Sun Lakes Ukulele Group kicks off 4th season

Nancy Harrison

If you’ve visited the Cottonwood Clubhouse on a Sunday afternoon and heard some happy music and laughter coming from the Phoenix Room, you’ve heard our Sun Lakes Ukulele Group. The group, led by Cottonwood Palo Verde resident Nancy Harrison, will kick off its fourth season on Sunday, October 29. We meet on the first and third Sundays of the month to learn songs, chords, strums, fun licks and tricks on the ukulele. Many of our members are just getting started, so come to the Beginner group and join the fun!

The fee for each session is $3, and the group is open to everyone. The Beginner session runs from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. The Jam Session from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. is for all levels. Beginners (with standard tuning ukuleles) will need to purchase the beginner book for $10 (available at the first session). The Jam Session (standard and baritone ukes are welcome in this group) will use a combination of handouts, the Sun Lakes Ukulele Songbook ($7) and The Daily Ukulele, 365 Songs for Better Living compiled by Liz and Jim Beloff, available at many local music stores or through Amazon.com for $25 to $30.

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. Bring your music stand too! 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 October 29, November 5, November 19, December 3, December 17, January 7, January 21, February 4, February 18, March 4, March 18, April 1 and April 15.

Go to the Sun Lakes Ukulele Group website at www.sunlakesukes.com for more information or call 503-702-7021 and leave a message and call back number.

Nancy Harrison moved to Cottonwood from Portland, Oregon, as a full-time resident in October, 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 recent retiree from Intel Corporation. She is a member of the Luongo Ukulele Ensemble and will be performing at the Palm Springs Ukulele Festival February 22-24, 2018, and the Reno Ukulele Festival May 2-5, 2018.