Blog

For all of you who have, perhaps, been neglecting your ukuleles, it’s time to dust them off.

Liz DeBarros has a couple of online Zoom workshops for you to get back into playing again.

Both aimed at Beginners or “uke neglecters”, these are the perfect way to get back into playing or improving your current skills.

COOL HAND UKE – or How To use your chord hand

Available online on  EITHER Thursday July 16th at 11am  OR Saturday July 18th at 11am via ZOOM

This 45 minute workshop looks at how to develop good chording skills. The importance of good posture, how to use your arm, elbow, wrist and fingers to produce clean sounding chords.

Develop skills to anticipate chord changes and make clean chord changes.

Fee is $15

HOW TO LEARN NEW CHORDS

Available online on EITHER Thursday July 25th at 11am OR Saturday July 25th at 11am via ZOOM

This 45 minute workshop introduces exercises, tips and tricks to help you learn new chords.

A new way to learn the Bb chord and why it is so useful

Fee is $15

TO REGISTER – email ukelessonsliz@shaw.ca

Full details at https://ukelessonsliz.com/schedule-of-events

We have decided to suspend ticket sales for this year’s festival until we have more information regarding the COVID-19 situation. We hope to make a decision in May/June as the whether the Festival will be go ahead.

If you have already bought tickets, thank you. If we do feel that cancelling the Festival, in an abundance of caution, is the right way to go, you will receive a full refund.

Keep well, stay safe and uke on

Tickets are now available online for our September 18th & 19th September 2020 Ukulele Festival.

http://nanaimoukulelefestival.ca/concert-and-workshop-info/

Unfortunately, we have to postpone our March 22nd Sing and Strum. The venue we use, The Neighbourhood Church, has cancelled all services and events owing to COVID-19 concerns.

We hope to reschedule the event in a month or so.

Online ticket sales will be launched as planned on March 23rd at 10.00am

Keep well, keep safe and uke on

We are adding a new event this year; a Sing and Strum to be held on Sunday March 22nd at The Neighbourhood Church, 4951, Rutherford Road, Nanaimo, between 2pm and 4pm

Doors will open at 2pm and you will be able to buy tickets for this year’s Festival being held on Friday September 18th & Saturday September 19th.

The Sing and Strum will be led by members of The Revolving Doors and chords and lyrics will be projected onto a screen, so you can leave your music stands at home. If you just want to sing, that’s OK too.

This is a free event but donations are welcome.

Anyone buying tickets for the Festival at this event will receive a free Nanaimo Ukulele Festival tote bag.

Just a few days to go before out third Festival at the Neighbourhood Church in Nanaimo. Tickets are flying out the door, so if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, don’t wait too long.

Online tickets sales will close at 10pm on Thursday September 12th. After that, you will only be able to purchase tickets at the venue from 6pm on Friday 13th September and 9.30am on Saturday 14th.

WHERE TO PLAY UKULELE

AFTER THE FESTIVAL

PARKSVILLE

Ground Zero Ukulele Club – Unit 8, 484, Island Hwy E., Parksville. Meets on the 2^nd & 4^th Monday of each month 7pm for Sing & Strum. By donation, suggested $10, https://www.gzalounge.com/gzal-ukulele-club.html for full details

Qualicum Beach Seniors Centre – 703 Memorial Ave, Qualicum Beach. Ukulele drop in, Sing and Strum Mondays, 12.30pm – 2.30pm. Members $1 https://www.qbseniors.ca/activities.html

Uke Lessons with Liz – Parksville Ukulele Group Orchestra starting September 20^th 2019. Go to https://www.ukelessonsliz.com/orchestra for full details. Workshop, Group & Private Lessons go to www.ukelessonsliz.com

NANAIMO

Arbutus Music School – 6324 Metral Drive, Nanaimo – Private Lessons –

call 250 933 1900 to book lessons

The Music Chord – Private Lessons with Flavio & Louise Cianflone –

call 250 619 5871 www.themusicchord.com to book lessons

Nanaimo Harbour City Seniors – Nanaimo Parks and Recreation

*These classes require a Harbour City Seniors membership and registration for the group.

• Ukulele in the Classroom Absolute Beginners – Booster Uke – October to December

• Ukulele in the Classroom, Beginner Level 1 – Moving On – January to May

• Ukulele in the Classroom, Level 2 – Step UP – October to May

• Nordli Ukulele group. Tuesday afternoon from September to June 2020

• Folk n Oldies Music Group – ukuleles and guitars – ongoing but limited spaces available.

• Beginner Bluegrass Slow Pitch Jam – Friday morning – ongoing throughout the year

• Bluegrass Band – Friday afternoon – ongoing throughout the year

• Open mic and circle performance – Tuesday afternoon – ongoing throughout the year

• Country and Western style band – Tuesday morning – September to June

COMOX VALLEY

Evergreen Ukulele Club – Comox Valley, B.C. The group meets regularly every 2nd and 4th

Tuesdays as part of the “Evergreen Seniors Club” in Courtenay. Since starting up 2 years ago, the group averages between 25-30 members for some fun, singing and strumming on the uke.

https://sites.google.com/site/evergreenukes/home

For more information contact Terry Hall: eMail – comoxterry@gmail.com Ph. (250) 338-2163

Fretted Friends – Black Creek, B.C. The group meets every 1st and 3rd Thursday evenings at the Black Creek Hall. The meetings provide instruction and group playing for beginners and experienced ukulele enthusiasts in the Black Creek area on Vancouver Island.

https://frettedfriends.weebly.com/

Contact Lous Lucieer: eMail – braluci@telus.net phone: (250) 337-5447

MILL BAY, DUNCAN, LAKE COWICHAN & CHEMAINUS

Valley Seniors Ukulele Players, 198 Government St, Duncan
Contact: valleyseniorsorg@shaw.ca (250) 746-4433

Byron Thomson group, Mill Bay area

Brenda’s Brats, Mill Bay area

Chemainus Legion Ukulele Group (newly formed)

The Small Block Brewery, meet on Sundays for 2 hours. Contact Al – vtwinal@yahoo.com

In an effort to reduce the amount of plastics used at the Festival, we encourage you to bring you own reusable water bottle or container to the Festival.

We will have two water stations available for you to refill your bottles. If you forget your container, we can offer you a paper cup to use for the day, but you cannot take the cup into the Sanctuary or workshop rooms.

The Mystery of Chords Workshop on Saturday afternoon has SOLD OUT. If you would like to put your name on a wait list for any cancellations, please email ukelessonsliz@shaw.ca

 

 

There is only one spot left in the Mystery of Chords and two in the TABS/Fingerstyle workshops on Saturday morning, so register very soon if you want to get the last ones.