Live in London? Learn To Uke will have you playing in a group, in a pub within an hour. Read more about the company, the Ukulele Teachers in London, and the courses below.
What? The company - Learn to Uke
Who? ‘Meet’ the teachers - The Ukulele Teachers
How? What to expect on your course - 4 Week Ukulele Course
We teach adults to play ukulele, in evening classes, in a recreational setting, in a private room in a pub. We will have you playing at least one song within an hour. It is a great way to unwind after work, and so far removed from traditional teaching, as you’ll be whizzing through lots of content, strumming and singing rather than slowly picking your way slowly through ‘twinkle twinkle’.
Andy Astle - Playing in a Ukulele Orchestra
Awesome Andy Astle (on the very left), Playing at the Royal Albert Hall with The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
Andy took up the ukulele in the mid 80′s as a founder member of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, with whom he played for the first ten years. He continues his ukulele playing alongside guitar, having used it in a variety of professional contexts from arrangements of early European music, to contemporary ‘left field’ rock with ‘Band of Holy Joy’, and his continuing solo work. He is an experienced teacher and performer, and has a special fondness for massed ranks of ukes, and a fascination with the ‘dark side’ of the ukulele.
Bonnie Adair - Absolute beginners in Peckham, SE London and London Bridge
Having enjoyed the Learn to Uke courses, I did my Ukulele Teaching Training with Lorraine. I’ve now taught several Beginners Courses and am described by past students as an encouraging, patient and fun teacher.
Here’s one student quote: “I have never been able to pick up a musical instrument and play it before like I can now with the Uke - it’s so exciting! Really loved the course, [Bonnie] the teacher and the classes. Can’t wait to do the next course” Henrietta Clemett
As a child I played guitar, but I stopped. As an adult I wanted to be musical and was delighted when I discovered ukulele in 2010. It’s the most cheerful, fun, inclusive instrument I’ve come across. If you also want to start playing as an adult, you should join a Learn To Uke 4 week course, it’s relaxed, social. Just see what you can do! Having been taught by Lorraine and by adopting her fantastic teaching methods, I quickly came to see that Ukulele literally can be for everyone.
Laura Burgoyne - Absolute beginners in Victoria
The ukulele can change your life. It is simply the best possible source of instant musical gratification. Playing it is a guaranteed* way to win friends and influence people.
Although I loved playing the cello and piano at school, that experience led me to associate music lessons with practising scales and studying musical theory. In my adult life I thought I couldn’t commit to an instrument, what with unpredictable working hours and a reluctance to do anything like hard work in the evenings. The ukulele was the answer! I started lessons with Learn to Uke and was hooked. After 8 hours sitting at a computer every day, the classes gave me an immediate change of mood and pace.
The Learn to Uke courses are carefully structured to be accessible, rewarding and fun. Structure lets us control the fun! The chords you’ll learn in the first lesson alone will allow you to play more songs than you can imagine, and it just gets better from there. A wee bit of practise in between lessons and you’re away.
Having completed my Ukulele Teaching Training, I have been teaching beginners’ courses in central London and running high school ukulele workshops with Lorraine. I’m really looking forward to opening up our new venue and producing some ukulele rock stars in Victoria.
A recent student said: “The course was brilliant - it’s really friendly, there’s no pressure and there’s a wide range of abilities. The course gets straight into playing actual songs - no faffing - so it’s really rewarding really quickly.” (Peter Yates)
*not really guaranteed.
I’ve taught a lot of theatre and performance skills to both children and adults, so I’m good at making sure everyone gets what they need out of their lesson.
Lorraine Bow - Taster Classes, Introduction & Intermediates in Central London
If I can play ukulele, everyone can, I believe. I want to open up fretted instrument playing to everyone. I’ve successfully taught several thousand people, a mixture of teachers at INSET sessions, children and adults either after work down the pub or at company workshops. You can play too. Lessons move quickly -you’ll strum a tune within an hour. You’ll connect with new people, enjoy music making and singing. (you don’t have to be a great singer, if everyone sings they only hear themselves) You are also likely to make new friends.
I won’t baffle you with science. You’ll progress and play ukulele quickly even with no prior music education. (If you practise for 10 minutes per day inbetween classes.)
I have 3 enhanced CRB disclosures. In the day I teach groups of 30-100 adults at company team building workshops or away days, teachers at INSET sessions, and also whole ukulele classes of children in schools (classes of 30 x 8 & 9 year olds at once).
I was taught how to play ukulele by Hester & George from the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain in 2007. Prior to that I had played ‘London’s Burning’ badly on the recorder at school. I remember how it feels to be unable to play a stringed instrument, or any instrument for that matter! For this reason, I’m a very patient ukulele teacher, and will hold your hand through your first steps. I started the ukulele jam night, Ukulele Wednesdays , and the band KaraUke, which luckily, have both been very successful.
Teaching Qualifications: PTLLS (Preparing to teach in the lifelong learning sector - City & Guilds), KS2 Music CPD Qualification.
Professional memberships: Musician’s Union, National Association of Music Educators.
Nick Browning
‘Noodly’ Nick Browning, (on the very right) playing at the Royal Albert Hall with the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
Nick has been active within the London ukulele community since 2006, performing, teaching and helping to organise events.
He studied music at the City University and the classical guitar at the Guildhall School of Music.
Nick has worked with George Hinchliffe (of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain) on original arrangements and performances of the classical repertoire for the Ukulele and in 2011 played on Joe McElderry’s “Classic” album which reached #2 in the charts.
If you do not live in London and want to take part in our structured course of ukulele lessons, or if you can’t commit to the same time each week - we’re going to be releasing our online ukulele course as soon as possible. If you’d like to pilot it, or be informed when it is released, please join our mailing list.
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