Workshop 1: Australian Folk Medley

Singing and playing some Australian songs too good to be forgotten from 1880s to today. Starting with Inanay from the Yorta Yorta people, learn songs from the bush, the wars, from poets to contemporary folk songs.

REVIEWS: 'I loved playing these songs and learning some new ones.' Central Coast Ukulele and Folk Festival, August 2018

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Workshop 2: Playing Bush Dance tunes on your uke. Can you play the C scale? If so you can learn to play these bush dance tunes. Learn The Heel and Toe Polka and The Gallopede. Levels: Picking intermediate. If you can play the C scale and read TAB or notation, you can play these tunes. Strumming and dancing: Everyone.

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Workshop 3: Cotten Picking. Self-taught left-handed guitarist and banjo player, Elizabeth

otten developed her own original style. She played a guitar strung or a right-handed player,

but played it upside down, as she was lefthanded. This position required her to play the bass

lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature alternating bass style has become known as "Cotten picking". Learn this wonderful picking pattern on the ukulele and some songs that suit the style. Level: If you are ready to finger pick, this is for you.

 

Workshop 4: Tequila! Ukulele Ensemble. Players select their own level of participation depending on their experience with ukulele. You can play melody, backing chords or single backing notes from memory, chords or TAB.
There is place for everyone in this workshop as long as you call out Tequila! at the appropriate times!
Levels: Picking the melody is intermediate. Strumming is for everyone.

Workshop 5: In the Mood  Ukulele Ensemble. You'll learn to play this fabulous swing song, either melody, backing chords or single backing notes, from memory, chords or TAB. There is place for everyone in this workshop including some ukulography and vocal soloists. Great fun for all levels. Picking the melody: intermediate
Strumming: everyone.

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Workshop 6: Latin Time Ukulele Ensemble. Learn this very easy piece with Latin rhythms & melodies, opportunity for improvisation and fun lyrics.. Levels: Everyone

Workshop 7: Strumming tips and tricks at two levels: beginners and intermediate players
Add variation to your strumming by adding dynamics (emphasis), listening and imitating
what do the good players do, and the use of up strokes. We will practice these concepts

with exercises and songs as well as looking at some slightly trickier strums including Cathy’s

sure fire method to get you chunking along with the gang. Level: Everyone.

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'REVIEWS: How good were you guys yesterday? Thank you so much for running the workshop.

I have had great feedback from everyone who participated and hopefully they will  all keep practicing the skills you demonstrated today.'  Southport U3A QLD, Sept 2019.

Workshop 8: Ukulele Experiments and playing with other dangerous implements
Explore the uses of the ‘ukulele and chopsticks pairing’ with an ensemble arrangement of
The Celebrated Chop Waltz (or Chopsticks). Play with a variety of weird and wonderful
implements to develop some unique tonal qualities and slightly bizarre arrangements.
Level: everyone.

Workshop 9: Songs my Mother Loved. Take a trip with Angie through popular songs from the 1900s to 1930, the songs her mother sang. They are sure to tug at your heart strings or make you blush.
Level: Everyone.

Workshop 10: Russian Cabaret: Orchi Chernye ‘Dark Eyes’  Ukulele Ensemble
Dark Eyes is probably the most famous Ukrainian cabaret romance song. Learn to pick the
melody of this classic or choose to strum the chords (Am, Dm and E7) using tremolo strums

and fan strums to build to a dramatic finish. Everyone joins in the dramatic vocals!
Level: Picking intermediate, Strumming and singing: Everyone.

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Workshop 11: Baby Elephant Walk Ukulele Ensemble. Pick the melody or play the

off-beat chunking strum to get that baby walking through the savanna. 

 Level:  Picking intermediate,  Strumming: Everyone.

 

Workshop 12: Istanbul (not Constantinople) Ukulele Ensemble

Level: Picking melody intermediate+, Picking a pattern under melody: Everyone.

Strumming: everyone. Off-beat strum, slap/pull style. Singing: Everyone!

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Workshop 13: Playing around with ‘chord twins’ * from James Hill’s book, Booster Uke. Using the chord twins (chords that have the same shape on the fret board) to boost your playing to the next level. Level: Everyone.

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Workshop 14: "Hot Stuff" Ukulele Ensemble

Learn this fabulous version of Hot Stuff arranged for beginners, intermediate and advanced players. Channel  your 'inner Rock Star!' Includes the riff, the strum, the vocals, the easy picking patterns.

REVIEWS

'What a great workshop! Loved it!'  Central Coast Ukulele and Folk Festival, August 2019

 'We all enjoyed learning different ukulele parts to “Hot Stuff” from the excellent

Wild Women of Anywhere Beach workshop on Thursday.'  Gympie Gusto 20 September 2019 

A cracker of a workshop!'  SPRUKE Brisbane September 2019

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15. 'Queen' Medley

Learn to play excerpts from three classic Queen songs in a great medley. All level of ukulele players will enjoy this workshop and come away with a great medley to play.

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16. Marvellous Motown Songs: Bring your own ukulele or borrow one of ours. No musical knowledge or experience required. Get ready to rock as you strum along to the fabulous songs of Motown made famous by Aretha Franklin, the Sapphires, the Supremes, Tina Turner and others, including Dancin’ in the Street, Chapel of Love, The Loco-Motion, Respect, Heat Wave, and many more. Easy chords for beginners plus a few challenging ones for experienced players. The workshop fee includes song sheets and chord diagrams for you to keep.

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17. Enduring Hawaiian & Island songs: You won’t be able to stop smiling as you learn to strum the best swaying hula dancing songs of Hawaii made famous by Elvis Presley, Beach Boys and Annette Funicello, including Aloha, Pearly Shells, Little Grass Shack, Blue Hawaii, and many more. Easy chords for beginners plus a few challenging ones for experienced players. The workshop fee includes song sheets and chord diagrams for you to keep.

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18. Songs of Good Cheer: In the current times, sometimes it is just fabulous to sing as many songs to cheer us up

as possible. This workshops will do that.

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19. Fingerstyle Ukulele playing

Learn to move those fingers beyond strumming. Materials will be provided to get you

started on developing a finger picking style and using that to accompany yourself.

Learn arpeggios, common finger picking patterns, pinching and plucking, melody

picking and chord embellishments.

 

20. Playing Up the Dusty End: Why do I need to play chords up the neck? How do I find those chords?

We will learn a system for working out what to play ‘up the dusty end’ and use that to bring some

pizazz to some well-known songs. Learn how to move your chording skills up beyond the first 3 frets.

You will play the old familiar 'ice-cream-chords in new positions to dazzle your friends.

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21. Intro to Jazz Ukulele: Want to impress folks with your skills? Using more complex chords and inversions of chords up the neck, we will use two familiar jazz standards to get start to develop that feel and the 'cool',  Ain’t Misbehaving and All of Me.

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22. Ukulele Ensemble:Walking in the Air is a melody from the movie The Snowman. This workshop has parts for more experienced players in both chording and picking the melody or harmony.

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23. A Beach House in the Blue Mountains: Learn this iconic and very relevant song by Graeme Connors including great strumming techniques, picking out the main riffs and adding fancy little licks at the end of the line

in the chorus. 

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24. Groovin' with the Blues: Learn 2 different blues approaches: 12 bar blues in C with strums and licks, and the

magic of playing the blues in E using Eric Clapton's version of Somebody's Knockin.

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25. The Tone is in your hands: how to make your playing more 'musical', including techniques that improve the sound you create, the dynamics (louds and softs), the choice of strumming and picking styles to suit a specific song.

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NEW! WORKSHOP FOR THE LITTLE KIDS

Circle Songs on the Mat is a full participation singing and moving workshop for

pre-school and Kindy kids learning musical concepts while moving and

making music.

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Circle Songs on the Mat can also be run with younger children accompanied by a

mum, dad or carer.