The rise (and rise) of the ukulele

Around 15 or so years ago, there was a resurgence in the ukulele which some thought would be short lived. In 2015 the Music Industries Association UK reported that ‘combined online and high-street sales doubled in Britain to about 250,000 a year over the past five years. Schools are using it as an alternative to recorders as an easy, cost-effective instrument to start learning’. Since this report, the ukulele continues to hold its own and we have seen the evolution of it within and outside the classroom.

Why the ukulele?

So, what is it about the ukulele that continues to hold us in its thrall?

• Affordability: entry level ukuleles are low cost and there is a huge range, often in vibrant colours to attract younger players.
• Accessibility and durability: it can be learnt from a very young age but is complex enough to challenge dedicated players at advanced levels.
• Portability: the small size allows for easy transport and storage.
• Resources: there is a vast amount of curricular resources, tutor books and song books for players to share and discover from all over the world.
• Versatility: it can be used as a solo instrument, for accompaniment or in a large ensemble. There are few musical instruments that share all these attributes.

Its popularity has been helped along by artists such as Billie Eilish, who released her signature ukulele with Fender two years ago. In an interview given at the time of the release, Eilish said: ‘The ukulele was the first instrument I learned. It's where I started writing, and where I found new ways of writing that I had never tried before.’ The launch of Eilish's signature ukulele coincided with the addition of six of her songs (for guitar and uke only) to Fender Play – the online learning app for guitar, bass and ukulele.

Resources

The resources available for the ukulele are vast and growing at an exponential rate. Here are a selection of people, publications and projects which are tried and tested, for complete beginners to more advanced players.

The Ukulele Project

The Ukulele Project is a website and home to several regional and city groups within the UK. For a monthly fee, you can get a school membership, giving access to song sheets, worksheets and PowerPoint presentations, all of which you can use in classrooms. There is a beginner course or you can build your own curriculum using traditional and current songs, as well as worksheets.

The Project also publishes books, in print or digital form. First Ukulele Pieces is a collection of melody (fingerstyle) pieces by artists all over the world, put together by the professional ukulele player Paul Mansell. The collection features some of the world's top ukulele composers and performers, including Phil Doleman, James Hill and Colin Tribe. ukuleleproject.co.uk

Colin Tribe

Colin Tribe has been at the forefront of the ukulele scene in the UK for many years. He wrote the acclaimed Discovering Fingerstyle Ukulele, published 2018 (Schott). This book presented the ukulele as a serious instrument in its own right and gave a progression route for those who were ready for more advanced playing. The was followed by Discovering Fingerstyle Ukulele: Songbook, which has carefully crafted fingerstyle arrangements of 30 of the most popular songs of all time, such as ‘Mack the Knife’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Both Sides Now’. These chord-melody arrangements show a variety of ways the high G ukulele can be used for instrumental solo or duet (such as chord accompaniment and melodic fingerpicking). While there are some arrangements suitable for lower-grade players, the songbook does not shy away from having advanced arrangements that will stretch the limits of most players. schottmusiclondon.com/shop/autoren/colin-tribe

Learn the Ukulele

Phil Doleman is a professional ukulele player and teacher, and for the last 15 years has been a regular on the ukulele festival circuit in the UK and around the world, running workshops and performing. He has released several albums, composed pieces for the RGT/University of West London ukulele grades, authored books (including How Music Works on the Ukulele) and writes a column for UKE Magazine. He is the person behind learntheukulele.co.uk, which brings together a substantial amount of resources, from tutorials to other videos and links for the beginner or more advanced ukulele student, many of which are free to access online.

Uketropolis

Uketropolis is the brainchild of James Hill and provides teacher training and a supportive community, as well as stacks of free accessible resources. His ‘Ukulele in the Classroom’ Level 1, 2 and 3 are available as free downloads from uketropolis.com/classroom. Hill also has a podcast and blog including the brilliant ‘pedagogy corner’, which includes articles on broader aspects of music teaching such as ‘How to teach intervals in music?’.

Musical Futures

Musical Futures provides excellent web resources for ukulele, for the beginner to the more advanced player. The free resources include adaptable whole-class arrangements where the parts have been arranged for most instruments and include a range of ability levels. musicalfuturesonline.org/free-resource-library

Ukulele Hunt

Ukulele Hunt is one of the original and still one of the best websites for tips, tricks and arrangements. There is also a map of over 200 ukulele groups in the UK for those who fancy conducting CPD in the pub with other uke enthusiasts. ukulelehunt.com

Ukulele Magic

Published by Collins, Ukulele Magic is a series that many teachers still swear by for teaching younger students. Despite being just over a decade old, it continues to capture the enthusiasm of students and teachers alike.

School Ukulele Orchestra

The School Ukulele Orchestra website is a recent but fast favourite of mine. This contains free songbooks with melody and harmony parts in tablature. There are classic tunes arranged for mixed-ability performance groups, with parts for students who can play melodies and harmonies; who can strum the rhythms; and who can play ringing-chords once each bar. Having several students playing the tunes together will balance the volume in the group. Most tunes feature a melody, written in standard notation and tab, along with ukulele chords with diagrams. These are particularly useful for ensemble performance pieces for exams. school-ukulele-orchestra.net/tuition-resources

Adobe Stock / Leung Chopan

Assessment/qualifications

The number of syllabuses to choose from has increased in recent years. These cover a range of genres, techniques and styles. There is also greater progression, with both Rockschool and MTB going up to Grade 8. Here is a round-up of the current offering to help you select performance repertoire, grades, material for GCSE or the right exams board:

• Victoria College of Music (VCM) is an independent body providing music exams. Colin Tribe wrote the original ukulele syllabus in 2008. The syllabus consists of preparatory grades and Grades 1 to 8 for soprano, concert and tenor with high G ukes. It also has several diploma options for advanced performers. VCM has also released a baritone ukulele syllabus – in this, a selection from Tribe's original syllabus has been rearranged for the baritone with its guitar-like DGBE tuning. vcmexams.co.uk

• Rockschool now has a fully regulated suite of ukulele grades (Debut to Grade 8), suitable for all ages and musical abilities. You can view the syllabus and download a ukulele sample pack. rslawards.com/rockschool/graded-exams/ukulele

• London College of Music (LCM) offers five ukulele Grades plus two introductory levels. The standard graded exams consist of a performance, a rhythm study, a free choice specialism and musicianship. lcme.uwl.ac.uk/our-exams/guitar-ukulele/ukulele

• Registry of Guitar Teachers (RGT) is now managed by London College of Music Exams and certificated by the University of West London. rgt.org

• Music Teachers Board (MTB), the relatively new kids on the block, launched their first Ofqual regulated qualifications in March 2019. The assessment model is based on the GCSE music coursework structure and adapted to work with instrumental qualifications. The syllabus, which goes up to Grade 8, was written or arranged by Lindsay Higgs (lindsayhiggs.co.uk), who has over 20 years' teaching experience and recorded with the bands Super Furry Animals and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. He also composed the first ukulele concerto to be performed in Britain (by Ben Rouse of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, conducted by Paul Cox). mtbexams.com/syllabus/ukulele