Ukelele community orchestra is born

Sep 30, 2010

Photo: The founding meeting of the first ever community ukulele orchestra at Land O' Lakes Public School

The founding meeting for the first ever community ukulele orchestra was well underway on September 22 in the gym at Land O' Lakes public school. Norman Guntensperger, long time primary teacher, avid guitar player, and all round music lover, initiated the formation of the orchestra after two visits to the school (the first two years ago), by ukulele aficionado James Hill.

Hill's first visit was a concert visit, sponsored by the Blue Skies in the Community program. Hill piqued the interest of staff and students at the school in pursuing his classroom teaching program. A year later Hill returned to give a hands-on workshop to students, which according to Norm the students “just ate up”. Norm has since felt that a community ukulele orchestra would be a great way to get not just students but the entire community involved and so this year he decided to “extend an invitation to all members of the community to come out and get involved.”

Guntensperger spoke of James Hill's inspiration. “Right now there's a real rebirth in the ukulele movement that James Hill is a big part of and his visits to the school really laid the groundwork for all of this to happen.”

James' teaching program is an inexpensive, easy to understand, hands-on program that teaches kids how to read music and play a wide variety of musical styles through a teaching method that progresses very quickly. The instrument itself is key since it is relatively easy to play, accessible, inexpensive and easy to transport.

To date a $1300 grant from Blues Skies in the Community plus $1500 in additional funding from the Limestone District School Board has enabled the school to purchase 30 ukuleles and a wooden storage cabinet designed and built by Geoffrey Murray, who teaches at Sharbot Lake High School.

Currently the school is pursuing a grant from the Limestone Learning Foundation that will cover the cost of music stands, Hill’s instructional books and tuners and also permit Jeffrey Hanlon, a professor at the Queen's University School of Music, to teach the students.

Hill’s program has now become a regular part of the school's music curriculum for grade 7 and 8 students who will begin the program after Christmas. For grade 7 student Claire Willis who attended the first meeting of the new orchestra it is a dream come true. ”I love learning through music and have always wanted to learn how to play an instrument and to be part of something musical. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to play really well and the ukulele is such a cool instrument,” she said.

Grade 8 student Kyle Riley agreed. ”It's the first instrument I have ever played and I would love to become an expert at it.”

Guntensperger is planning to model the orchestra after the Blue Skies Community Fiddle orchestra and is hoping that participants of all ages will get involved. There is no fee to become a member, just a small deposit required for rental of the instruments and the books.

“The plan is to use this program as a take-off point and I really hope to get other talented people’s input and their help in facilitating the program. I would like it to be a real cooperative endeavor“. Norm is also adamant that kids and adults are given an opportunity to become “music producers, not just music consumers”.

“Luckily there is still a tradition of folk music out here in these communities and I envision a group of adults and children working together to put on live community shows using lots of different styles of music.”

Anyone interested in joining the ukulele community orchestra can contact Norm Guntensperger at Land O' Lakes PS at 613-335-5254. The orchestra meets every Wednesday in the school gym from 3-4:30PM.

Photos - 21977 & 21975