-refundable; includes booklet

Maximum Enrollment: 12

Registration Deadline: Monday, January 5

Start playing on the very first day as you learn the basics of this popular instrument known as “the jumping flea.” Over four weeks, you’ll master essential chords and strumming patterns that will unlock hundreds of popular songs, including the Beatles, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, golden era classics, and much more. No prior musical experience is needed—this class welcomes absolute beginners and those with a little experience alike.

You’ll receive personalized feedback and practice tips from Jonathan, along with unique advice from Oste, Jonathan’s life-size human skeleton model, who helps demonstrate how to play with minimal effort and maximum efficiency. Jonathan will teach and demonstrate core concepts during weekly class meetings, and you’ll receive a booklet for home practice plus individual feedback and homework tailored to your level. By the end of the course, you’ll have built a strong foundation for good practice habits and the skills necessary to continue learning and playing along with others.

Skill Level

No experience necessary. You will learn how to hold, tune, play chords, and strum on the very first day!

Class Materials

Ukulele – Please bring a working ukulele (soprano, concert, or tenor size with four strings tuned to G-C-E-A or low G tuning). Baritone ukuleles okay with teacher’s permission. If you need a ukulele or are not sure if yours is playable, contact Jonathan ahead of time or visit Central Coast Music in Morro Bay.

Notebook/Pen/Pencil – You may want to take notes and have somewhere to organize in-class handouts.

Smartphone/Tablet or Recording Device – You may want to record audio or video of me demonstrating chords and songs. There are also good ukulele tuning apps you can download. I recommend the Boss app.

Recommended, not required – An electronic tuner (the best kind is one that clips on the headstock of your ukulele, such as a Snark Tuner), and a portable music stand.

Included: PDF booklet for home practice and access to videos and lyric/chord sheets.

Teacher

Jonathan Shue believes everyone can sing and play an instrument, and that it’s never too late to learn! It’s all about breaking things down into small, manageable steps, defining specific goals, and developing a pathway toward achieving them. A teaching artist for more than twenty years, Jonathan has taught music and drama in schools throughout California and at the University of Washington in Seattle. He has produced plays, studio albums, concerts, and music events and is the former Education Director of Dusty Strings Music School in Seattle, where he has taught guitar, songwriting, and voice since 2015.