The ukulele has changed my life. It has softened me as a person. It has made me embrace the ordinary and attempt to do things that my once perfectionist nature would have never dared. It has connected me deeply in my community and provided moments when I am able to be completely intimate with others. All this from the humble ukulele.
Having left the corporate world behind in Sydney twelve years ago, I have unintentionally created a ukulele community here on the Coffs Coast. I have worked in the Arts and Creative Industries for the past 25 years but always in an administrative capacity – fundraising, project management – not on the creative side of things.
I grew up with music. Coming from a large family, I followed in my sisters’ footsteps and started piano lessons aged seven, as well as trumpet in the school band. I continued both of these for ten years but found the piano exams and eisteddfods very rigid and not a lot of fun.
About 8 years ago, my best friend bought ukuleles for the kids for Christmas so I did the same. Our children weren’t that interested but we were hooked. Then another friend asked me to run a ukulele workshop for women who had been through trauma and during that, I knew this is what I needed to be doing.
I started the Sawtell Ukulele Group three years ago now – and it has grown to three groups of different levels (Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced) with over 60 members in total. We perform regularly at Aged Care facilities and community events, such as the Sawtell Chilli Festival, Reclaim the Night, Japanese Children’s Festival, Sawtell Summer Sessions, Breast Buddies Biggest Morning Tea and other fundraisers. Recently my group performed a Lady Gaga Medley at Sawtell Cinema before a screening of A Star is Born and felt like superstars ourselves.
It’s a very social thing and we have so much fun. Members of my groups and others from up and down the coast (from Yamba down to South West Rocks) meet once a month for a Jam at 63 First Avenue. I also teach courses at the Coffs Harbour Women’s Health Centre, local libraries, and take private students – ranging from school aged kids (I’m a Creative Kids provider) right up to a gentleman who is 90 years old.
What I see day today is how learning an instrument and playing in a group can make positive change in people’s lives. One of my students from that very first workshop, Sue, who found that first experience extremely frustrating, has gone on to join my Sawtell Beginners Group and progress to the Intermediate and Advanced groups. She also volunteers as part of my Uke Squad project – helping others who are struggling in their lives.
The Uke Squad started in 2017 when I received a grant from Coffs Harbour City Council to train a team to take the ukulele into places where people are feeling disconnected from society, whether it be by their health, their age, their economic status or their ethnic background. The aim is to share the feeling of connection, joy and value that comes from participating in music.
Music has been used as a healing force for centuries and can bring people together by reaching across barriers of language, age, nationality, status and culture.
We piloted the first Squad through the Australian Red Cross’ Happy Hearts Playgroup and Migrant Parenting Program. Over the 10-week program we taught the ukulele to over 20 CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) community members who come along each Monday to make music. The families represented 13 different countries, including Ethopia, Ertriea, Congo, South Sudan, Kenya, Burma, Thailand, India, Korea, Japan, Syria, South America, and Australia. The course finished with a public performance at the Harbourside Markets where the broader community were able to celebrate with the group.
In October 2018, the Squad delivered an 8-week program into Coffs homeless community through Pete’s Place, a homeless support service that offers laundry and showering facilities next to the Coffs Neighbourhood Centre. Each Tuesday we would go and spend two hours with clients. Within that time they had intimate human contact with the Uke Squad members, learnt how to play a musical instrument (which they could keep) giving a great sense of worth and achievement, and ‘jammed’ with other clients from Pete’s Place, forming bonds that were maintained between sessions.
I spent one session with an older fellow, Peter, who really wanted to play his Dad’s favourite song on the ukulele. He had played guitar before so strumming wasn’t a problem, but his mind was muddled and he had great difficulty retaining information. When he finally nailed the song – he looked up into my eyes and we both had tears. I will never forget the look on his face – it was pure joy and satisfaction – like he had surprised himself and was so proud. I found working with Peter highly intimate – touching his fingers, not shying away from being in his personal space, showing him that he mattered and had my undivided attention. This was meaningful engagement – connection through music.
The next project I am working on is bringing music into hospitals. Funding was secured through the NSW My Community Project where the public voted on which projects received the money. Whilst not strictly music therapy, the benefits of playing live music in health care settings has been well documented. These include clinical outcomes such as faster discharges from hospital to assisting in the management of pain and anxiety but can also include emotional and mental wellbeing. It’s a way of bringing a little joy to patients during their stay. Our Musicians in Hospitals project will kick off in Coffs Hospital late February.
Whether confined to a hospital bed or in a nursing home; to a life on the streets or on the margins of society, my Uke Squads will bring joy to participants and a way to connect with others (and self) through music.
