TUITION
Scroll down for a description of my ukulele tuition curriculum for people at any level in the Salisbury level.
Welcome
Welcome to Ukulele Vagabond’s tutorial page. If you are looking for private ukulele tuition in the Salisbury area for all ages and all abilities, you have come to the right place. I have coached people who have NEVER touched a ukulele before all the way up to singer songwriters who perform but just needed to develop their ukulele skills to give their performances that edge.
Costs and Pricing
Tuition for Young People (Under 14s):
£20 for one lesson 30 minutes. 25 minute lesson, 5 minutes change over
The Standard Services will be as follows:
£40 for one hour lesson (55 minutes 5 minute change over) OR £132 for 4 lessons (£33 per lesson for bulk orders.)
An invoice will be sent to you with the payment details on it after the type of lessons have been agreed.
Please note these prices are for the lessons to be carried out at the Tutor’s residence in Alderbury just outside of Salisbury. Lessons to be carried out at the homes of the clients will be charged at a slightly higher rate and will depend on the location and the tutor’s availability.
Place your orders using the form below or email: [email protected]
All Ukulele Lessons Include
- A 25 or 55 minute lesson with an experienced and professional teacher and coach in the Salisbury area.
- A personal video on the clients phone, if necessary, that sums up what they need .
- A basic grounding in music theory tailored to the needs of the client but dependent on the clients course of study.
Book Your Free 30 Minute Consultation
Book your free session
Use the form provided to book your free consultation. We just need a few details to arrange a session.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about my services or would like to drop me a message you can also email me at [email protected]
Free consultations can be booked at a time convenient to you.
So you want to brush up on your ukulele skills or learn from scratch? Click the video above OR keep reading for information on how we can help you with our 1-1 tuition program for beginner ukulele players using a three-step program for self improvement. ukulele Skills or learn from scratch?
Click the video above OR keep reading for information on how we can help you with our 1-1 tuition programme for beginner ukulele players using a three step programme for self improvement.
Step One: Brushing up existing skills or learning from scratch
The first stage will be looking at what you can already do and making sure that it is optimised for quality and precision, as well engaging in supportive discussions and coaching to deal with confidence issues that people may have around playing music privately and publicly.
If you have no skills on the ukulele yet then that is fine; we will start from the beginning and teach you how to tune up, learn the basic chords and start strumming.
If you already have some basic skills on the ukulele, then we will work together to optimise your pre-existing playing for quality and precision. Throughout this section we will discuss and agree the kind of direction you wish to take your playing in depending on your musical interests.
Step Two: Developing a more personalized tuition plan
The second stage will involve establishing what your interests are and how to achieve your future goals and aspirations with the instrument. This can involve discussing your interests with regard to musical genres or styles as well as discussing what you want to do with your ukulele.
For example, do you want to do your grades? Are you interested in playing in a band? Are you interested in performing solo? Do you just want to learn some things to play when you get back from work and want to unwind? Together, we will establish drills, and practice regimes to get you there in the quickest possible time and to the highest level.
Step Three: Realizing the dream
Please bear in mind it doesn’t all finish here, there are lots of other avenues for learning once you have got over the basics. However, this section involves realisation of the goal that you set at the beginning.
This will depend largely on what your aim was; for example, if you want to play at a family gathering, it will involve exposure to performing in front of people at a pace you can manage.
If you wanted to do your grades, it could be finalizing those three pieces and technical exercises and getting those Rockschool grades one or even two certificates.
If you wanted to learn some basic skills on ukulele it will involve, for example, finishing learning those scales and adding fancy bits so you can solo to your favourite musician or playing bar chords to make sounds at different tonalities.
If you wanted to learn covers, this stage will mean making sure those covers are completed so you can seamlessly play them.
So you already have some skills on the Ukulele and would like to learn some more advanced skills? Click the video above OR continue reading to find out about how we can help you with our 1-1 programme for more advanced players.
Step one: Tightening up existing skills
Individuals who already have a basic level of proficiency on ukulele will begin by having a few assessment sessions to work on things like dynamic ranges (if needed) and to discuss and establish a direction in which their playing will take. Dynamic ranges means learning to vary one’s playing to play loudly and softly when required and developing a good mastery of the instrument.
Step two: Developing advanced skills on ukulele
At this stage we will establish what styles of playing and skills the tutees are interested in pursuing and develop drills and practice regimes to get them there. This can include Latin styles, percussive styles, bar chords, alternative strumming patterns and muting techniques, as well as learning to sing and play, or scales to work on soloing. Tutees will have access to teaching in any or all of the techniques outlined above and many more, and will have the freedom to determine the direction their lessons go in based on their interests.
Of course Rockschool grades three to four will be available for intermediate players who have also mastered the basics of music reading and for those really dedicated and skillful players grades 5 and up.
Step three: Obtaining a new skill set on the ukulele
This stage will include the completion of a new skill set on the ukulele and the finalizing of new techniques. The tutees will be able to proficiently apply the new techniques that they have learnt to either songs or covers or master the higher grades.
Do you struggle to make that leap to song writing? Perhaps you are beginner, intermediate or advanced ukulele player who feels stuck and uncertain about making that leap towards more creative playing? Well in this course of study we will be focusing on the three steps below to help ignite a passion for song writing.
Step one: An education in lyric writing
Learn simple, leading up to complex rhythming structures. All tutees will get given a crash course in how to write lyrics and integrate lyrics into a wider rhythming structure. Pupils will also get assistance and coaching in the art of theme building and development in song writing.
Step two: Structuring a song
During this stage we will look at different genres of music and the different structures they use. We will also seek to identify how and when to use those structures in songwriting and learn to develop a mastery of their use. This will include covering the intro, the verse, the bridge, the chorus, breaks for solos and how to play the ukulele as either a solo instrument or a part of a wider arrangement with other instruments.
Step three: Completing a song and developing the songwriting process
By this stage you should have a good mastery of the component parts so we will work on future goals and aspirations with songwriting. This could be collaborating with a band, writing albums or learning music production from home.
If you have always dreamt of getting up on stage and performing but have never quite had the knowledge or confidence to approach performance then this course of study will be perfect for you. Using a technique of gradual exposure to performance and careful cultivation of stage presence we will work through the confidence issues that arise around performing at a pace that you can manage.
Step one: Getting a solid foundation.
For a start we will work with your existing skillset to get it up to scratch. The number one rule of performance is to perform something you are comfortable performing. Good execution of something simple is better than poor execution of something outside your currrent skillset. So let’s get those basic established. We will also start to discuss when, where and how many songs you would like to perform, the goal setting usually helps by giving students an event to work towards.
Step two: Preparing for the performance.
Now we have something established it is important to sure up those skills and and them ready for a performance. For example, are you used to singing into a microphone? If not, it is important that we get you used to it before you start. Have you got used to playing a piece of music whist not looking at the instrument? This section will also include encouraging performance in a welcoming setting like in front of a family member so the client gets a bit of experience playing in front of people.
Step three: Performance.
Where were you looking to perform? Was it at an open mic night? Staff Christmas party? Family wedding? The final stage is doing the performance you have been working towards. Please note. If you have no event in mind the tutor also runs two performances a year (Christmas and a big summer performance) that you can get a slot for and work towards. The audience is always welcoming of new comers so no excuses for anyone wanting to get up their and show the work their talents.
Want to get a rounded learning experience while learning great tunes? Rockschool has you covered; with a set of modern pop, rock, blues, reggae, soul and Latin arrangements and sets of technical exercises that ground you with the foundations, you will be sure to find something in their program that you love.
Step one: Early Grades
For children there is the debut grade, very simple child appropriate tunes that get the basic chords and some very basic picking. For teenagers and older learners go straight to grade 1 and learn simple picking melodies and chord structures that challenge the mind. Perfect to get you accustomed to reading music.
Step two: Middle Grades 2 – 4
It’s hotting up, start developing those more complex finger patterns. With grade 3 introducing barre chords and grade 4 getting your fingers working fast than they have had to previously, don’t be fooled by the term middle grades, they are far from easy.
Step three: Advanced Grades 5 and up
Not for the faint hearted, these ones are for the real musicians who have put in the graft on the basics. Expect complex picking, longer tunes, barre chords up and down the instrument as well as raucous solos and strumming patterns that will have your hand feeling like it’s going to fall off at first.
Ukulele Workshops
Got a party coming up? Running a community group? Work in a school? Kids party? Or even wanting something different to do on a stag or hen doo. With 30 great quality ukuleles and a screen to get you playing along, you will not regret booking a ukulele workshop for your event. I’ll get you playing in 2 hours.
From reggae, blues, rock, pop or even just some basic techniques, whatever level you are starting at we’ll get you playing. there will be an appropriate song for you. Just hit up the video above and find out a little more about what my 4 years of workshop experience can bring to you.
