Let String Along teach you to play the ukulele!


Whether you are an experienced ukulele player or someone who wants to try out a stringed instrument for the first time, String Along Ukulele has a class for you. With her decades of teaching both children and adults to play, Elayne Ruplen has developed levels of instruction to suit all playing abilities. Following are the specific classes available through String Along to let students develop at their own pace. Note that all eight-week group courses will be held in the auditorium at St. Joseph’s Villa in Dundas, and you will be informed of the day and time of your sessions. Each class is one hour. Cost for each of these full courses is $170, plus the cost of the individual books that you will use at each level. As well, these courses conclude with an extremely fun jam session at a pub in Dundas!

Introductory/Beginner

No musical training required!

Before you commit to an eight-week course, Elayne offers two 75-minute lessons to get you playing, just to see if the ukulele is for you. This can be done for individuals or for small groups of people at times
that are suitable to them. These introductory lessons are for people who are brand new to the instrument, and they cover all the basics you will need before you take the eight-week, large-group beginner course—how to tune, hold and strum the ukulele, how to read a chord diagram, and how to play chord progressions using four to six chords. These are the skills beginners need to practice and play songs.

If you don't yet have a ukulele, we will loan you one to take home during the course. The cost of the two lessons is $95 and includes an instructional booklet and music. These classes are held in Dundas, and they can be scheduled any time. Email us for the fun to begin!

Please use contact form below.

Beginner 2

This 8-week class is for those people who have taken the 2 ½ hour “Introduction to the Ukulele” course and are able to move between the basic chords: C, C7, G7, F, G and Am. We will introduce the new chords D7, E7, F7, A7, Dm, Em and Gm, learn the C scale, and how to read simple TAB picking tunes. You will also learn the double strum, the straight eighth strum, the 12-bar blues pattern, rocking notes and basic 4/4 folk picking. These skills will be applied to many songs in our own String Along Books, as well as numerous handouts.

Please use contact form below to email us!

Intermediate

This eight-week class is for people who have taken the Beginner 2 course, or have prior experience with the ukulele and can play 12 to 15 chords and two basic strums. We will continue to work on songs in the key of C, chord progressions and songs in the keys of D, G, A and F, the Bb chord position, “doo-wop” chord sequence songs, the straight eighth strum with variations, the pinch strum, the thumb strum, turnarounds, two- and three-part TAB picking arrangements and two new folk picking patterns. These skills will be applied to many songs in our String Along books, as well as numerous handouts.

Please fill out the contact form below to contact us!

Intermediate/Advanced

This eight-week class is for those who are experienced ukulele players. We will cover many new songs and arrangements that require more advanced strumming, chording and picking techniques. You will learn pinch/finger-thumb strum combinations, and you will learn percussion techniques such as damping and the chuck. As well, we will cover harmonizing the C scale, playing simple melodies, beginnings and endings for songs, instrumental riffs, tremolo picking, and full TAB arrangements. Each class will feature a wide range of playing ability, giving everyone the freedom to concentrate on their own ability level and on what interests them. Everyone can progress at their own speed, in a stress-free, fun setting. Songs will be chosen from all four String Along books, as well as materials handed out in class.

Please use contact form below to email us!

Private Lessons

Elayne provides private lessons to anyone who wants them at any stage of their ukulele education. These can be particularly helpful to anyone who has trouble fitting the group lessons into their schedules every week, or who prefers one-on-one lessons to the group setting.

You can fill out the contact form below to get in touch!

come strum with us!

From our students

★★★★★

“A lot of people know how to play an instrument, but not all of them know how to teach it. Elayne is a true teacher. In classes that appeal to everyone from confident beginners to advanced students, she gives everyone something to work on.”

~ Nancy P.
★★★★★

“String Along classes feature a fantastic mix of music, both new and old. Elayne is a gifted teacher. What makes her unusual is her ability to teach the same class at varying levels. If you need more time to acquire a skill, Elayne always offers the option of at first choosing an easier technique, which helps maintain and increase confidence and skill.  No one is left behind.”

~ Claudette S.
★★★★★

“Elayne teaches technical skills and how to apply them in such a fun way. And you’re progressing at your own speed. Her classes are based on so many years of teaching experience, as well as her expertise with the ukulele out in the world.”

~ Nancy R.