Find your ukulele music jam at the Pacific Beach Library

When you walk into the Pacific Beach/Taylor Library, island melodies and a ukulele chorus might not be the first thing you expect.

But that’s exactly what you’ll find on the first and third Thursday afternoons in the library’s common room, where teachers Richard Dew and Kent Linder offer free ukulele lessons from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m., before the Hau’oli Strummers Ukulele Club jam session starts at 3 p.m

Dew and Linder said they started the beginners course after attending the jam session and realizing there was a need for explicit beginners instruction. The pair purchased ukuleles for students to borrow during lessons, found beginner-friendly songs and created instructional graphics for finger placement.

They started the course a few months ago, have a small group of regular students and hope to continue to expand the course.

Many students found the class through the jam session after attending and realized they needed more practice before they could keep up with the group.

Dew and Linder said they understand the challenges for ukulele beginners in mastering the instrument, as both took up the ukulele later in life.

“I probably only started playing two years ago,” Dew said. “In high school I was a band nerd and played woodwinds, and then I played in a small band when I was in high school. My main instrument was the guitar, which I taught myself, and from there the transition to the ukulele is pretty easy.

“I went on Meetup and typed in ‘music,’ then ukulele popped up and I went to one of the jams and fell in love,” Dew said. “I’ve been coming ever since.”

Linder also had music experience.

“I was playing in a band with a bass player in Tampa, Florida, and it turned out he was interested in the ukulele,” Linder said. “He told me about it and then founded what was once the largest ukulele club on Meetup – the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society.

“I had to learn it, but it’s so simple,” Linder said. “I was mostly a drummer. I picked it up, learned two or three chords and sang a lot of songs with two or three chords.”

They said the ukulele was a great instrument for people who didn’t have much music training. One of the most unique things is that students can start playing songs right away.

“It spreads joy,” Linder said of his motivation to teach. “We love music and we love helping everyone have more music in their lives, and the ukulele is a great introduction to that world without having to learn the 88 keys of a piano or whatever.”

“I think someone can learn something and apply it without it becoming really complicated,” Dew added. “That’s one of the philosophies Kent and I have. Some music courses require you to learn scales and theory before playing songs. We’ll teach you a few chords, say “put your fingers here” and let’s play. So let’s just do it. I like it when I see people say, ‘Oh yeah, I can play that.’”

The basic strings are simple and easy to learn, and the size and structure of the instrument means there are fewer chords and finger positions to remember, they said. After just a few minutes of explanation of chord names, common notes, and frets, students can play a one-chord song like Harry Nilsson’s classic island tune “Coconut.”

Students said the ability to start playing right away drew them to the ukulele, even though they needed additional help with specific finger placement and transition instructions.

For the instructors, the most rewarding part of the class was watching students progress in their skills.

“It’s really fun to see people’s eyes light up when they realize they can play a song that they may have loved their whole life but have never played before,” Linder said.

“It brings people together,” Dew added. “Everyone can find joy and happiness in a small thing, and this is one of them.”

For students like Julie Davanzo, who recently returned from the East Coast, the ukulele has provided a sense of community as she adjusts to life in San Diego.

Davanzo said she came to the library to sign up for a card, saw information about ukulele lessons and immediately found her people after the visit. The lessons and the subsequent jam session are characterized by a strong sense of community and playfulness.

For example, in October, students Joyce Darrack and Monique Mangold brought a little Halloween spirit by wearing fall and Halloween outfits. Dew also provided themed snacks and treats.

David Lombardi, who hosted the jam session following the class, said he was also drawn to the ukulele because of its easy-to-learn style and portability.

“My ukulele has been all over the world and it lets me go with it,” Lombardi said. “So, you know, it’s not serious, it’s kind of fun. A lot of us are retired or semi-retired and just trying to have fun.”

Lombardi started the library’s twice-monthly jam sessions during the COVID-19 crisis.

“I started playing with the Hau’oli Strummers about nine years ago,” Lombardi said. “COVID came, then they just did it over Zoom and it was pretty terrible. … I couldn’t take it.”

After pandemic restrictions on gatherings were lifted, Lombardi reached out to library staff, and the jam sessions have been happening there ever since.

The ukulele lessons and jam sessions create a strong sense of community and allow participants to make friends, find joy in music and enjoy the Pacific Beach lifestyle.

The instrument also has cultural significance in Hawaiian music and its origins date back to the late 19th century. The Hawaiians called the small stringed instrument the ukulele, which means “jumping flea,” referring to the rapid movement of the player’s fingers. Over time, the ukulele became a symbol of Hawaiian identity and an essential element of traditional Hawaiian music, particularly during the Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1970s, a cultural revival of native practices and arts.