Workshops

An introduction to the free notation software MuseScore.

To get the most out of this workshop, players should be comfortable using at least your thumb and pointer in fingerstyle playing. Want to add that extra sparkle of sound to your intros and endings? Or maybe you just want to add a little something special in that song you’re playing.

Using the chromatic scale and chord shapes you already know, you will learn how to play open position chords as chord inversions all over the neck of the ukulele using the CAGFD method.

This class is a great place for beginners without previous knowledge of music or the ukulele, who would like to keep it simple and focus on strumming and singing.

Have you ever wanted to make your own nicely formatted songsheets for use with your club, your church, or just in your personal songbook?

ChordPro is a free software available for Windows, Mac, and Linux that will allow you to take song lyrics, add in chord notation and generate great looking PDFs to use while strumming.

This 2 session class for beginners will cover basic ensemble playing using traditional and pop tunes.

We’ll cover the chords, picking a melody, and singing in parts.

For those who know a handful of chords and a basic up/down strum, here’s a chance to take your skills to a new level.

A half dozen or so well-known songs will be played while learning more chords, new fingerings, new strums, transposing on the fly and performance tips and techniques along the way.

Steven teaches 3 of the most widely used strumming patterns in traditional Hawaiian music:

Are you stuck in a rut? Looking for a new way to practice? This class invites participants to try something new to shake up the status quo of your singing, playing and practice.

This 2 session class for beginners will cover basic ensemble playing using traditional and pop tunes.

We’ll cover the chords, picking a melody, and singing in parts.

Learn some basic methods of home recording using GarageBand.

We will go over types of recording mics, pre-amps, methods of mic-ing, how to multi-track, how to overdub, and how to share your recorded music online.

How to use chord substitutions to “jazz up” a simple 4 or 5 chord song. Based on the 2015 Flea Market Music book. We’ll also play through several Lyle Ritz classic jazz arrangements.

Students will complete a wristlet made with fresh flowers using the “wili” (winding) method.

Instructor Debi Velasco will supply all materials and tools needed. The technique taught is simple and can be replicated at home.

Steven will teach a comprehensive ʻukulele and leo kiʻe kiʻe workshop in a fun, yet informative kani ka pila style format!

An hour of strumming the very mellowest of the uke family. We’ll sing and play through a selection of easy to more challenging arrangements in DGBE tuning with stops along the way to discuss the special challenges and opportunities that the bari uke player encounters. Bring your bari and be prepared to get down!

This workshop will teach you my foundational fretboard techniques acquired from my classical guitar + ukulele university studies for your left-hand (or right-hand) with picking on the ukulele.

Learn how to jam along with your ukulele friends to create more variation in your strum sessions!

Students will learn the folk dance of our 50th state, the Hula.  Simple steps and hand motions will combine to tell a story.

Instructor Debi Velasco will supply written instructions to each dancer.  Students will perform the song they have learned at the Saturday evening concert!

Hey! What exactly is a set-up, anyway? Why does my ukulele buzz? How do I fix it? What does my ukulele want from me? Mim will be breaking down the mysterious “set-up” everyone talks about! She will lead you in an informative workshop that will cover everything from changing your strings and daily ukulele maintenance to diagnosing ukulele problems and even fixing them yourself!

In this class we will explore how to use your ukulele as a songwriting tool. We will focus on the basics of chords, melody and writing lyrics, and write a song together.

A Singing Workshop Take your harmony singing skills to the next level as we create an arrangement of some classic tunes using more complex harmony.

To get the most out of this workshop, being comfortable holding most of the basic chords found in the first three (3) frets will greatly help. Players that can hold chords beyond the 3rd fret will also benefit from this workshop.

Learn three more of the most widely used strumming patterns in traditional Hawaiian music:

Who says you can’t play slide on a ukulele?

Learn best practices for playing slide on your uke, what slides work best and what tunings work well. We will learn a simple 12 bar blues song on our ukuleles, as well as a few simple licks.

Feel a little stuck inside the ukulele box? Want to bring some unique flair to your performance? Want to know how performers get their confidence? Mim has had the opportunity to perform with unique artists from around the world.

Curious about how to get that sound? What the heck is a “triplet” anyway?!?

Come find out!

We’ll break down the basic strum and practice it over a variety of styles, and songs. 45 minutes Beginner+ to Intermediate ( should be able to play a song using a more complex strumming pattern, like island strum)