Nui Ukulele Newsletter, February 14, 2008
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.”
-- Michael Jordan
“You can always become better.”
-- Tiger Woods
Announcements
Learning Corner
Photos from the Molokai Ukulele Workshop (under the Pictures and
Video section)
Most Common Music Problems and their Solutions (under the
Upcoming Class Subjects and Covered Material Section)
New Blog (http://ukeaholics.nuiukulele.org)
Web Site of the Month
Web Site updates
Events
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Announcements
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Aloha, from the white snowy shores of the Midwest. It's
Valentines Day. Show your ukulele some love, and play it.
If you can't have the ukulele you want, love the one you're with.
I will be performing at the Ukulele Cabaret this Saturday. See
the Events section below.
I have posted few pictures from the Molokai Ukulele Workshop in
December in the Photo section. Not all the pictures are mine.
My friend, Chris, from the workshop deserves most of the credit.
I have been reading most of "This is Your Brain on Music" by
Daniel Levitin. This book was recommended by my friend, Richard
Polishuk, from the workshop. This book offers tremendous insight
into how we understand, love and learn music. It is not a pure
technical pursuit, but a nice balance of technical and novice
music language in a non-threatening way describing how our brains
react to music.
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Welcome to the best addiction ever, Ukeaholism
To celebrate I set up a site blog, Ukeaholics.
This is where ukeaholics meet to help foster their addiction.
No one wants to be CURED.
If you a interested in becoming a ukeaholic,
please email nuiukulele@pobox.com and I will send you a login and password.
The blog site will be
http://ukeaholics.nuiukulele.org.
I still have fill in the upcoming events into the calendar.
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The Web Site of the Month is:
Ukefarm
www.ukefarm.com
They have a 24/7 web radio station with nothing but uke music.
They also have some nice free ukulele chord fonts for making your
ukulele music. They have a blog, uke videos, and other uke links.
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Learning Corner
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What makes you a successful musician?
Talent?
Goal Setting?
Great Teachers?
Long Practice Sessions?
Great Instruments?
Years of Music Theory?
Focused Practice?
The answer is no to all these qualities.
The chief requirement for success is REGULAR practice.
The most successful musicians are the ones that practice on a
regular basis. They have established a routine that they follow
religiously. While all the above factors help. The most important
factor in becoming accomplished at ANY skill is regular practice.
Why is regular practice the most important factor to success lies
in how our brains work.
When we practice regularly our brains reinforces the neurological
pathways that account for memory. "The strength of the memory is
related to how many times the original stimulus has been
experienced." Also, if you care about your practice, dopamine,
(the neurotransmitter associated with emotional regulation,
alertness, and mood) is released. Thus, an emotional response helps
encode the memory trace in our brains. Thus, caring how you
practice helps you remember what you are learning.
This information was obtained from the book.
"This is Your Brain On Music" See the Book section
on the nuiukulele.org web site for further details.
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Web Site Updates
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Pictures and Video (Pictures from Molokai Ukulele Workshop)
Books (Added "This is Your Brain On Music")
Ukeaholics Blog ( http://ukeaholics.nuiukulele.org )
Most Common Music Problems and their Solutions ( under Class
Subjects and covered materials)
Uke Site of the Month ( www.ukefarm.com )
Coming Soon
Software Recommendations
Instructional Videos Reviews
Most Common Music Problems and their Solutions (Part 2)
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Events
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Monthly Sunday Nui Ukulele Club Meeting
Chicago Area Kodaly Educators
Chicago Maritime Festival
Third Coast Percussion
Ukulele Cabaret
Tiki Terrace Uke Club
Blue Stone School Classes
Peoples Music School
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Saturday, February 16
http://cake.oake.org
For those About to Rock: Intersections Between Popular Music
and the Kodaly Philosophy
by Jacki Kelly-McHale
Chicago Area Kodaly Educators
Vandercook College of Music
3140 S. Federal St.
Chicago IL 60616
9 AM to 1 PM
Registration begins at 8:30 AM
Cost is $35 non-members and $10 college students
Member cost is $30 members and Free for college students
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Saturday, February 16 9 PM
Ukulele Cabaret
Silvies Lounge
1902 W. Irving Park Road
Chicago IL
ukechicago@gmail.com
http://www.myspace.com/ukechicago
Open mic for people who what to sing with the ukulele about
love, lust and loss.
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Sunday, February 17
Monthly Nui Ukulele Club Meeting
Laid back Ukulele Fun
1077 W. Polk Store Front
Chicago IL 60607
312-491-9928
RSVP for sheet music printing purposes
http://www.nuiukulele.org
nuiukulele@pobox.com
12:00 Noon til 3:00 PM
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Saturday, February, 23rd
Chicago Maritime Festival
Chicago, Illinois
2008 Chicago Maritime Festival -
all day at the
Chicago History Museum
http://www.chicagomaritimefestival.org
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Sunday, Feb. 24
Third Coast Percussion
Chicago Cultural Center
Sunday Salon Series:
New Music Chicago
Preston Bradley Hall
78 E Washington St.
Chicago, IL
3:00 p.m.
Free
http://www.thirdcoastpercussion.com
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Tiki Terrace Uke Club (temp location)
Sunday, Feb 24th
6910 N. McAlpin
Chicago IL 60646
2:30 to 4:30 PM
If you don't look it up on mapquest,
you will never find it.
Tell everyone to come to the side door.
Same time: 2:30 to 4:30.
Thanks, Mike Brosnan
773/792-1022
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Uke Classes -- Exploring Ukulele
Feburary 7 to April 10
Thursdays 7 PM to 8 PM
Tuition $125 or
$15 each week
Blue Stone Folk School
1095 Conner Street
Noblesville, Indiana 46060
312-363-5352
Instructor Geoff Davis
info@bluestonefolkschool.org
http://www.bluestonefolkschool.org
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Peoples Music School
http://www.peoplesmusicschool.org
931 W. Eastwood Ave,
Chicago IL
773-784-7032
All concerts are free.
Tue, Feb 19 4:30 PM
Civic Orchestra Chamber Ensemble
made possible by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Sat, Feb 23 2:00 PM
32nd Anniversary Celebration Faculty Recital
Tue, Feb 26 4:00 PM
Chicago Opera Theater Workshop
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Keep Strumming, Singing, and Smiling,
Terry Truhart
tpensel@pobox.com
www.nuiukulele.org
312-491-9928