Workshops at the Oceanside Public Library!
Last Wednesday, my family and I packed up the car and headed to Oceanside, California for a day of ukulele workshops at the beautiful Oceanside Public Library. Daniel Ho and I had been invited to lead two workshops as part of the excitement leading up to the very first Oceanside Ukulele Festival this October, and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces (and meet plenty of new ones too!).
I had every intention of arriving early enough to do my hair and change outfits, but somewhere along the drive little Dani got carsick and we had to pull over. Thankfully, after a peanut butter snack and a little fresh air, she was feeling much better.
When we arrived, Daniel Ho and Lydia welcomed us to the library along with Pepe Romero and his family and the wonderful Oceanside Public Library staff. It was exciting to see everyone working together toward the same goal: building a thriving ukulele community here in Oceanside, California.
Before long the room was full of ukuleles, smiles, and lots of eager players. We spent the afternoon teaching two workshops; one designed for beginners who were just getting started and another for intermediate players looking to expand their strumming and musical toolbox.
In the beginner class we covered the fundamentals: how to hold the ukulele, basic strumming, first chords, and even everyone's first song The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
During the intermediate workshop, Daniel shared some of his signature strumming techniques while introducing everyone to Strummin' by the Oceanside, the festival theme song he composed especially for the inaugural Oceanside Ukulele Festival.
Several of you asked if I'd make the workshop handouts available online, so you can get them by clicking here! The beginner workshop materials are on pages 1–10, and the intermediate workshop materials begin on page 12.
Between workshops, Daniel and I wandered around the library grounds talking through ideas for October's festival. It was fun imagining where the stage, vendors, workshops, and jam sessions will all come together in just a few months.
If you've been thinking about coming, I hope you'll join us! The inaugural Oceanside Ukulele Festival, hosted by Romero Creations and the Oceanside Public Library, will be held on Saturday, October 10 from 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., and admission is completely free.
Registration is open now, so you can reserve your spot by clicking here.
Festival shirts are also available, and my favorite detail is what's printed on the back: the sheet music for Daniel's original festival song, Strummin' by the Oceanside. I'm hoping hundreds of festival-goers will be playing it together in October!
You can have the festival t-shirt sent to you by clicking here!
Shortly after the workshops ended, Adrian Demain and Nolan Yoshimoto stopped by to say hello.
Many of you may recognize Nolan from the Romero Creations Open House earlier this year, and this was my first opportunity to meet Adrian, who will be one of the featured artists at the festival.
Since we don't all live close to one another, we took advantage of being in the same place to snap a few photos together.
Before heading home, Daniel and I changed outfits so we could film a short invitation for another event we're both excited about.
Daniel has graciously invited me to perform with his band at the beautiful Muckenthaler Cultural Center on August 20 in Fullerton, California. If you enjoy Hawaiian music, jazz, beautiful melodies, and hearing Daniel perform live, we'd love to see you there.
I'll be joining Daniel on alto saxophone alongside Alexander Pierce (bass and harmony vocals) and Randy Drake (drums and percussion).
I've been incredibly blessed to perform alongside Daniel in Temecula, Nuuk, Greenland, and at the San Francisco Jazz Festival. Our two San Francisco performances sold out, so if you're thinking about joining us in Fullerton, I'd encourage you to grab your tickets soon. You can learn more and buy tickets by clicking here. We would LOVE to see you there!
Here is a short clip of our performance in San Francisco:
Thank you again to everyone who joined us at the workshops. It was such an encouraging reminder of how much the Southern California ukulele community continues to grow. I hope the handouts help as you continue practicing, and I hope we'll see many of you again, either at the concert in August or at the Oceanside Ukulele Festival this October.
Bernadette