Tickhill Ukulele Group will be up and running again from 9th September and will be meeting on Monday evenings during school term time, 7.00pm to 8.00pm from 12th September at the Parish Room. The group is open to people and families of all ages.
Whether you are a nervous novice wanting to learn an instrument for the first time or an experienced player wanting to play with others, or a parent, grandparent or carer wanting an activity for you and your children, the group will offer something for you to get your teeth into. If you don’t have an instrument, you can borrow one.
Brett and Harry really pride themselves on being prepared to play all types of music.
The Tickhill Ukulele Group was started on a cold November night in 2014 by school-teachers Brett and Sarah Smith with their seven year old son Harry.
Brett, an experienced performer and teacher, had already been teaching the ukulele to school groups with students ranging from primary school age to sixth formers as well as interested staff members and had already seen the enormous potential that the instrument had as a vehicle for learning music.
Brett said: “The instrument is very forgiving to beginners and most people can get a recognisable tune from one after the first session.
“I have seen in the classroom, the unbridled fun and energy that it can bring to a room and the capacity that the instrument has for bringing the quietest of people out of their shells. I always wanted to bring that feel good factor to communities and with that mission in mind, the group was started.”
Since then, the group has expanded from eight people to occasions when around 50 people have crammed into the Parish Room to play. The group has become a mainstay of Tickhill’s wide variety of village functions, ranging from the summer gala, Christmas events, the annual scarecrow festival to 1940s days.
Brett has been particularly proud of the instrument’s ability to help people come together across age gaps. “We have had Grandads with granddaughters and Grandmothers with grandsons as regulars at the group. It is especially lovely to hear our more mature group members singing Ed Sheeran songs and the youngsters belting out 1940’s jazz standards.”
Tickhill Ukulele Group meets at 7.00pm to 8.00pm on Monday evenings during term time, at the Parish Room, Northgate, Tickhill, DN11 9HZ. Adults £4.00, children £3.00.
Contact info@thesongsmith.co.uk or visit the group’s Facebook page for more information.