National Ukulele Day arrived today on May 2nd with the Hashtag #NationalPlayYOurUkuleleDay! This is a day to celebrate this wonderful, little instrument and get more people interested in playing. Is this your first year playing the ukulele? That’s a great reason to celebrate! Below, I will outline ten ways to commemorate this day and celebrate the ukulele.
Play!
The first way to celebrate is to play! Maybe you have a favorite song or collection of songs that you’d like to play, or a technique you want to review. Let your ukulele light shine and play your heart out. You can play by yourself or put on a little performance for others. This would be a great time to post a video of yourself playing, too!
Check Out a Ukulele Event
This is a great time to check out ukulele festivals and club gatherings. Check out community forums and meeting sites to find out where the closest groups are meeting. Grab a friend and make it a fun adventure! Ukulele festivals often offer lessons and workshops. It’s a great time to rub elbows with fellow ukulele players, even some famous ones, and learn something new.
Organize a Jam Session
Do you have friends who play the ukulele? Organize a jam session where you all play together. You can select a list of songs to play or improvise and just make it up as you go! Jamming with others is a great way to improve your listening and playing skills.
Read more: Can the Ukulele Be Self-Taught?
Create Ukulele Arts and Crafts
Do you have access to any art materials? Now would be a great time to create some ukulele-inspired artwork. You can download and print this outline of a ukulele body and decorate it with paint, stickers, draw patterns, and more. You can cut out the design on paper or even cardboard. You can even use a cereal box! Get creative with adding the strings. Use ribbon, string, yarn, or whatever your heart desires for the strings.
You can make more than one, too, and then you’ll have some great ukulele art to hang up. This is also a very accessible project for kids to do, too!
Teach Someone to Play
Do you have a friend in your life who would be open to learning how to play the ukulele? Teach them how to play! You’d be amazed at how much you could share with them. No matter how long you’ve been playing, there is something that can be taught to them. You could start by explaining how the tuning works and show them how to tune to G-C-E-A. You could show them a simple song with two or three chords. Have fun with this and who knows…maybe you’ll have a ukulele buddy for life now!
Play for a Community Group
If you feel comfortable in front of a group, you could offer to play for a community group. Is there a children’s group that would love to see you play? Local senior centers and nursing homes are also great places to look into and they are often looking for people to come and do activities or perform for the residents. This is a great way to share your love for the ukulele with others. They will surely appreciate it!
Organize a Fundraiser Event or Donate to a Nonprofit
Depending on your resources and networking skills, now would be a great time to organize a fundraiser. Is there a community group who could benefit from ukuleles? Raise money to get them a few ukuleles! This is a great idea for senior centers and places that have mental health resources.
You can also find many great ukulele nonprofits that are doing great things in the world. Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom is a nonprofit that expands music education and trains and equips music educators with all the tools they need to implement guitar and ukulele programs.
The Ukulele Kids Club is another great nonprofit that donates ukuleles to music therapy programs around the world. Children in hospital settings love receiving ukuleles and it truly helps their healing process and settles the nerves with the medical issues they are going through. You can visit the Ukulele Kids Club here.
Treat Yourself!
Perhaps it’s time to treat yourself! You can go big or small! It might be the perfect time to try out another size ukulele. You can also buy something smaller for yourself like a new ukulele strap. Check out this beautiful Islander Tenor Ukulele at the Terry Carter Music Store. This is an amazing Acacia ukulele with a great price!. You might also like this Blue Kaleidoscope ukulele strap.
Share on Social Media
You can share what you’re doing to celebrate the day by using the hashtag #NationalUkuleleDay. Share a photo or video of you and your ukulele and help spread awareness for this great, little instrument.
Sign Up For a New Course
Now is a great time to sign up for a new course. Check out the membership options at ukelikethepros.com. There are courses for baritone and even guitarlele, too! Convenient options for monthly or yearly memberships in Platinum or Premium are available as well. It’s a great place to start working on new techniques or skills and getting to know other players.
Conclusion
I hope you now have some idea on how you can celebrate National Play Your Ukulele Day on May 2nd. Pick one or all of these ideas and you’ll be a great ukulele ambassador, spreading love and awareness for the ukulele!
