As another round of ukulele lessons is set to be offered up at the West Vancouver Seniors’ Activity Centre, practitioners of the tiny instrument are strumming its praises.
“Anybody who has a reasonable ear can learn the ukulele. The chords are simple, with very little training you can have fun – it’s a fun instrument, I think that’s the attraction,” says Hilary Clark, a longtime ukulele hobbyist and participant in the activity centre’s Ukuleles: Advanced Beginners with JR class, which is starting up again next Tuesday for registrants 55 years and older.
The group – which in this case is made up of people with some knowledge of the ukulele already, but the activity centre also offers beginner classes – meets once a week under the direction of JR Kline who runs them through a series of exercises as they learn a repertoire of songs.
The class has also been playing out, notes Clark, and recently performed for residents of Hollyburn House.
Their program included a number of classics from the 1950s and ’60s, including “Blue Moon,” “Walkin’ After Midnight” and “Tonight You Belong to Me,” according to Clark.
“We handed out music and words so they could sing along with us. They seemed to enjoy it,” she says. “We’re hoping to do it at the end of each course.”
And, of course, when playing shows Clark suggested the group take up the charming name of Vintage Ukuleles for their performances.
“When we were talking about playing out I said, well, we’ve got to have a name. So I came up with the idea of the Vintage Ukuleles. You know, there are people in our group that are older than the people in Hollyburn House,” she explains.
Clark has been playing the ukulele since 1950 and has taken it with her through the decades, always singing its praises as a low barrier, highly transportable and always enjoyable instrument to learn, especially in the company of other people.
“I played it by ear all my life and I thought, damn it all, I’m 87 – it’s time that I learned the chords, the names of the chords so I can play with other people!” she recounts when explaining what prompted her to start taking formal lessons.
People 55 years and older who are interested in learning beginner, intermediate or advanced ukulele are encouraged to call 604-925-7280 or visit the West Vancouver rec website at westvancouverrec.ca for more for information or to register.
Classes start Sept. 11.
