The ukulele has been around for a very long time however it is becoming more and more popular with children and adults alike. Regarded once as a toy the ukulele is now played by more and more adults.
Cheap ukuleles can be purchased in most bargain stores and charity shops for under £10 and is a great way to encourage very young children to start making music. However they are very cheaply made and often will not make a good sound but can be very encouraging to a young child! The ukulele up to now has been seen as a bit of a toy for children however with the rising popularity of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain adults (many whom have never had a music lesson in their life) are keen to take up this delightful instrument and its not difficult to understand why.
George Formby is probably the most famous for his ukulele playing - he was a bit of a genius to be honest - and most people will know at least one of his songs 'when I'm cleaning windows'. It is such a small instrument that children and adults can hold it fairly easily and with only four strings it makes it easier to play than a guitar (I could never get my fingers into the right places!). The greatest thing I think about the ukulele is that with three or four simple chords you can play many, many things.
Here is a great starter book for children. Ukulele Magic was recommended to me by a music teacher friend of mine who has started teaching in school with groups. I was keen to buy it as it follows alongside the Kodaly approach I use for teaching and thought I could integrate it into my teaching. There are several levels and I would start with level 1. A great book if you have a class of ukulele players as they can play different parts to create a whole piece.
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