By Laurel Parker
LPL Communications Intern
The end of spring calls for a music celebration!
Learning how to play a musical instrument isn’t always easy, but some performers have given their time to practice the ukulele at the LPL and are ready to show off their talent.
Musician and teacher Pat Doherty will present a group of beginners to perform at the “Ukulele Song Fest,” from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 17, in the Liverpool Public Library’s Carman Community Room. The performance will allow participants to express what they have learned after endless dedication and hard work.
Doherty says many ukulele groups and clubs are popping up to fill the need to get together and share a love for music. “It’s a community builder and rebirth of an instrument from long ago,” she says.
For the past nine months, Doherty has been leading a monthly Saturday afternoon ukulele workshop for beginners at the LPL. Patrons who participated in the extended program learned how to play one to three songs per session in preparation for this upcoming spring concert. The ultimate goal is to present what they have worked on the past several months and gift the audience with music.
There is a huge age range among the participants because it is “wide open and experimental,” Doherty said. “Some come for curiosity while others know how to play an instrument but want to learn the ukulele to add to their roster.
“The concert is very unpressured. Some will just come to sing along, but the music is relatively easy to play,” she said.
“The power of song fascinates me,” said Doherty. “The lessons are targeting beginners who see inexpensive ukuleles in the store and want to learn how to play. You don’t need to have experience, and you don’t need the internet.”
Because the group has been meeting since the fall, several songs have been prepared, including “On a Coconut Island,” “Shady Grove,” “Pay Me My Money Down,” “Yellow Bird” and “Love Me Do.”
The concert is free.
