Avery Hill’s Classes
How to Sing and Play at the Same Time
How many times have you mastered a strum pattern, lined it up with your chord progression, only for it to all fall apart when you start to sing?! This workshop will break down the layers of both playing and singing, and guide you through exercises for building them back up to successful singing and playing simultaneously. This workshop accommodates multiple levels of experience playing, from advanced beginners all the way up. We’ll focus on one song for the entire workshop, so feel free to check with Avery ahead of time which chords you’ll need to know.
Paperless Jam – Songs for Community
This jam will feature familiar and/or easily learned songs to sing around the campfire, on the front porch, or anywhere else you gather together. Songs will be on the easy side technically speaking, but there will be no music, so those new to learning by ear will also get a lot out of it. This workshop is best suited for those who play 3-chord songs confidently in the keys of C, D, G, and A.
The Music of Motown
Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in 1960 and changed the history of American popular music. His leadership shaped pop music for a generation and transformed the lives of the artists who signed with him. Also, he was a bit problematic. Let’s learn to play the songs that tell the story of this memorable era of music. This workshop is best suited for those who play comfortably in the keys of C, D, G and A.
Brook Adam’s Class
Chords Beyond Cowboy: intermediate to advanced
Different chords with different shapes can both improve and simplify your playing. It also makes transposing to other keys easier. This class will show how to use alternate chord shapes. We will take a few simple songs and move the chords around for fun and profit (musically speaking). At the end of the class, you will know some new chord shapes and the clever pattern that that links them together.
Buck Mueller’s Class
8 Earworms That 8 The World
A handful of simple, catchy chord progressions have become super popular and replicated like viruses across styles and decades. Learn some of these earworms and why they are so compelling, with lots of examples of how they’re used. Pick up new songs more easily, and gain a deeper understanding of how popular music works.
Best for students who can play basic chords confidently, but anyone with an interest in music can benefit.
Cinda Johnson’s Classes
Uke Can Do It – BUMP IT UP A NOTCH
For the confident beginner ready to move forward… you’ll explore different strumming patterns and how to choose what kind of a strum or groove you would like to use within any song you choose. Also, discover easy tricks for smoothly transitioning from one chord to the next.
Cinda’s encouraging teaching style helps build confidence while you learn a couple of easy-to-remember “pocket songs” you can take with you and play anywhere. Cinda will help you to strengthen the basics, bump it up a notch and this class is sure to leave you smiling.
UKE CAN DO IT – Tips and Tricks
Welcome to Cinda’s ukulele playground! For the person who has several chords under their belt….This fun, hands-on class is designed to add simple embellishments that bring extra interest, texture, and personality to songs you may already know and love.
Learn techniques such as hammer-ons, sliding chords, playing “dot to dot,” adding percussive effects on the ukulele, and more.
Dani Joy’s Classes
Royal Chord Family – Basic Music Theory thru Storytelling (Low-G or High G)
Meet the King, Queen, King’s Guard and the visiting minor chord family in this perception altering class. We will tap into the emotional personality of each chord using a common storytelling trope which will unite your ear with the chord like never before.
Get off the page and into the music in this fun and exhilarating class with Dani Joy.
What You’ll Learn: Diatonic chord family, Emotional personality of chords, Memorization techniques Prerequisites: Experience playing basic first position chords; C, G, Am, F, G7 & D7
Let it Be – Iconic Two-String-Riff
Low-G or High G
The majority of class will be learning to play the historic riff from the Beatles’ Let It Be. In the background of your mind, you’ll be learning major and minor intervals in the key of C while playing it on just two strings. Doubling notes in a solo is a technique used across many styles—Hawaiian, Western Swing, folk, and more. Once it’s under your fingers, you can slide up and down two strings and improvise a beautiful solo.
What You’ll Learn: Let it Be intro/interlude, Major and minor intervals on 1st & 2nd strings, Breathing Techniques, Slow & steady practice pace
Prerequisites: A desire to move beyond basic chords and strumming.
Old Fashioned Lovesong – Conquer the Bb! (Low-G or High G )
Do you feel stuck in 1st gear on the ukulele fretboard while your friends around you are forming chords with ease? Let’s get those hands into shape with some fun left and right hand challenges! We will go very slow as we navigate these cool new techniques. And that Bb won’t be a problem anymore after this! Heck, you’ll even do the Eb! It’s time to loosen up… 5 6 7 8!
What You’ll Learn: Right hand quarter mute picking pattern, Left hand pulsing mute, Closed chords, Partial chords (easier options), Lyric articulation
Prerequisites
Low G. For those who are ready to level up from complete beginner to beginner intermediate, strengthen muscles and prove to yourself that the Bb will not beat you!
Neal Chin’s Classes
Right Hand Techniques
The world of the ‘ukulele has so many fun and unique right hand techniques that have become integral to its voice today. Join us as we explore some essential techniques that make your ‘ukulele sound uniquely like an ‘ukulele. The ability to do basic strumming will help you get the most out of the class but all skills are welcome!
Minor Swing – Django for ‘Ukulele’
Master guitarist Django Reinhardt revolutionized both the guitar and how it was played, creating his own sound and bringing his music to the world. His classic Minor Swing is a wonderful place to enter into his music and to take a look and some of the colorful sounds of playing in a minor key. We’ll learn how to play the tune, take some time finding our swing, and in the tradition of the tune, learn how to solo ala Django!
Blues to Jazz
Being one of the bedrocks of so many different styles of music, the blues has always been a master class of the large tenets of music. Join us as we explore the blues with some of the greats and learn how to hear the elements that make the blues the blues. We’ll explore call and response, melody making, and slowly change the harmony to watch the blues evolve to into jazz. A general knowledge of chords and some picking technique will help you get the most of this class.
Perry Stauffer’s Classes
Ten Classic Swing Endings- Baritone and Regular Uke (Low-G Preferred)
Perfect your song endings with ten classic swing endings, plus a versatile trick to turn any ending into a dynamic turnaround. These techniques work beautifully for blues, jazz, vintage country, and western swing.
What You’ll Learn: Classic swing endings, Converting endings into turnarounds, Ending set-up phrases, The Nashville Number System
Closed Chords for Vocalists
Learn three movable major chord shapes designed specifically for singers. By using only strings 4–3–2 and leaving the A string out, we’ll create clean, compact voicings that
stay out of the way of your voice. You’ll practice I–IV–V chord groupings that sit close together on the fretboard, making it easier to change chords by feel instead of constantly looking down.
What You’ll Learn: Three movable major triad shapes on strings 4–3–2, How the three shapes connect to one another, How to build practical I–IV–V chord groupings, Why omitting the A string can create more space for the singing voice, How to minimize movement when changing closed chords, Strategies for developing muscle memory and playing without watching your fretting hand, How to move the same system into different keys
Prerequisites: Students should be comfortable playing basic open-position ukulele chords and changing between them at a moderate tempo. No previous closed-chord experience is required.
Folk-Style Travis Picking for the ukulele
Refine your fingerpicking skills while learning Bob Dylan’s timeless classic, “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” This class focuses on the fundamentals of Travis Picking, combining rhythm and melody to elevate your playing. What You’ll Learn: The fundamentals of Travis Picking for ukulele, Applying Travis Picking techniques to a classic tune, Combining rhythm and melody for seamless fingerpicking, Using hammer-ons to add depth and expression to your picking Prerequisites: Basic fingerstyle experience and TAB reading are recommended. Familiarity with simple chord shapes will be helpful.