Port Fairy’s Paulaida Fitzsimmons joins in the Uke’n’Play ukulele session with six-year-old son Jonah and five-month-old daughter Annika on the Port Fairy Village Green yesterday.
AN aspiring group of ukulele players rocked out at the summer Moyneyana Festival in Port Fairy yesterday.
Ukulele player extraordinaire Thom Jackson held Uke’n’Play ukulele classes on the Village Green yesterday and Sunday.
“We start out just teaching some basic chords and the goal is getting everyone to play, especially those that thought that they could never play music,” Mr Jackson said.
“We had about 30 to 40 people get involved today and we had a few more yesterday but everyone really got involved.”
Mr Jackson has played and taught the ukulele for about 11 years and says he still gets a kick every time he manages to get someone to pick up the tiny Hawaiian instrument.
“I really want people to know the joy of the ukulele.
“There was one boy who had to be about seven who was trying to teach his grandmother how to play and where to put her hands.
“That was pretty awesome to see.”
This year also saw Mr Jackson perform for the first time in a solo children’s concert — another memorable experience, he said. “We had about 60 kids there and most of them were getting up and dancing which was pretty awesome to see.”
Mr Jackson said he cannot wait to come back next year.
“I’ll definitely be back — you know, if they let me.”