Georgia Magazine - October 2023 - 21

Get involved with uke groups
* The Southeast Ukers, bit.ly/seukers
* West Georgia Ukulele Ensemble, bit.ly/westgauke
* Woodstock Ukulele Players, bit.ly/wsuke
Small instrument, big impact
Peggy Killian of Douglasville is one of those friends. Killian, who
worked for the Douglas County school system for 41 years as a choral
and band director, launched the West Georgia Ukulele Ensemble four
years ago.
" We had 50 members prior to COVID, but we lost some and are
building back now, " she says.
Killian and her uke players meet on Saturdays in a space near
Uke Republic, perform together and livestream the concert on the
ensemble's Facebook page, but there's more to this group than
meets the ear.
" We're also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and we donate
ukuleles to children's hospitals in the metro Atlanta area for music
therapy programs, " she says. " We also send the kids home with the
Above: Participants at last year's Chatsworth
Ukulele Festival prepare for a workshop with Kirk
Jones. Below: Jas Ingram ( " Captain Lovehandles " )
jams at last year's Chatsworth Ukulele Festival.
to play that,' and I did. The rest is history. We started
selling ukes online in 2007 and opened our shop in
2012. "
McQueen says the ukulele dates back to
19th-century Portugal, where locals strummed small
string instruments called braguinhas. It found its
way to the Hawaiian Islands in 1879 and became an
integral part of the musical landscape.
" For beginners, ukes have relatively low price
tags, " he says. " We carry high-quality, entry-level
ones for as low as $40. We also carry higher-end
Rolls-Royce models [such as ones made by Kanile'a
and Koaloha] that can run as high as $8,000. "
McQueen's showroom has more than 100
ukuleles on display, and he's shipped them around
the world. He supplies ukuleles that resemble lutes
to Atlanta's Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse and
others to Truett's Luau restaurant in
Fayetteville, various film studios,
libraries, schools and more.
" Our motto is 'Where ukes
are played and friends are
made,' " he says.
instruments as gifts of music 'for life.' The therapeutic benefits [of music]
are amazing for sick children. "
The group also performs at nursing homes, senior centers and school
fundraisers and is planning to start a free program at the local library: check
out a ukulele and learn to play it.
Last month, the West Georgia Ukulele Ensemble raised $2,000 to help
those affected by the recent fires in Lahaina, Hawaii, and on Oct. 21, they
will perform at the SouthEast UKE-2-GETHER festival in Austell to commemorate
its five-year anniversary. Killian says that, among other tunes,
the ensemble will perform its most-requested song, " You Are My Sunshine. "
" We love playing that one because everyone-young and old-sings
along with the music, " Killian says. " And 'Sweet Caroline' [by Neil Diamond]
is another fun one to perform. But I think my personal favorite is 'I'll Fly
Away.' That one makes everyone smile. "
Learning to play
Most people learn by seeking out personal instruction (just inquire
about teachers or workshops at the local music store), by joining an
organized group of players or by strumming along to free YouTube tutorials.
For the last six summers, Brian Coski has taught children (age 7 and
older) the basics at a ukulele camp sponsored by First Baptist Church
of Newnan.
" I teach a beginner class in the morning and an intermediate
class in the afternoon, " says Coski, who is also a music
professor at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw and
Milledgeville-based Georgia Military College. " I teach them
eight or 10 chords that they can apply to many songs, and I teach
them how to tune their instrument, which is important. "
He " graduates " 20 to 30 uke-playing kids each summer
and leads them in an end-of-camp concert featuring renditions
of the whimsical tunes " (Put The Lime In The) Coconut " and
" Do Your Ears Hang Low? "
Coski has a theory as to why the world loves the ukulele.
" It's called the happiest instrument there is for a reason, "
he says. " It has a fun and entertaining tone to it, and people can
learn to play it before they become frustrated with it. Even my
4-year-old can play a couple of songs. It really is surprisingly
easy to play. "
Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer living in Adairsville.
www.georgiamagazine.org 21
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http://bit.ly/seukers http://bit.ly/westgauke http://bit.ly/wsuke http://www.georgiamagazine.org
Georgia Magazine - October 2023

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