One last chance to hang out, sing, and play along!

Open Mic Night for Campers and group strum (PDF in resource folder.)

(Level: Intermediate - Advanced Intermediate, Requisites: The ability to play barre chords.) If you’re interested in giving new life to old songs, and you’d like to actually use the full fretboard of your ukulele (that’s right, beyond the 4th fret), this class is for you! You will learn to navigate the instrument by finding new areas to play those old familiar chords. You will also learn a system to quickly find and connect any given major, minor, seventh, diminished, Maj7, and m7 chords in all possible positions. This means, you can play C all over the fretboard! A friendly fretboard map to quick navigation can be found in the resource folder.

(Level: Intermediate - Advanced Intermediate) Learn techniques to arrange for chord melody on ukulele. In this workshop, we'll break down two arrangements and reconstruct them while developing techniques to coax melody and chords out of the instrument at the same time.

(Level: Confident Beginner - Intermediate) Learn how to adapt an old time banjo technique to ukulele (high G recommended). We'll break down the basics of the clawhammer style and learn a simple arrangement of 'Cornbread and Butterbeans.' If you can play a G major chord then you're all set for this workshop!

(Level: Confident Beginner) So, you’re playing ukulele! You have confidence playing C, F, G, G7 and Am, possibly Em. Liz has chosen songs that will expand your chord knowledge and strumming options. We will be moving beyond the key of C major, using the same chord progressions you already know and love, but in different keys. We will be learning some different options for strumming, just to keep things lively. Please either print the song sheets ahead of class time, or have a secondary device on hand. It will be helpful for you to see the chords, lyrics, and the class screen at the same time.

(Baritone Uke Friendly)(Level: Beginner - Confident Beginner) Learn to play every song ever written (well, 90% of them, anyway) with these four fantastic chords and find out how to switch (transpose) keys easily. We’ll also explore a few essential strumming patterns to spice up your playing.

(Baritone Uke Friendly)Have you seen videos in your Facebook feed or on Instagram that have six windows full of people singing and playing, sometimes in 4-part harmony? (Like this: https://youtu.be/JwUgN1Wdq7M) The app that makes this possible is Acapella. Thanks to this app, available for iPhone and iPad, certain people (who shall remain nameless) did not lose their minds during the 2020 lockdown. Join Liz to learn the basics of using Acapella App for making multi-screen videos, either with yourself or collaborating with others. No need to already have the app.

(Baritone Uke Friendly)(Level: Intermediate) Spicing up the Island Strum by muting the strings with the chording hand while strumming can be a creative alternative to chucking to produce a percussive rhythm. Step by step, we’ll walk through the process of how to determine which finger or fingers will cover the strings on the chording hand in order to mute them as the right hand is strumming. Lastly, we’ll apply this technique within the context of a song and jam together.

(Level: Beginner) Begin your ukulele adventure by learning the basics of the ukulele including; parts of the instrument, tuning, fingering, beginning chords, simple strums, and 1-3 chord songs. A clip-on tuner is handy to have available.

(Level: Confident Beginners and beyond, Requisites: Knowing in advance a few starting chords, and willingness to practice the ‘barre’ after today.) During this workshop, you’ll learn how to understand, find and practice any given Major, Minor and 7th chords on the ukulele. Departing from your current playing experience with chords like C, F, Am, Dm, and G7, we will discover how to find the rest of them! This way, we can unlock all available keys for us to play, or find more comfortable/suitable positions for those chords that might be more difficult (like E). Don’t ‘fret' if you don’t know those listed chords, yet, diagrams will be provided for everyone!

Enjoy a sampling of what each instructor will be teaching, then sing, play, and dance along!

(Baritone Uke Friendly)(Level: Intermediate) Let’s get ready to celebrate the return of warmer weather by learning some fun reggae tunes to play at outdoor picnics and BBQs! The most easily recognizable elements of reggae music are rhythms played on the off beats and staccato chords. In this workshop, you’ll learn two reggae strumming patterns that are used for many reggae songs as well as a crisp, clean muting technique in order to create the iconic reggae beat.

(Level: Beginner - Confident Beginner) Having problems with being able to strum syncopated rhythms or struggling with strumming in general? Katie has an egg-cellent technique that she have been using with my students that has them strumming confidently and evenly in no time. Using an egg shaker will help you literally feel the beat. It’s going to be egg-citing!

(Baritone Uke Friendly)(Level: All) Have you found yourself out of breath while singing a set or leading a uke jam? Do you ever struggle getting through a set due to vocal fatigue? Learn and apply breathing and articulation techniques that will sustain your tone to help communicate your musical message effectively.

(Baritone Uke Friendly)(Level: Confident beginners and beyond, Requisites: Must be confident with your strumming and rhythm) This is a unique opportunity to learn a traditional Mexican folk style from a native instructor. We will learn a selection of traditional ’sones’ on the ukulele, using the specific strumming patterns called ‘Manicos’ for the Huapango as it is played in the beautiful region known as ‘La Huasteca’ in Mexico.

(Baritone Uke Friendly)(Level: Confident beginners and beyond, Requisites: Confident strumming is required) This is a unique opportunity to learn a traditional Mexican folk style from a native instructor. We will learn a selection of traditional ’sones’ on the ukulele, using the specific strumming patterns played in the 'Son Jarocho' music, in the plain lands of Veracruz.

(Level: Advanced Intermediate) It’s time to “Begin the Beguine!” The songs of Cole Porter (1891-1964) are witty, sometimes racy, full of longing, and also chock-full of challenging chords and changes. Musically, he’s at the top! Join Liz Brinker for an hour of this genius’ work. We will learn several songs, plus some Cole Porter trivia. Please either print the song sheets ahead of class time, or have a secondary device on hand, so you can see the chords, lyrics, AND the class screen at the same time. A chord dictionary wouldn’t hurt, either.

(Level: Intermediate - Advanced Intermediate) Welcome to the first half of the 20th century! Through two world wars, the Great Depression, prohibition and its repeal, along with pole sitting, there was an area of New York City called Tin Pan Alley, where songwriters came to sell their wares. You will learn several of the gems of this period, including the frequently-ignored opening verses, plus some riveting history behind the era, the songwriters, and the songs, themselves. So, if you “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “I’ll Be Seeing You In All The Old Familiar Places." Please either print the song sheets ahead of class time, or have a secondary device on hand, so you can see the chords, lyrics, AND the class screen at the same time.

(Level: Confident Beginner - Intermediate) All you need is one scale. Understanding the building blocks of music through ukulele will enable you to unlock the full potential of your instrument. We'll look at how music is build from 7 simple notes, numerous ways to play those notes on the fingerboard, as well as not just how to play chords but how they are built.

(Level: Confident Beginner - Intermediate) Breaking down the dazzling right hand techniques of the great George Formby. In this workshop, we'll learn the building blocks of the Formby style including the split stroke, his unique approach to triples, and the fan strum. Even if you've never heard of Formby this is a fun way to challenge your right hand's rhythmic sensibilities.