petawawa ukulele circle

Important Update: I will be moving out of province this June. There will be 2 more uke nights: April 25th & May 30th. I hope to see some of you there. Unfortunately, this probably means the end of Petawawa Ukulele Circle. But keep in mind there is a group in Pembroke, please email me for contact info. There is also a group in Renfrew. Thank you for the opportunity to grow as both a player and a person. I’ve truly enjoyed each & every uke night.

Petawawa Ukulele Circle is a place for ukulele enthusiasts of all ages & abilities to come together once a month to strum, sing, share techniques & have fun. We welcome experienced or beginning ukers & the ukulele curious to join us. Even if you don’t play or have a ukulele come on out. You will still be able to sing along and see what it’s all about. There is usually an extra ukulele present & we will have you playing a song before you leave.

We ususally meet on the 2nd Tuesday & last Thursday of the month at General Panet High School from 7-9pm. General Panet is on base at the corner of Festubert & Ypres, across from Tim Hortons. There is a Staff & visitors parking lot beside the school just off of Ypres Blvd. The main entrances faces Ypres Blvd. The room we will be meeting in is across from the information desk, there will be signs up directing you.

You are considered a member if you come once. While there are no membership fees, we do suggest a donation of $1 at each jam you attend.

See our Upcoming Jam page for details about the next Petawawa Ukulele Circle jam.

Jam Night Guidelines

Making music as a group is about having fun, not about being super-awesome players. However, we do want to make great music and enjoy the process. Therefore, I ask that we all make an effort to bide by the following guidelines:

• During song circle time, we will each have a turn to pick & lead a song. If you do not want to lead a song, feel free to pick one for someone else to lead. The facilitator will ensure everyone knows who the leader is.
• If it is not clear on the song sheet, please indicate where you will be singing the chorus & indicate which verses will be sung if you do not want to sing all the verses of a song or any other wording changes you would like to make.
• When leading, please try to count in if possible, or at least demonstrate your preferred strum pattern so that we can determine the count & plan our strums accordingly. (ie. D DU U DU counts as 1 2& 3& 4&)
• No noodling between songs. The person who will be leader may play independently briefly to recall the rhythm and tempo at which they wish to play.
• Listen while you play – you need to be able to hear the players next to you as well as the person leading the song.
• The person leading chooses the style, tempo & rhythm of the song. Other members will join in with a complimentary strum or picking pattern. If you wish to do a solo or the introduction please ask the song leader. If the song leader is agreeable, make sure you are on the same page before starting the song.
• If you get lost in the song, strum quietly or consider muting your strings until you are able to join back in. If you don’t know the chords feel free to use your ukulele or another instrument as a percussive accompaniment to help keep the beat that the leader has chosen.
• The facilitator reserves the right to stop a song if we sound like a train wreck. We can then decide as a group if we want to try again from the beginning or just move on to the next song choice.

Contact Info
Marla
613-687-9025
mcoreen@yahoo.com