Group leader Nancy Harrison and Sun Lakes Ukulele Group members at the season-end picnic (left to right): Melani Boultier, Nancy Harrison, Fred Tibbs, Dari Akin, Linda Market, Rick Boyd, Carol Graham, Sharron Crawford, Norbert Rich, Betty Spinrad, Rod Hobgood, Reggie Wegman, Peggy Benton, Wendy Gale
Nancy Harrison
The Sun Lakes Ukulele Group, led by Cottonwood Palo Verde resident Nancy Harrison, will kick off its eighth season on Sunday, Nov. 3. We meet on the first and third Sundays of the month in the winter season in the Computer Learning Center, Room 1 (the Phoenix Room). We learn songs, chords, strums, fun licks, and tricks on the ukulele. If you are just getting started, come to the Beginner group and join the fun!
The fee for each Beginner session is $3, and the group is open to everyone. The Beginner session runs from 1 to 1:45 p.m. Beginners (with standard GCEA tuning ukuleles) will need to purchase the beginner book for $15 (available at the first session). There is no fee for the Jam Session this year. It runs from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and is for all levels. The Jam Session (standard and baritone ukuleles are welcome in this group) uses songs from our website, www.sunlakesukes.com.
If you have a ukulele in playable condition (which means that the tuning pegs work, don’t slip, and the strings are relatively new), please come and join us. All songs are projected on the wall, but you may find a music stand is useful for your book if you want to make notes. If you’re just curious, we’d love to have you drop in, share the fun, and see if the ukulele is the instrument for you. Upcoming sessions are as follows:
2024 Fall Schedule: Nov. 3, Nov. 17, Dec. 1, and Dec. 15
2025 Winter Schedule: Jan. 5, Jan. 19, Feb. 2, Feb. 16, March 2, and March 16
Go to the Sun Lakes Ukulele Group website at www.sunlakesukes.com for more information or call 503-702-7021. Leave a message and call-back number.
Nancy Harrison moved to Cottonwood from Portland, Ore., as a full-time resident in October of 2013. She studied music education at the University of Iowa and recently completed a Ukulele Teacher Certification program with James Hill in Vancouver, BC. She taught public school music for several years in Iowa and is a retiree from Intel Corporation. She is a former member of the Luongo Ukulele Ensemble, based in Reno, Nev. In July of 2018 the group performed 11 concerts in Waikiki, Hawaii, including the 48th Annual Hawaii Ukulele Festival. She performs with James Hill and the Uke Heads (an international band) on the 2024 album Uke Heads, which is available on Apple Music, Spotify, or Amazon Music.