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Uketoberfest 2024


Why Attend This Ukulele Workshop

Whether you are an absolute beginner or an intermediate ukulele player, you will have the opportunity to meet others in the ukulele community and develop or enhance your skills on this dynamic instrument.

Join fellow ukulele players for Uketoberfest 2024, a one-day ukulele workshop on Saturday, October 26, for all skill levels. The event will kick off in the morning with a fun open-group strum and will lead into a day of elective master class sessions specific to the uke player. During lunch, which is included with your registration, an open mic opportunity will be available for the enjoyment of participants and audience alike. 

The day will conclude with a late afternoon faculty concert and group strum. An optional post-event gathering off campus will provide you with an opportunity to apply your new skills as a part of an open jam with others. 

A limited number of ukuleles will be available for those who do not own their own. Please indicate your need to borrow a ukulele as a part of the registration process. 

Course Dates: Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024 
Registration Fee: $175 (Includes Lunch) 
Registration Deadline: Oct. 21, 2024 
On-Campus Lodging: Participants can enjoy 10% off at the Stone Hotel and Cottages. Call 231-276-7570 for reservations or book online

Registration will open in the spring of 2024.
 

To Be Announced (Featured Teaching Artist):

To Be Announced (Featured Teaching Artist):

Patrick Malloy (Teaching Artist):
Patrick is a ukulele enthusiast from Portland, Michigan. As a member of the Ukulele Kings, he has performed throughout Michigan making that sweet ukulele sound in new and unexpected ways. Patrick has been playing and exploring music his entire life and loves to share his understanding with others.

Steve Szilagyi (Teaching Assistant):
Steve plays bass, guitar, ukulele, and clawhammer banjo. His musical interests have led to him playing bass in cover bands, an alt-country roots band, an old-time square dance band, a Hawaiian ensemble, and more. His main gig these days is providing the bottom for the Ukulele Kings.

Ben Hassenger (Uketoberfest! Artistic Director and Teaching Artist):
Ben’s musical career began in the early 1970s when he was arrested for playing “Smoke on the Water” on accordion and singing in animal sounds in the cafeteria at Lansing Community College. It was the start of something special, for sure.

In 2009, on a trip to Hawaii, Ben stumbled upon Roy Sakuma’s legendary “Ukulele Festival Hawaii” and was captivated by the diminutive but dynamic instrument and the communal aloha spirit of the people playing it. His life changed that day.

Ben is now well-known as the “Ukulele Ambassador of Michigan,” teaching students young and old, in schools, libraries, senior centers, and other community venues. He is also in charge of festivals such as Mighty Uke Day, Midwest Uke & Harmonica Camp, Uketoberfest! at Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the Ashokan Uke Fest (Olivebridge, New York). Ben co-founded the Lansing Area Ukulele Group (LAUGH) and established the Music is the Foundation 501(c)(3) to help bring the joy of the uke to Michigan classrooms and communities. He performs solo and as a member of The Ukulele Kings and is also a prolific songwriter, with two of his songs about the Detroit Tigers enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. 

Faculty

Ben Hassenger

Instructor of Ukulele, Artistic Director for Uketoberfest