The Ottawa Folklore Centre (OFC) is presenting group ukulele classes starting Wednesday, February 22 at 6pm with Joel Jacques, one of OFC's multi-talented staff members. Also, on the last Saturday of each month starting in February, a specific ukulele technique will be highlighted (Sat, Feb 25 - strumming workshop, 3-5pm). Registration can be done over the phone with a credit card or in person at the store. Call the school desk after 2pm during the week, 9:30am-5pm on Saturday, or 12pm -5pm Sunday at 613-730-2887 ext 3, or stop by the store anytime. Phone : 613-730-2887 extension 3. All registration deadlines are two days before the start date of the course. Registration is final with absolutely no refunds with the unique exception being a course that is cancelled due to low enrollment. Below are the course descriptions or check out on the OFC website http://www.ottawafolklore.com/calendar/ :

Starting Wednesday, February 22 2012     Intro to Ukulele
For the total beginner – Introduction to Ukulele Song Accompaniment. Come find your musical voice through learning to sing and play the ukulele. This introduction to the Ukulele is for those picking up the ukulele for the first time. Students will learn to play the ukulele as an accompaniment to voice and sing popular songs together in a group setting. We’ll cover a variety of accompaniment techniques to get you playing interesting and fun versions of songs you know and love. At least one song per week will be covered (yes, we can get you playing a song in a week!!!). Though the focus will be on playing songs together in order to learn the basic techniques of the ukulele, certain fundamentals of music will be introduced and worked through so that the ground is broken for future musical study, whether through further courses or through independent study. 4 weeks, Wednesdays, 6:00-7:00pm, February 22nd to March 14th, $68 OFC members, $80 non OFC members. GUKE12.02B1

Starting Wednesday February 22 2012     Continuing Ukulele Class
Continuing Ukulele – Chords / Scales / Melody – Chord arrangements. Continuing ukulele is for those who have already learned to play a few songs and can change easily between several basic chords and now wish to further explore the musical possibilities of our adopted four stringed friend. A certain amount of time each class will be dedicated to listening to the way various artists have used the ukulele in popular music throughout the 20th century. We’ll apply this to the repertoire we tackle together in class. We will begin to explore the relationships between melodies, scales and chord progressions and some basic fundamentals of music theory will be covered and applied to our arrangements. 4 weeks, Wednesdays 8:00-9:00pm, February 22nd to March 14th, $68 OFC members, $80 non OFC members. GUKE12.02N1

Saturday February 25 2012   Ukulele Techniques Workshop  3 - 5 p.m.
Join Joel Jacques and the occasional special guest for a Ukulele techniques class on the last Saturday of every month. This Saturday will feature strumming. Beginners will get something out of this as well but is designed for people who have been playing for a bit.