Ukulele Teachers in Boulder
Our Ukulele Teachers
Theresa a lifelong musician, teacher, and performer who has been teaching music for 12 years. As a classically trained violinist/violist, she can teach in a traditional idiom, but also plays and teaches many styles of music. Through the utilization of the Suzuki method among other methods, Theresa lets the interest of the student guide the lessons. Her approach to music is a full sensory approach that includes technique, practice strategies, and memorization strategies. Her first priority is for music to be fun and to feel doable! Theresa grew ... Read More
Ethan Minard is a multi-instrumentalist based out of Boulder, Colorado. He offers beginner lessons in guitar, ukulele, and percussion (concert and drum set), and offers beginner to advanced lessons in classical piano. Raised in Dillon, Colorado, Ethan started taking classical piano lessons at age 7. He went on to start percussion in 6th grade and guitar his sophomore year of high school. Ethan studied classical piano at the University of Colorado Boulder from 2016-2020 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music, a Minor in Business and cert... Read More
Originally from New York, Scott moved to Boulder, Colorado in 2019. Scott knew he was meant to be a musician from an early age. “When I was a kid, I always had music in my head. I got a guitar from a friend in high school and played it nonstop. Somewhere along the way, it just became obvious to me that I would keep at it my whole life.” Playing and teaching guitar is a passion for Scott, and he is fortunate to be able to share his rich musical experiences with his students.Through the years, Scott has collaborated with singer/songwriters and re... Read More
Elliott Elder was born in Dallas, Texas in 1999, but was raised and lived in Atlanta, GA until adulthood. In 2017 he left for Boulder, Colorado to pursue his interest in American music forms. At CU Boulder, he studied as a bass player in the Thompson Jazz Studies Program and quickly found a deep love and appreciation for jazz, an art form deeply embedded in the heart of American history and culture. While studying at CU, Elliott had the chance to feature his own compositions in his ensemble's performances, as well as recording his own compositi... Read More
Sam first moved to Colorado in 2018 to pursue his Bachelors in Music at the University of Denver. While completing his degree in Audio Engineering and Jazz Guitar, he simultaneously began gigging and integrating himself into the Colorado music scene. Sam founded his indie rock band, Bleak Mystique, in 2021, and since has toured multiple times, been featured in Westword and 303 Magazines, recieved radio play in Colorado and beyond, and has played over 100 gigs with his band in the last 2 years. While he’s not writing, recording, or gigging with ... Read More
How Our Ukulele Lessons Work
Easy
Convenient
Awesome
Affordable
Book a $25 Intro Ukulele Lesson
The teacher comes to you
(we also offer virtual lessons)
Decide to continue
Enjoy weekly lessons all month long
Receive an invoice at the end of the month
All about Ukulele Lessons
Ukulele Lessons:
Ukulele is a great instrument for children to learn. It is small, relatively simple and affordable. It is the perfect size for children. With only four strings unlike a guitar which has six, ukulele lessons can begin at an earlier age. If tuned in the normal fashion, just strumming a Ukulele with all the strings open will sound nice. You can then make different chords with as few as one or two fingers. It really is the perfect instrument for a child to start on, especially if they want to pursue string instruments.
Ukulele History:
You may be thinking that the Ukulele originally came from Hawaii, that is not exactly the case. Although the ukulele has long been regarded as uniquely hawaiian, it is actually a redesign of the Portugese Machete, a small string instrument from Portugal. The only real difference between the two was the amount of strings they have.
The Ukulele was introduced to Hawaii about 125 years ago from Portugese immigrants. These immigrants were specifically from the island of Madeira. When a ship came to bring workers for the sugarcane fields, it also brought along two talented cabinet makers, Augusto Dias and Manuel Nunes.
They played a key role in popularizing the Machete, renamed Ukulele. In the hawaiin language Ukulele means jumping flea. It became very popular and became Hawaii’s national instrument. The reason for the changes to the instrument was the patronage of Hawaii’s royal family. Mostly King David Kalakaua, he was an accomplished musician and composer. Dias had a long standing relationship with the King. He would regularly perform at the palace. He even taught the king to build his own ukuleles.
Apart from the royal patronage, the redesign of the machete made it easier to play and made the instrument even more popular. On account of the use of Hawaii’s native Koa wood, which has long been associated with royalty on the island, the ukulele became the symbol of Aloha Aina (love of the land).
When did it become so popular in America? Well, the booming consumer economy of the 1950’s saw mass produced plastic goods flooding shops, among them were Ukuleles. This caused people not to take the Ukulele as seriously as an instrument in the 1960-70’s. Then Tiny Tim cemented the Ukulele as a gag instrument. Although the ukulele is still associated with traditional hawiian music and culture, the development of different types of ukulele has started the ukulele revival and their popularity world wide.
Our Favorite Ukulele Players:
Taimane Gardner: Tiny Desk Concert
Jake Shimabukuro: Bohemian Rhapsody
James Hill: Voodoo Child
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