Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season with friends, family, and fun. I am really looking forward to making music with you in 2026 and am here with info and invitations!
Weekly ‘Ukulele Classes
As per usual, I’ll be teaching Wednesday evenings in Beaverton at Music Together Resonate, located at Cedar Hills Crossing (close to the Powell’s location there, for reference). I’ll also be teaching Thursday evenings in Southeast Portland at Artichoke Music. I’ve included class descriptions below, and specific registration links below those, so be sure to review the entire post for the info you need!
All classes start January 21/22 and run 8 weeks:
- ‘Ukulele for Beginners (5:30-6:15pm). Covers all the basics you need to know for early success in your ‘ukulele playing: how to hold and strum your instrument, a strong repertoire of songs, and other essential skills and good habits.
- Beyond Beginner ‘Ukulele: Strum Patterns (6:30-7:15pm). For players with basic skills looking to take it to the next level. We’ll use popular and accessible songs to focus specifically on improving our sense of rhythm and repertoire of strum patterns!
- Women in Music: From Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog” to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter (7:30-8:30pm). A mixed-level ukulele class for players of various learning styles and experience. We’ll dig into Black women’s genre-birthing, genre-bending, and genre-defying contributions to the lineage of American country, blues, and rock’n’roll. Join us to learn to play, sing, and appreciate the music made by foremothers from Big Mama Thornton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Libby Cotten to contemporary musicians like Rhiannon Giddens and Beyoncé.
(What about live online classes? I am working on some potential online possibilities, but I have a greater in-person class load this term than I usual have – thanks for hanging tight, I will do what I can!)
How to Register for Weekly Classes
Wednesday Classes in Beaverton. To register for classes on Portland’s west side, please fill out this 2-question form to secure your registration. I’ll follow up with an individual email confirmation.
Thursday Classes in Southeast Portland. To register for classes on Portland’s east side, please visit the specific class links on Artichoke Music’s website:
Workshop: How to Change Your ‘Ukulele Strings
Saturday, January 31 ~ 10:00am – Noon @ Artichoke Music. It’s that time again! Join me for my annual workshop on changing your strings. I’ll provide a demonstration of technique and approach, and then offer support as you change the strings on your own instrument.
We’ll discuss a variety of things to consider – ‘ukulele size, different string material, techniques for knotting and winding, and more.
All materials provided, including a new set of strings from Artichoke’s store. Learn more and register here.
Monthly / Quarterly Jams
Our monthly jams at Artichoke Music will continue on 1st Saturdays, running 2:00-3:30pm. Save the following dates and join us!
- Saturday, January 3
- Saturday, February 7
- Saturday, March 7
Stay tuned!
There are a few things that are still in the works:
- Since losing my Southwest Portland location in early December, I’m still looking for a suitable jam location, so thanks for your patience as I figure that out. I will be sure to put the word out when I’ve got one.
- I am also looking at some potential dates for a Spring Online Jam via Zoom, stay tuned for that, as well!
- Finally, I am working on starting a regular bi-weekly Songwriting Sessions series, hosted hybrid in-person and live online. I hope to start that series in February.
So much fun ahead!
Whew! We’re in for a ton of fun in the New Year, I hope you will join us. As always, you can stay most up to date by subscribing to my e-newsletter and/or reach out any time with questions and concerns. Both of these options are available here.