Another fabulous weekend of musical learning and fun!  This year was a change from the past in both the location and format.  Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana was the venue and instead of the 48 hours starting on Friday, it began on Saturday and ran until 1:00 on Monday.  About 125 students and an all-star faculty gathered for 7 workshops, 2 special events, 2 concerts, strum-a-longs and open mic opportunities.  And this year there was a Fingerstyle track added to the listings, for a total of 44 separate classes in 8 tracks.  Tracks were offered in four skill levels plus Harmonica, Bass/Baritone, Fingerpicking, and Other.   The biggest rivalry of the camp was who had the better hair, Grace or Neal! Here’s a snap shot of this year’s instructors along with links to their web sites or YouTube presence: Andy Wilson  I believe that Andy is the only instructor that…

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The 3rd Midwest Uke & Harmonica Camp (MUC) has entered the history books.  And it was as epic as the previous two years and getting larger! So let me start with the general and move to the specific items to share with you.  I’ll share my workshop and instructor info in a separate post. Attendance has grown, there were 100 more people than there were at the first camp, getting close to 200!  Which means more people to jam with, more folks to share with and more opportunities to learn! Olivet College is simply beautiful this time of year!  The campus is green and lush and there are well kept beds full of flowers and perennials.  The classrooms and most areas are air conditioned to help with comfort. Workshops are diverse and full of choices!  This year featured six ukulele tracks, Beginner, Confident Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate were joined…

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On the 19th of September 2009, I stumbled upon a video. I’m not sure how I found it, but there it was, sharing laughter, fun and music through my computer screen. Over the next few days I dug and searched, questioned and analyzed. On the 1st of October, I ordered it. On October 5th, three separate packages arrived on my doorstep, one of them contained my very first ukulele. Over the last seven years I have collected ukuleles, played with various groups, done open mikes, radio, stage and made my own videos. I do enjoy playing, learning and teaching this instrument. This blog is going to be used to share reviews and information on this great instrument.  I will review the instruments, books on the ukulele, both the history and the music, events, performances and workshops. It will also serve as a platform for my book, Unlock Your Ukulele, which…

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