The ukulele has become one of the most popular instruments in music education, and with good reason: It's inexpensive, portable and user-friendly for both teachers and students. This course covers everything you'll need to know to start using the ukulele in your classroom, including uke anatomy, tuning, types and features, how to read chord diagrams, strumming patterns, popular chords and chord progressions. Suitable for absolute beginners through intermediate players.  You'll learn a wide variety of popular and "classic" songs along the way that you can use immediately. Suitable for absolute beginners through intermediate players who are looking for new ideas. Students are asked to submit audio files (mp3) and post videos in order to fully participate.

Instructor: Kalani Das, MT-BC

Kalani Das, MT-BC, is a world percussion specialist with more than 30 years of professional experience. He is a certified Orff Schulwerk educator, a board-certified music therapist, and a requested presenter at conferences worldwide. Das has worked with music legends Barry Manilow, Yanni, Kenny Loggins and Rod Stewart. He is the founder of the DCM approach to community music making and a member of the Music Therapy Drumming training team. Das has written nine books and produced numerous instructional DVDs and music CDs. He presents workshops, retreats and residencies for students, teachers, therapist, and the general public. More information can be found at www.kalanimusic.com and www.playsinglaugh.com.