The Transformative Power of the Ukulele

Ukulele is a transformative instrument with the power to change lives for the better.

Happy New Year wishes from James!  Uketropolis online ukulele lessons founder reflects on why the way you feel when you play ukulele is the way you want to feel all the time.

Full Transcription

Happy New Year from Whanagamata beach in New Zealand!  This place has been the spiritual home of my family for four generations.  The sun has just come up, the moon is still out and I'm doing what I've done since I was a teenager: sitting in these sand dunes, listening to those waves... and thinking.  And, of course, I'm thinking about our favourite instrument.  And it comes down to this: I believe in the transformative power of the ukulele.  I'm gonna come right out and say it: I belive this humble instrument has the power to change the way we think, act and live.  It's so much more than strumming, picking and singing.  I believe it because I've seen it.  In my own life and in others' lives.

Your goal may be to learn chords or scales up the neck.  My goal may be to connect with other uke players who like the same kinds of songs as me.  Maybe you just want to relax and de-stress after a long day at work.  Regardless, "we are ukulele".  It's shapes who we are.  The way I feel when I'm playing ukulele is the way I want to feel all the time.  That hightened awareness, that connection to my body, that empathy with others is something I want to feel all the time.  The person I am when I play ukulele -- that creative, expressive, joyful person -- is the person I want to be more often.  Ukulele shows me my better self.  It always has.

Maybe that sounds a bit high-faluting but, hey, it's a New Year.  It's a new DECADE!  What better time to discover or maybe re-discover the ukulele?  2020.  It's in the numbers.  2020 is all about vision!  It's a year to see clearly, a year to think clearly, a year to have a vision for yourself.  It's a year to find happiness.  The ukulele won't do it for you.  But YOU can do it and the ukulele can help.  Maybe I'm naive but it's only because I've seen it time and time again.  The way I feel when I play ukulele is the way I want to feel all the time.  Happy, calm, focused.  The way I feel when I sit in the sand by the ocean is the way I want to feel more often.  I can't take the beach with me but I can get this feeling anytime I want by playing my ukulele.  2020 is a year of transformation, it's a year of finding your way to that place you've been searching for.  There are a ton of ukulele learning books and resources out there but if you want me to be your guide on this journey I'd be more than happy to do that.  You can start with free lessons with me at uketropolis.com!  Stop by, sign up for free and say hi!  I'll see you there just as soon as I'm done sitting in the sand.