Get into music in a fun and easy way by learning to play the ukulele. Cumberland County Public Library is excited to launch the Cliffdale Ukulele Club. The group will meet at the Cliffdale Regional Library, 6882 Cliffdale Road, on the second Saturday of every month at 2 p.m. beginning Sept. 9.
Players of all ages, abilities and skill levels can learn, share music and play together.
Playing a musical instrument is not only fun but has surprising benefits. As a teenager, I took piano lessons from a lady who was in her late 80s. She was quick-witted and took great pride in not forgetting anything.
As a young student, I found this trait annoying. She told me to always keep playing even if I didn’t make a career out of it. She would tell me that playing kept her young and smart. I took the advice.
When I was a high school teacher, I ran the robotics team. We gathered in the science teacher’s room one day after school. She had been teaching left- and right-brain dominance and had shown the students a twirling ballerina. If you were right-brain dominant, you would see the ballerina twirling to the right; if you were left-brain dominant, the ballerina twirled to the left. I saw her twirling both to the right and to the left.
When I asked the science teacher what this meant, she said it meant I used both sides of my brain equally. Several students indicated that they also saw the ballerina twirling in both directions. I noticed that each of these students was in the band. The common denominator among those of us who were using both sides of our brains equally was that we were musicians.
The ukulele is an excellent starting instrument with a rich cultural heritage. Anyone can pick up a ukulele, and with a little instruction play simple songs relatively quickly.
The first Ukulele Club meeting will include a lesson for beginners. Ukuleles will be available to use during the program, but players may bring their own ukulele if they prefer.
This project is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Cumberland County Public Library.
For details about this and other library programs, stop in at any of our eight locations, call us at 910-483-7727, or visit cumberlandcountync.gov/library.
Jennifer Hatcher is branch manager at the Cliffdale Regional Library.
