Uke U 2026 Workshops

Ukulenny

Chuck, Shmute, and other Strumming Mysteries Revealed

A good ukulele performance often involves a bit of wizardry and mystery.  The ancient secrets of chuck, shmute, and even strums that come in threes while be revealed in this step by step technique workshop devoted to strumming.  By mastering these techniques, your spell book will be filled to the brim with strum pattern variations for every genre and style of ukulele playing. (Confident Beginner)

Ukulenny's School of Jam!

Enrollment is now open for Ukulenny's School of Jam! You're invited to join this workshop on becoming a better jammer. A lot goes into a good jam – tasteful chord variations, syrupy solos, and the right amount of rhythm can lead to a fruitful musical delight. We'll cover it all and more in this workshop dedicated to jamming. (Intermediate)

Chord Melody for the Children

Inspire the next generation with this heartfelt chord melody arrangement of "The Greatest Love of All."  With a handful of chord shapes and the confidence of Whitney Houston, this challenging song with fretboard leaps and key changes will feel "easy to achieve!" (Advanced Intermediate)

Nicole Keim

Songs for Community and Connection

Join Nicole as we come together in song. We’ll warm up our voices and bodies and learn pieces you can bring home to teach others. No ukuleles or formal singing experience needed, just your positive attitude and a willingness to share your voice! (All Levels)

Round and Round We Go!

In this workshop, Nicole will teach you several songs that can be sung and played as rounds. We’ll experiment with arrangements and hopefully give you material to share with your own ukulele groups. We will be using tablature to play the melodies, but if you're not proficient in that you can always play the chords instead!   (All Levels)

Aaron Keim

Chords Up the Neck

You have all those frets, but you seem to be trapped on the first 3! We don't have to be crazy virtuosos, but it's pretty easy to learn some new chord shapes higher up the neck. These new positions will make your songs more interesting and challenge you for a lifetime. We will also take some of this knowledge and harmonize some simple melodies. We will also learn about how music theory supports this idea, but don't worry, it won’t be scary! (All Levels)

Everyday Music Theory

Are you curious about music theory and how to use it to improve your musicianship?  This workshop will show you how to practically apply it to your everyday music making. Topics will include transposition to other keys, substituting chords, playing up the neck and building scales and melodies.  (Intermediate/Advanced)

Western Swing and Cowboy Jazz

Join Aaron as we strum, sing and pick some of his favorite songs.  Western Swing has it all: great melodies, interesting chords, a danceable beat, cool string band instruments and cowboy hats.  This was the topic of Aaron’s master’s degree thesis, so you can expect some historical nerd talk too.  (All Levels)

Casey MacGill

My 3 Strums

Learn the three strums Casey uses most—Swing, Shuffle, and Rumba. These aren’t just techniques; they’re little slices of history inspired by rhythm guitar players from the ‘30s to the ‘60s. Bring your uke, and let’s groove through some handout-ready tunes together. (Advanced Beginner/Intermediate)

Polishing the Details

Learning a new song? The first question is "How do I start it?" Followed by "How do I end it?" and "How do I make it more interesting?  Casey will take you through several classic songs showing you how to add spice to your songs. (Intermediate/Advanced)

 Blues with a Feeling

Take a journey through the blues and meet legends like Muddy Waters, Memphis Minnie, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, etc. You’ll leave with stories, links to recordings, and a list of tunes you’ll love to play. We will examine strums, a few choice licks, and listen to the masters on vintage vinyl recordings. There will be chord chart handouts and lyric sheets. Tunes include Muddy Waters: I Just Want to Make Love to You; Memphis Minnie: Chauffer Blues; Howlin’ Wolf: Built for Comfort; Little Walter: Blues With a Feeling;Jimmy Reed: You Got Me Runnin.’ (Intermediate)