tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26866993707002661682024-02-20T23:40:29.922-08:00Ukulele HappeningsThe 'ukulele happenings around the club and class at Alvarado Middle School in Union City, CA.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-1021282169824403442012-02-17T18:36:00.000-08:002012-02-17T18:36:09.701-08:00Northern 'Ukulele Festival Part 2The AMS 'Ukulele Club will be performing at 12:45 on Sunday, April 1 2012. The festival is at Chabot College in Hayward. It is strongly suggested that folks purchase tickets in advance. <br />
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The kids are excited to be performing in the festival. <br />
<br />Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-38768868119886578582012-01-30T18:21:00.000-08:002012-01-30T18:21:30.772-08:00Northern California Ukulele FestivalAfter several years of asking the students in the AMS Ukulele Club if they want to perform at the Northern California Ukulele Festival in Hayward they said they would. So I submitted the names of 37 students who committed to play and received word that our application was accepted. Now I have to get them to play together and worry about the logistics. <br />
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I am really pleased that the students will be playing and am looking forward to the challenge of this adventure.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-29273932235605509502011-10-22T16:54:00.000-07:002011-10-22T17:06:43.449-07:00New School Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8Z_IIW7g1ItPoonZj1ZXYkwPMKz0MzJbSU_t1eW0NFiJog4ENCphx6AF97hXYEuBF-_EeFWPWdFxUfWb72cv8GI8p_QBYkXjNrOdw9vjcvV2v93ahpUKUiD-T4cLosHmrrx_YO4MVls/s1600/IMG_0248.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw8Z_IIW7g1ItPoonZj1ZXYkwPMKz0MzJbSU_t1eW0NFiJog4ENCphx6AF97hXYEuBF-_EeFWPWdFxUfWb72cv8GI8p_QBYkXjNrOdw9vjcvV2v93ahpUKUiD-T4cLosHmrrx_YO4MVls/s320/IMG_0248.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666472076099580114" border="0" /></a><br />Well, the school year is off to a fast start. I am coming to the end of first quarter on Friday. The 'Ukulele class will be rotating out to their next elective and new students will be starting in November. This year the challenge is having 38 students in an elective class and 36 (so far) in my core classes. Gotta love budget cuts. !-)<br /><br />The kids are doing really well even with the large size of the class. It is a challenge to get to all of them however.<br /><br />The after school club is also doing well. So far we have had 50-59 students coming after school. The great thing is that most of them have their own 'ukulele! I am only loaning out about 12 each week. I also have 4 high school students who have come and want to help out with the kids, which helps me. So far they are jamming with each other. In November we will be learning a song to play with the choir for the winter concert.<br /><br />Also, I want to give a big Mahalo to Louis Wu @ Ohana 'Ukulele who donated 10 'ukuleles to my school program. Many, Many thanks to Louis and Ohana 'Ukulele.<br /><br />Here is a picture of the first quarter students showing off their ukuleles.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-58859609408616413332011-02-16T17:39:00.000-08:002011-02-16T18:02:41.010-08:00Busy, Busy BusyHave been remiss in posting. First, Karsten's video of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is on youtube and I will figure out how to post the link or embed it in the blog.<br /><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XtlWXXvhS4k" frameborder="0" height="390" width="640"></iframe><br /><br />This school year has been very busy with teaching Ukulele, the after school club and the busyness of school. I haven't been playin as much as I would like but hopefully that will change soon. I am working on setting up a way for students to create their own music videos, getting the equipment and learning about it all. The good news is that this year the Ukulele Club is running itself. They bring in the songs, jam come up with ideas to earn money and the like. It is really great. There are 25-30 students each week, which is a good size group. This year's president is Christian Monsalud. A good ukulele player and someone who is good at teaching. He is bringing a great feel to the club.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-71766670534434251672010-05-24T21:26:00.000-07:002010-05-24T21:36:32.630-07:00Where has the time goneNoticed that it has been a while since I posted. I was going to wait for another video, but that may be a couple of weeks yet. The school year is coming to an end and I am wrapping up the last class of 'ukulele students this year. They are getting it and having fun. Good news is that I get to teach beginning 'ukulele again next year. I will have students for a trimester, about 13 weeks instead of 9. The class will continue to meet every day for 5o minutes. I think that we will be able to really get some serious playing in. <br /><br />Also, we just had our schools annual "Extravaganza" where the choirs, bands, Grupo Latino, Color Guard and this year the 'ukulele club perform for the community. The 'ukulele club did a great job. We played 2 songs, "She Was Mine" by A J Rafael and "Island Style" by John Cruz. There were 9 students who worked to perform and they did a great job. Then, I managed to have Karsten perform a solo. The event is held in the Logan High school Gym and Karsten sat near the center, plugged into an amp and brought the house down. He did a rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that was all his own. He received a standing ovation and the respect and admiration of those who attended. When I get copies of the video I will post them here and on SchoolTube. <br /><br />All in all it has been a productive year for the 'ukulele at Alvarado Middle School.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-49136429329607242772010-02-26T19:24:00.000-08:002010-02-26T19:46:14.889-08:00"The Mighty Uke"This last Tuesday evening, in the rain and traffic, we went up to San Rafael to see the screening of "The Mighty Uke." It is a documentary done by two Canadians from Montreal. It runs about 80 minutes and is full of interviews, history and 'ukulele playing by all kinds of people. After the movie there was a short talk, and a short concert with James Hill. If you get a chance to see the movie, do so. Check out the web page too (click on the title of this entry). There will be a DVD coming out in a few months so get on their list. The movie goes a long way to explain the phenomena that is the 'ukulele. One of the players (Uni I think) refers to it as "the peoples instrument."<br /><br />Another fun thing that I have found on James Hill's site Ukuleles in the Classroom are some arrangements in four and five parts for 'ukulele Big Band. "Way Beyond the Blues" is a beginning piece that I may try with my Beginning 'Ukulele class this quarter. This group is wanting to learn more picking so I might be able to get them to do it. We will see. I will keep you posted.<br /><br />We will be heading to the Tahoe area in March for the Tahoe Uke Fest. Am saddened to find out that the Northern California 'Ukulele Festival is not happening this year. What I have been able to find out so far is they do not have access to the Hayward Adult School any longer. (Can you say Budget Cuts) :-( I hope they find a place for next year. I would hate for the East Bay to lose this event. <br /><br />Oh, and my Mom has joined the ranks of the happy ukers. She now has a Kala Spruce Top Concert and is busy practicing and learning new chords. <br /><br />Check out the movie and James Hill's Ukuleles in the Classroom.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-3135985608823597772010-02-03T18:02:00.000-08:002010-02-03T18:10:42.528-08:00February already!It is February already. Starting a new quarter with 24 new students to introduce to the 'ukulele. I am also putting together a booklet of songs for the students to play. I hope this month to start a lunch time jam session during school on the last Thursday or Friday of the month. The idea is to have 'ukuleles available during the lunch period for kids to come and play. That is why I am putting together a booklet of songs for the kids. We'll see if I can get this going this year. <br /><br />This Friday we are going to see Herb Ohta Jr. with Jennifer Perry and Jon Yamasota. I am also taking Karsten to a private lesson with Herb tomorrow. It should fun for all.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-77363905805439442312010-01-24T17:22:00.000-08:002010-01-24T17:35:49.550-08:00Musings and ReflectionsWell, coming to the end of the first semester of the school year on Friday. Thinking about the 'Ukulele Club and the class I am teaching. The numbers in the club have settled down quite a bit. Those who were looking to be cool have fallen to the wayside when they realize they have to practice. I also did not check out 'ukuleles right away. There were over 40 kids who wanted to check one out and I only have about 15 that I can check out. Sadly, not everyone is able to get their own. I wonder if I was able to put an 'ukulele in the hands of every kid if more would stay?<br /><br />At any rate I have 20-40 who show up each week (depends on the competition of activities after school) and we are moving along. They still look to me to teach them but that is okay. Means I have to stay on my toes which is good for me. It also means I have to find songs that they want to play and that they can play. What I do find with kids is if they really want to learn to play something they don't care how "hard" it is. <br /><br />My 'ukulele playing was taking a bit of a back seat as I was getting geared up this fall for the class and the club. Now, I am playing every week at the Freight & Salvage, taking a class from Hiram Bell. He is a local teacher from Hawaii. It has been good to work on some more picking and ensemble playing. <br /><br />I am also looking forward to Herb Ohta Jr. coming to town the first week of February. He is giving a concert and I will try to get Karsten a lesson with him.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-60740877743139946062010-01-08T17:11:00.000-08:002010-01-08T17:19:34.659-08:00Karsten and his UkuleleCheck out Karsten on You Tube playing "Here, There and Everywhere". The more views the better chance I have of finding him a 'ukulele sponsor. He is talented and motivated, a wonderful combination in a 13, soon to be 14 year old young man. Please share with as many folks as you can. <br /><br />(click on the title of this entry to see the You Tube Video)Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-429201009257687022009-12-30T14:57:00.000-08:002009-12-30T15:25:32.784-08:002009The year is coming to an end and I am thinking about my ukulele experiences. Mostly about the after school club at AMS and the class I now teach. It is amazing to me that there are over 80 kids interested in the ukulele. And it is a pleasure to teach a class each day. It is also a lot of work. I have to get my own ukulele skills up. <br /><br />I am now reading music for the ukulele fretboard. Who would have thought that I would be able to do that. It is simple right now, but I can read the key of C and G. Now I have to move up the neck and do it in more places. Isn't that the way the ukulele is. Move up the neck.<br /><br />The workshops this year have been challenging and helpful and now I am thinking about where do I take my own playing. I need more time to play (don't we all) and I have to still teach and do the rest of my life. It means that 2010 will be another interesting year. <br /><br />The star of the after school ukulele group is Karsten. He is pretty much self taught and has the ability to hear and play. He has been playing for a year and a half and is in the 8th grade this year. Here is a video I did at school with him around Thanksgiving. <br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzy4JeOrPa2nWuAZ8C_vfFIsmIELE0G4_MZqZ6HcL6jHmElAsuszONXD1HP4iCOYn13bNBhMi6ylGeoECEt2A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-35616293416300340082009-12-15T17:02:00.000-08:002009-12-15T17:27:52.529-08:00Holiday times<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50alq6rAXcNH1dy-RNT2tca76Op6LRybkYJLOdm5o-0pmpXulx4I1C6EF9hMAvwmfbuY_L7dCBCWsXNGk6y4lzXohHpjtcBSiMpi3WivHBCJPSPEWvTKhluXd0paOZJ9pvoBqXgULb8I/s1600-h/DSCF1255.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj50alq6rAXcNH1dy-RNT2tca76Op6LRybkYJLOdm5o-0pmpXulx4I1C6EF9hMAvwmfbuY_L7dCBCWsXNGk6y4lzXohHpjtcBSiMpi3WivHBCJPSPEWvTKhluXd0paOZJ9pvoBqXgULb8I/s320/DSCF1255.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415639427612085330" border="0" /></a><br />Well, got back from a wonderful week in Pahala with Keoki Kahumoku Ohana Hawaiian Music and Lifestyle workshop and jumped right back into school. Then jumped into grades and am now winding down to the 2 week holiday vacation. Wheeww!<br /><br />The Pahala workshop was great fun. So many folks to play ukulele with, to learn from and with and some awesome teachers. Herb keeps challenging me, in a very good way. Now I am working on some music without tab. Yikes! I can actually do some of this.<br /><br />Also had a chance to work with Moses Kamai again on the song we started last year in Herb's advanced ukulele class. Moses has the computer skills to get it all scored out. We were both struggling with the timing, as it is my weakness so I couldn't figure out what we were missing. Turns out that both of us were off one beat. The melody starts on the second beat. Then it all started to come together.<br /><br />Working with Brad was really awesome. I hope he does some more videos. He is a natural teacher. Seems I am going to be learning some video skills and some music skills... who has time for a job?!?!<br /><br />This coming Friday Susan and I will head up to San Rafael and UFO's Christmas shindig.<br /><br />Here are a few pictures from the workshop. Well, When I figure out how to get the pictures down here I will add some more.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-25557128166664813632009-12-01T18:22:00.000-08:002009-12-02T00:19:52.733-08:00Video Lesson With Brad - SurfAloha. I am in Hawai'i, the Ka'u district of the island of Hawai'i at the Kahamoku Hawaiian Music and Lifestyle Workshop. I am learning more ukulele and meeting some great young players. One of these players is Brad Bordessa who has his own blog on the 'ukulele www.liveukulele.com. You can find a lot of information there on the playing. <br /><br />Today I have a rough video (my video and editing skills are primitive) to share with you. It is my way of communicating with my students at home while I am at the workshop. I hope you all enjoy. <br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzlXsqtivwwYHXl-yHeVvRdwRqebMtJdo3xAd-BCxFzjX6vqcbDh_Ej3KM9oc8V4-xzE1Cdkv3UHGQ4FkbkuA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br />A BIG MAHALO to Brad for his time and input into this lesson.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-18344535810765071312009-11-20T21:51:00.000-08:002009-11-20T21:55:06.150-08:00'Ukulele on KQED California reportI forgot to share this link. Hope I do it right. Not sure.<br /><br />To go to the site, click the title of this entry.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-4704406535121864322009-11-20T21:00:00.000-08:002009-11-20T21:11:07.570-08:00A time of ThanksgivingAhhhh! A well earned week off with the Thanksgiving Holiday. One of the best ideas from the bargaining team I was on. Then, a week at Keoki Kahumoku's Hawaiian Music and Lifestyle workshop. (http://www.konaweb.com/keoki/).<br /><br />This last week we had another 'ukulele club meeting. I think we had about 50. They divided into groups and started jamming on some songs. Had about 4 groups. Karsten had a large group and was in heaven playing my Lehua tenor that I recently outfitted with a pickup. I also recently picked up 2 practice amps for $10 each off craigslist. Karsten really enjoyed playing my uke with the amp and had all the kids around him enthralled. He was showing them something. I was working with some kids who are just learning some chords and wanted to learn Island Style. <br /><br />On Wednesday I did a video of Karsten playing. I will do some editing of it and post it at a later date. It is about 10 minutes long. He is getting better and better. A couple of the science teachers were commenting on how nice it is to hear and see all the 'ukuleles on campus and how good Karsten is. Let's me know that I am doing the right thing. <br /><br />I will try to post more later. It has been a long week with parent/teacher conferences and lesson planning for a sub the week after Thanksgiving. <br /><br />Aloha.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-60545200547215804842009-11-14T14:55:00.000-08:002009-11-14T15:13:23.910-08:00Uke class and clubWell the first quarter is over and I have taught 24 students the basics of playing the ukulele. They did not want to rotate to their next elective so I may start with a lunch time jam for the alums of the class. <br /><br />They learned the basic C scale and how to read simple musical notes. I decided not to teach them to read tabulature. They learned the basic chord progressions for G, C and F as well as some in A (they wanted to learn Drop, Baby Drop so I used Aldreine's video from Ukulele Underground). I also taught them the picking part and they did really well. <br /><br />This next group of 26 may be a bit more challenging but I think they will get into the groove in the next week. It is always a challenge when they first start. It is different and new. <br /><br />I decided to put a pickup into my Lehua tenor that I use at school as I found that when I used a small practice amp they would stay together better as far as beat and tempo. So now I can plug in my Po Mahina and the Lehua. All I have to do now is restring the Lehua with the high G, though I am still hesitant, not sure why. <br /><br />The Ukulele Club after school is going strong. We had about 60+ at the last meeting. We were competing with an after school volleyball game against the other middle school in the district. The kids who don't play are learning basic chords and strum. I am going to try to get those who do play to bring in some of their music and let them use my Lehua, plugged in, to jam together. My challenge is to keep those who play already engaged in the club so that as students learn more they can jam and play together. It is a large group and they are all pretty enthusiastic. Since I am doing the Club every other week there are a number of kids who come by on the off Tuesday with their ukuleles wanting to come and play. Sometimes I have a few of them hang out in my room and do minor repairs to tuning pegs or restring an instrument. They are funny these kids. They think that doing these things is magical.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-42138639234301012712009-10-03T17:21:00.000-07:002009-10-03T17:26:03.673-07:00Benefit ConcertThings are happening this coming week. Derick Sebastian, a wonderful uke player from Maui, is giving a benefit concert for the AMS 'Ukulele club on Wednesday, October 7 @ 6 pm. It will be at Alvarado Middle School in Union City - $3 for students and families, $5 all other. No one turned away for lack of funds. In addition, Rick Rasay and his local group Garden Island Blend will also be performing. It should be fun. I hope to get at least 100 folks to come. Derick is an inspirational type of player, having started playing 'ukulele while in middle school. I am looking forward to hearing again.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-62861910679944196782009-09-29T18:35:00.000-07:002009-09-29T18:45:34.397-07:00AMS 'Ukulele Club First Meeting 09-10This afternoon was the first meeting of the Alvarado Middle School 'Ukulele for this year. Last year about 35 students came and about 15 stuck with it throughout the year. This year we had 83 students show up for the first meeting. We had a hint that it was going to be big because last week we had 83 sign up for the club. Not everyone who signed up in advance came and lots who had not signed up did come.<br /><br />What we are going to try to do is create 3 or four groups within the group. I say we including 2 other teachers at school, Kim and Marcella, who play a little 'ukulele and can get kids started on the learning. We will try to have a group of students who will jam together, a group of advanced beginners and then one or two groups of beginners. Hopefully we will get the beginners caught up quickly.<br /><br />I am still in amazement that 83 students actually came to the club.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-262121555113968182009-09-19T13:19:00.000-07:002009-09-19T13:33:26.429-07:00A new school year !<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFvMOIT8auVfdrIS_eCH3ugsstTO8SbFHIaoQ0B2KzDMFfcmwTipRx4Ctie6JFZsHERfPvUv4IT6uY-iJfJG19pQ6Ql3un6AmVYQ13HfsU0U4mJxAWc2fAs2ok1vbYZzZ2BuumX5zvZI/s1600-h/DSCF1214.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFvMOIT8auVfdrIS_eCH3ugsstTO8SbFHIaoQ0B2KzDMFfcmwTipRx4Ctie6JFZsHERfPvUv4IT6uY-iJfJG19pQ6Ql3un6AmVYQ13HfsU0U4mJxAWc2fAs2ok1vbYZzZ2BuumX5zvZI/s320/DSCF1214.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383278950447256770" border="0" /></a><br />Aloha to all,<br />The new school year has started and I am getting in the swing of things. The exciting part of this school year is that I am teaching Beginning Ukulele on what we call the 6th grade activity wheel. One period a day (50 minutes) I will teach 25-30 6th graders ukulele for about 10 weeks. Then I get a new set of students. Thanks to Elaine deMan of Kani-ka-pila Klips and Louis at Ohana ukulele I was able to purchase 30 Ohana soprano ukuleles. Many thanks for all your help in getting that done.<br /><br />In addition to the class I am going to continue to do the afterschool ukulele club on Tuesdays. I have had a number of students want to be in the ukulele class but they are not 6th graders. There are also a number of students who know how to play the ukulele and have said they will come to the club. I am excited about all the ukulele that is going on at school.<br /><br />I am also grateful that the Principal and Assistant Principals are supportive of my efforts, though there is no money for any of this. It is nice to walk around campus and hear students playing the ukulele.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-10080369764915419302009-07-11T20:28:00.000-07:002009-07-11T20:38:34.438-07:00Summertime and the living is ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOunXcvohIsNTn8CMdNMAqplbF03ZM27LvSKz_ytPoyDsafEpq4cvC9mEu_Nto4yLdWszcf4Hu468RZc94pMobC9S0t0q6shkca6-bgCa3MN2rdNZoMFJWLpUrf_JAgG7XdeHg08HsgMA/s1600-h/IMG_0068.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOunXcvohIsNTn8CMdNMAqplbF03ZM27LvSKz_ytPoyDsafEpq4cvC9mEu_Nto4yLdWszcf4Hu468RZc94pMobC9S0t0q6shkca6-bgCa3MN2rdNZoMFJWLpUrf_JAgG7XdeHg08HsgMA/s320/IMG_0068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357412294542952754" border="0" /></a><br />Well, school is out and am back from 2 weeks + in Hawaii. Spent just over one week on Maui at Napili playing ukulele all day. What made it special was I got my new ukulele on Sunday the 21 at the start of the workshop. It is beautiful koa wood, made by Dennis Lake and sounds very sweet. He did a couple of things for me, like more room at the top of the neck so I don't run into the tuning pegs and making the neck width a little narrower than usual. All in all I am very pleased.<br /><br />I have also received 30 ukuleles for the class I will be teaching this year at school. Thanks to Elaine deMan and Louis of Ohana ukuleles. I know the kids will enjoy them.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-23814394202511565972009-05-06T17:12:00.000-07:002009-05-06T17:21:10.398-07:00Kids and the BeatlesTwo of the boys in the ukulele club at Alvarado Middle School are continuing to amaze me with their natural ability. Yesterday, Karsten played "Gently Weeps" ala Jake from start to finish. He figured it out on his own. I am going to try to get a video of him playing it. Aaron also is working on "Yesterday". I am amazed at what these boys can do with the ukulele. At this point I can only guide them and share with them tips that I have learned. They do a lot by ear.<br /><br />Another student, Andrew has so much drive and passion that he wants to tackle music that is challenging. He is a little impatient but has the drive to learn so I keep encouraging him. <br /><br />I am having such a good time with the kids and they really want to be in the ukulele class I am teaching next year. However, my class will be for 6th graders and none of these students will be able to take the class.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-91812322189973911792009-04-23T07:43:00.001-07:002009-04-23T07:48:41.248-07:00Derick Sebastian visits AMSYesterday afternoon Derick Sebastian came by after school to meet with the ukulele club here at Alvarado Middle school. We had a small group but it worked out well. Derick was wonderful with the students and they seemed to enjoy listening to him play and learning from him some techniques in playing. <br /><br />He showed them a picking pattern that the students caught on to pretty quickly. A few of the students played a little for him as well and he was helpful and encouraging.<br /><br />Today Derick is at the Santa Cruz Ukulele Club and I will not be able to attend because we have Open House tonight. Derick will be at Mike DeSilva's on Saturday in Berkeley and the Northern California Ukulele Festival on Sunday at the Hayward Adult School. Check it out, he is talented young man with lots of Aloha.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-1951842344125309862009-04-07T17:36:00.001-07:002009-04-07T17:43:09.204-07:00Herb's lesson and workshopYesterday, in Berkeley I was privileged to take a private lesson with Herb Ohta Jr. He is an awesome teacher, patient with a good sense of humor. We worked on Pua Olena which is a beautiful song. I have something to work and and there is a lot of room to add, embelish, work with the song. The workshop was helpful in getting some perspective and ideas for doing just that.<br /><br />Tomorrow Herb will be coming to the middle school I teach at for a workshop with the ukulele club at my school. The kids are getting jazzed about his visit. It should be a fun day for all.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-54811881018173914532009-03-20T21:11:00.000-07:002009-03-20T21:17:45.686-07:00Ukulele class next year?The planning for next year has begun at school. The powers that be have tentatively scheduled me to teach on section of Ukulele as an elective for 6th graders next year. I am now looking into getting 30 ukuleles for the possible class and thinking about how to teach and manage the class. It would be fun to actually teach a class for students, everyday. I would probably keep the ukuleles in the classroom since we meet everyday.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-49437166986881509032009-03-14T13:38:00.001-07:002009-03-14T14:02:25.657-07:00AMS ukulele clubThree of the guys in the ukulele club have been working on the Canon in D. They worked out the picking, chords and arrangement for the 3 ukuleles. The video quality isn't great but the sound is true. <br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dymx4iSOTVtaOO7s4rP4d4sm_fm4zK-U43_b2oQpEExYd9pmWKJ0CbnKY_jG6FxnhLyJSi_HvXXYPQvtASapA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />The club is going well with about 10 students coming each week. It seems that there are always new students interested in joining. I am sure that this next week will see a renewed interest as this video was played on our schools weekly "video news". <br /><br />As for my personal playing it looks like the Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band, which practices on Monday nights at the Templebar in Berkeley, is heading to the Ukulele Festival in Hawaii in July. I hope to get more info soon. Until then we will be at the Northern California Ukulele Festival in Hayward at the end of April.Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2686699370700266168.post-72819194837512626912009-02-18T22:45:00.000-08:002009-02-18T23:06:09.218-08:00Uke Club this weekThe students are working hard. Two students have been practicing, actually three but one of them was not there yesterday. The boys worked hard to get it right.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwbMCPI6NUHMrVvXGfsqKiYlY9WF2r0K_Gu3dT_-JZ-ecnSp_PrODrKUvrKE8duq4DPYrPbcc8aMXsXEAVwJA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Terihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696654255622954572noreply@blogger.com0