The story of the ukulele starts in 1879, with a boat load of Madeirans braving the seas to the Hawaiian islands in search of a new life, free from disease and poverty. On arrival, João Fernandes jumped off the ship performing a happy song on his machete (the instrument, not the knife) capturing the relief of his fellow passengers after a long, arduous journey. To cut a fine history short, the machete evolved into the ukulele over subsequent years, although the argument rages on about who actually ‘invented’ it.
My ukulele story starts in July 2011 where I battled the M62 from Manchester at rush hour to my new job as a peripatetic music tutor in Yorkshire. On arriving and skimming my timetable I was about to exhale when I came to Friday afternoon and saw the immortal words ‘Whole Class Ukulele, Year 6’. After establishing that this wasn't a joke on the new girl, I purchased my first ukulele, an Ariana, for the princely sum of £20 along with The Ukulele Rock Playlist: The Black Book. I then spent a happy week mastering popular riff s and truly weird chords without breaking a sweat. This immediacy left me addicted as I became increasingly aware of how fast I could progress and how accessible it is; you can carry it without putting your shoulder out, all ages can play it and you won't need a second mortgage to buy a really good one.
Where to buy
The ukulele comes in four primary sizes. Soprano, concert and tenor are tuned G-C-E-A and baritone; D-G-B-E. The concert is the most popular and widely available; you can pick one up for around £15 from most music retailers.
For an entry level, virtually indestructible classroom set of ukes, Waterman by Kala supplied by lmsmusicsupplies.co.uk are around £25 per ukulele. They are made of heavy duty plastic but keep their tuning and come in a range of colours with sturdy gig bags. Tip from the top – they look great on classroom walls secured with ukulele wall mounts.
Once the basics have been mastered, purists would expect you to squeeze a round trip ticket out of your budget to Oahu where the ukulele originated. However, there are three dedicated ukulele specialist retailers in the UK: the world famous Duke of Uke in London (dukeofuke.co.uk); Southern Ukulele Store in Bournemouth (southernukulelestore.co.uk); and World of Ukes in Carlisle (worldofukes.co.uk), also home to the infamous Uke Magazine.
Aside from these national experts and the usual online giants, please do support your local music retailer. Once I had outgrown my Ariana, I spent a lovely afternoon trying out different ukes in a local music shop, walking away with a Luna High Tide Electro Acoustic Concert Ukulele, Koa for just under £200 – it's still my go-to.
Resources
James Hill is a classically-trained Canadian musician who believes that the ukulele can act as a helpful conduit to teach musical literacy. He has created excellent resources for use in the classroom (ukuleleintheclassroom.com) as well as tutor books such as The Ukulele Way. Hill's commitment to excellence in teaching of the ukulele
led to the careful development of a three year Teacher Certification programme which is open to music tutors currently teaching the ukulele: jhui.org/certification.
If interactive learning is your thing, music education software specialists, Charanga (charanga.com/site) has a plug and play ukulele course. It is also developing a ground-breaking Ukulele Centre that will have cool new features and materials for teachers and children across the country.
Exams
There are currently two exam boards offering accredited examinations: Rockschool (debut-Grade 3) and LCM (prelim-grade 5). There are also a host of other unaccredited exam boards, however, Victoria College Exams (Grade 1-diploma) was written by the teacher, arranger, composer, performer, examiner and self-confessed Ukeholic, Colin Tribe. Check out his YouTube channel to learn from one of the masters.
Beyond the classroom
Along with the official resources, the most prolific songbooks are from ukulele clubs, formed by enthusiasts seeking to play and sing with others. They vary from small, amateur groups, which are a few quid to attend, to larger, semi-professional groups who earn their keep from their performances. ukulelehunt.com has a list of over 250 ukulele groups in the UK and this number is growing.
An unmissable event is the multiple award-winning Grand Northern Ukulele Festival (northernuke.com) spearheaded by the dynamic Mary Agnes Krell. The Festival provides opportunities for young ukulele enthusiasts to take part, whether it is performing onstage, assisting backstage or marvelling at the world's leading ukulele artists such as Jake Shimabakuro.
