Warren Buffett, the second richest person in the world, has given ukuleles and lessons to girls at the North Omaha branch of Girls Inc, a US non-profit youth organisation.  Several girls are now taking weekly lessons. In his lesson, Mr Buffett spent about an hour trying to teach 13 girls the song Red River Valley and Happy Birthday.

Here is the newspaper article about Warren Buffett and his ukulele.

The uke is picking up in popularity with the kids these day. You can easily learn how to play the ukulele in just a few lessons from Richard, the Uke guru

Many discover the joy of playing the ukulele through the guidance of Richard Chong, a master coach.  In his class, no one is too young or too long to learn.

As you can see from the picture above, you can be as old as a grandmother, or as young as a6-years old, you still can learn to play beautiful music with the ukulele.

For senior citizens, now is a good time to play a musical instrument.  When they got married,  they were busy raising their children and a full time job, so they never had a chance to fulfil their childhood dreams. Now they are alone in their retirement, what better ways to fill up the time and occupy their minds by learning music.  An active life keeps the mind from going senile.

Learning music is good for health as it engages the mind, body and soul.  Who knows, someday you can do community work by performing for the underprivileged. Where the piper is, people will follow the music.

Learning the ukulele isn’t that difficult. In 8 lessons, you would have master and able to perform a song for your loved ones.  Surprise your loved one with a performance on the ukulele.  What better gift than one that comes from the heart.

Learning to play the ukulele doesn’t cost you a lot. For less than $200, you can learn in a classroom environment in a small group.  Get to meet new friends.  Have a social life.  When you free, go for the free jamming sessions to practice more.

If you are interested, sign up for the class with Richard Chong.  Details at www.ukulele.sg

Easier to pick up than the guitar, this instrument is fast striking a chord with Singaporeans of all ages.

That lilting twang, the breezing strumming – there is certainly something about the ukulele that calls to mind images of an island paradise.

Ukulele Jamming Session

As you listen to a 20-string crowd of ukulele players strum and sing, you can almost see Hawaii – ah yes, those hula-skirt dancers, dthe straw hats and a lazy hammock by the sea.

Except, it is Rasa Sayang they are playing and they are far from the beach in a spacious room at the HQ of the Singapore Scout Association in Bishan.

The Ukulele Guru

Leading the gathering is Mr Richard Chong, 64, a full-time music instructor and ukulele guru, as his students call him. And it is a fortnightly jamming session by a group of enthusiasts, comprising both men and women, mostly middle-aged or older.

The ukulele has struck a chort with many Singaporean, thanks to Mr Chong, a self-taught musician, who has gotten schools, churches and organisations to sing – or rather, to play – his tune.

He started teaching the instrument five years ago, while doing overseas missionary work involving orphans in countries such as Cambodia.

There is a community appeal to it. When people get together to play, there is a boy-scout campfire field to it

This was followed by group lessons held at various churches there. He also conducted private group sessions and is working with voluntary welfare organisations and non-profit groups to hold lessons for their members

Ukulele Course

To date, he says he has taught more than 1,000 students, a mix of young and old. For $190, you get three two-hour lessons over three weeks, your own ukulele set, a tuner and a songbook.

But it does not stop there. His students get together on their own for jamming sessions involving mass ukulele playing and singalongs. Songs range from pop hits to evergreens and folk tunes.

The most regular of these is the one held at the Singapore Scout Association HQ, where many of them such as Mr Chong, are also members of its Seniors in Scouting program.

Ukulele Therapy

Sixty-something lawyer Tan Loy Jin, who has been playing the ukulele for only five months, says: “These jamming sessions are great as they foster camaraderie. They are also very relaxing and therapeutic.”

The Beauty of Ukulele

He adds: “The ukulele is great for children and the elderly – those whose fingers cannot stretch a lot. It is also easy to learn, the instrument being small and light.”

Looking like mini guitars, ukuleles have only four strings compared to a guitar’s six, so fingering is easier. It produces a lighter sound and comes in four guitar sizes.

The History of Ukulele

The quaint instrument is often associated with Hawaii but actually, says Mr Chong, it was introduced there by Portuguese immigrants. The Hawaiians then made it popular and interest in the instrument spread to California.

The Ukulele Busker

Mr Chong, an engineer before he retired five years ago, has been playing the ukulele since he was 13.

As a young man, he studied in Britain and would busk along the streets of London, wowing audiences. He says, chuckling: “I was probably the only ukulele-playing Chinaman there.”

10-year-old Ukulele Student

One of his students is 10-year-old Tan Jin Ren, who fell in love with the instrument three years ago after watching his teacher play it in church.

Never mind that the boy has no musical background, because according to his father Tan Chin Eng, 45, a telecommunications marketeer, “I also bought a ukulele for myself to accompany him, but in just a couple of months, he overtook me.”

Jing Ren says cheekily: “I rarely practise. But I try my best at jamming sessions. And I want to start learning the guitar soon.”

The Power of the Ukulele

Besides individuals, organisations such as the Singapore Association for the Visually Handicapped are also interested to hold classes for their members.

At Teen Challenge Singapore, a voluntary welfare organisation that offers outreach and residential programs for young offenders, its executive directory, Reverend Sam Kuna , has seen Mr Chong perform and says the ukulele has the potential to encourage bonding among problem youths.

He says: “There is a community appeal to it and it’s easier to pickup than a guitar. “When people get together to play, there is a boy-scout campfire feel to it. It’s a story-telling evening kind of mood.”

written by Tan Yi Hui,  the Sunday Times dated 15 Feb 2009

See original newspaper cutting at http://ukulele.sg/testimonials.html