University lecturers at LJMU have taken up the ukulele in order to unwind during their lunch breaks.
Timothy Nichol set up the group as a way for faculty staff to relax and try something new during their free time.
He said: “There’s no skill required, just a desire to explore what you can sound like.”
The group have been working together since last year and now have 12 dedicated members who meet up every Wednesday.
Each week brings new songs, chords and techniques in order to progress their skills.
Ted says that the group has progressed well and they enjoy learning together.
He said: “There’s various levels of experience in the room now. I had a really proud moment, we were doing this one song, quite a hard song, 14 chords and really complex chord changes. We worked really hard on it and perfecting the transitions. But there was one session where it just sounded brilliant.”
Rachel McCloskey joined the group last year and immediately wanted to better her skills. She played violin in her youth, but never even considered playing the ukulele.
She said: “I was a bit disheartened at first, it was a bit tricky! But it’s a lovely sound and so easy to pick up.”
Rachel finds her weekly ukulele sessions help her relax more and focus on her work, taking off some of the stress during the working day. She said: “It’s definitely benefitted my wellbeing. Because you’re focusing on that, and forgetting everything else. When you then do make a nice sound, there’s a real sense of achievement and you’re quite proud!”
Research suggests that picking up an instrument in your adult life is harder than in childhood. However, Niall Devlin, another member of the group thinks now is as good a time as any.
He says: “I’m not a maestro, but people think you have to be young to learn a new instrument but you can really do it at any age.”
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Featured image (c) Ian Ransley, Flickr
