Having trouble carving out time to play your ukulele? Maybe you’d feel more motivated if playing it wasn’t a solitary activity. Here are a few ideas to help you make your practice a more social experience:
Join a club. Search Facebook groups or Meetup for uke or multi-instrument clubs in your area. Most groups have recurring meet-ups, which are great opportunities to carve out time to play and try out new songs. If you can’t find a group in your area, it’s probably time to start one!
Play with your kids. If you’re a parent to little ones, you probably can’t join a club (yet). So play with your kids! Grab your uke and strum while your toddlers play with train tracks or while your baby is having tummy time. Take the melody of a song you know well and change the lyrics so you’re narrating what your child is doing. (Frère Jacques is a great song choice for new players because it’s a one-chord song with simple lyrics and a lovely melody.) Make sure you have a basket of kid instruments available so they can jam along with you!
Enlist a friend. Have a friend who likes to sing? Or remember hearing an acquaintance talk about playing the guitar? Invite them over for a jam session!
Take lessons. While some players do fine learning on their own, many others do well when they have an instructor and scheduled lessons to keep them accountable. Search Yelp or visit your local music store to find a teacher in your area. (An instructor can also be a resource for finding other musicians and clubs to play with.)
Have you tried any of these ideas? Who do you play with?
