Ukulele: ticket to ride

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Anne Ku

Little did I know that buying my first ukulele and learning to play it would change the direction of my life.

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It’s so easy to fall in love but breaking up

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Anne Ku

During the four hour mash-up medley marathon, I conferred with six other ukulele players that mash-ups shouldn’t just be about songs that have similar chords or rhythms. There has to be a rhyme and reason to choosing songs for a mash-up. I introduced my new mash-up of “It’s So Easy to Fall in Love” Linda Ronstadt style with “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” while our apple cake was baking in the new oven.

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Songs I lead

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Anne Ku

I’m building a playlist of songs I can confidently and competently lead a ukulele group. The secret to successful song leading is to do it in a key with the entire melody falling within my most comfortable vocal range. In observing song leaders, I noticed they only lead songs that they know well. They would never sightread. They would not risk winging it unless they have to. Of course, leading a jam session poses less risk than leading a performance. I’ve experienced fantastic jam sessions because the leadership is solid. What does it take to lead?

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Compromised and impersonated on Facebook

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Anne Ku

Yesterday, two friends from high school sent me private messages asking why I had contacted them to request friendship when we were already friends on Facebook. I was not hacked but “compromised” — that’s the word. Regardless, it was quite a shock to see someone impersonating me. Even more so, I was surprised that people who shared mutual FB friends with me were on the list of friends of the fake account.

Has this happened to you before?

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Nontraditional students and their struggles: the pursuit of degrees

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Anne Ku

In the UK, older students are called “mature students.” In the US, anyone over 25 studying for their first degree falls into the category of “nontraditional students”. In the Netherlands, it is uncommon to see a mature, nontraditional student at conservatory. One first year (traditional) student even opined that older students couldn’t make it in music. Her remark both scared me and challenged me.

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The last degree of separation

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Anne Ku

Each time I left my job to study for a degree, it felt harder than the previous. I call the latest my last degree of separation, for truly it was more arduous than I had ever expected — a physical and geographical estrangement from those closest to me, rocketing me out of my comfort zone, plunging me into long bouts of solitary confinement and emotional isolation. Yet to do my research, I had to deliberately mingle with crowds of strangers who bonded with me in ways I never imagined possible. That is the paradox.

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Autumn Leaves in G minor with French

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Anne Ku

Autumn: leaves are falling and turning colour. The summer has ended, and soon my stay in London will, too.

My research into the paradox of simplicity that commands the sound of 3,000 voices and instruments (Irish Hooley, Dun Laoghaire, August 2017) led me to conclude that it’s all about following the age-old wisdom of Keep It Simple and Small is Beautiful. Take the jazz version of “Autumn Leaves” for example.

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Seated marathon of words

Posted on September 22, 2018 by Anne Ku

“Support my fundraiser! Come to my soiree on the 22nd!”

He invited me to play the grand piano or bring my ukulele group for a singalong to fundraise for his half-marathon in Jordan. I can do neither. I am already missing the Chocoleles performing at the second annual Milton Porchfest. I am missing the open museum day in Boston and open historic houses in London. I am missing everything because I am running a seated marathon.

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Visiting Vis, Croatia – the Mamma Mia effect

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Anne Ku

Barely two weeks after watching “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” – the sequel to “Mamma Mia!” I am now on the island where it was filmed, not quite a year ago in September 2017, not Greece but Croatia. The island of Vis is as beautiful as it first impressed upon me in the movie, with plenty of locations to explore in the coming week. Over a multi-course fish dinner on the harbour last night, I declared, “I think I’m finally chilling out.”

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Mamma Mia II: here I go again!

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Anne Ku

Won’t it be great to sing ABBA songs and see the new Mamma Mia movie? That seed of intention was planted back in April when my ukulele group in Boston dedicated one of our weekly jam sessions to songs from the ABBA GOLD album.

Yesterday, we did just that. After our outdoor ukulele gig at Kew Village Market, I followed Lisa on bicycle to nearby Richmond to celebrate our friend Sue’s birthday with ABBA songs and the Mamma Mia II movie. We brought our soprano ukuleles in anticipation. Should we play and sing before the movie or after? Time decided for us.

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