Why?

Why do you want to play the ukulele or guitar?
Why should you?

Well.. I don't know you personally, but I have personally witnessed the joy, sense of accomplishment and community that comes with learning to play the ukulele and guitar, not to mention all of these other things...

If you are a HUMAN, you are MUSICAL!
Our natural state is one of music. Steady beat and pitch is in our walk, our talk, our work and our love. Music is an intrinsically human activity.

Growth Mindset
Are you stuck? Feeling like you want to play music but there are just too many obstacles? Is your inner voice telling you that you don't have the talent or capacity for music? Did someone tell you that? Are you thinking, "It's all been done before. I'll never be as good as they are anyway, so why bother."?!?!

Well, I am here to tell you that based on both my experience as a teacher and the research of Bloom (and countless other researchers), talent is irrelevant. Sure, there are people that are going to have an easier time initially, but these are often not the students that end up being leaders in the music community. The students that focus on their own personal skill development and creative process are more likely to have the perseverance and courage throughout that journey, and are often the students that shine.

Are you thinking, "It's all been done before. I'll never be as good as they are anyway, so why bother."?!?!

My greatest joy (sorry if this is cheesy) is to hear a students' skills reach a point where they are now "finding their voice." We all have one.  It's impossible for the music that you make to have been done before because it's yours. As a classically trained musician, some might think that my favorite music is the music of the great composers of the centuries... and you're right, but what often brings me to tears in my day to day life is the music of my friends: of those in my community. They are often beginning players with no knowledge of music theory or history. It is the honesty, bravery and uniqueness of the songs that feeds my drive to be a teacher.

I see music as a process, not a product
If your goal is to be a rock star, great! I will support you. If your goal is to be a model for your children, great! I will support you. If your goal is to sound better when you sing along with the radio in the car, great!! I will support you.

We live in an interesting time
The advent of recording technology dramatically shifted the functional nature of music. Some say, and I believe, that music moved away from being an experience into being more of a product. I believe the internet has again dramatically shifted the functional nature of music.

Going forward, I feel that music has moved back into the hands of the creator and that creators' community, whether that be their physical community or online community. Diversity and collaboration are key to a healthy artistic future for Southern Oregon. It is my belief that everyone is an untapped source of cultural richness.

It's fun!
That's the most important reason. You could look into all the side benefits of learning to play an instrument, and I believe in most of them, but I still don't see them as particularly relevant. Music as an aesthetic experience is value enough.