Ukuleles – Sarasota, Florida

On the less famous southwestern coast of the sunny state of Florida, just below Tampa there lies a quaint city named Sarasota. Connect by the mainland area and a few key-islands, one of which is the St Armands Key, this city has many cultural attractions. It’s home to the Sarasota Orchestra, founded in 1949 which hosts a three week internationally known festival famous for attracting connoisseurs of chamber music. Sarasota’s warm climate is also a hotbed for sports activities of which sport fishing is a major contributor along with the Sarasota half-marathon.

So where does a guy or girl go to strum their new Bondi Uke with some like-minded folks in this town? The Suncoast Sand Fleas are a passionate ukulele group who gather regularly in Sarasota to celebrate and strum the ukulele. Al levels of proficiency are welcome to join and their activities include an open-mic session, strum-alongs and festivals. What makes this group unique is that the blend the sweet sounds of the ukulele with other instruments to create harmonious music. Get in touch with these guys on the weblink listed below.

https://www.meetup.com/The-Suncoast-Sand-Fleas-A-Ukulele-Club/

Sarasota also has ukulele classes for teens. Teacher Sarah’s fun and interactive method implements the fundamentals of ukulele performance through popular music, ranging from Hawaiian to contemporary and also gives the students a chance to suggest songs they’d like to learn. Focus is placed on core concepts like music theory, pitch, tempo and improvisation. Workshops are four days long and if this sounds ideal for you then check them out on the weblink listed below.

http://sarasota.eventful.com/events/ukulele-group-lesson-teens-presented-music-comp-/E0-001-109122317-5

If lessons and tuition are the way you want to go to get your Bondi Uke reaching its full potential, then hop on over to the folks at the All Star Music Academy. Among the whole host of lessons they provide is a ukulele class for any range or ability. These folks believe that music can improve all facets of performance and work on channelling your inner genius through strumming. Well where do we sign up? Surf on over to the website below and let the brain-gain begin.

http://www.allstarmusicacademy.org/

Just over an hour’s drive north, in Tarpon Springs, you’ll find the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society. These folks meet regularly in various locations and all are welcome. Bring your Bondi uke and jump in whenever you can, these guys will make you feel right at home. From classics to Hawaiian tunes to ukulele-versions of pops songs, they can do it all and more. Best part? Every year in November they host their annual festival, the Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway. Sounds like just the thing if your strum game needs some work. Get in touch with this friendly bunch on the website listed below.

https://www.meetup.com/tampabayukes/

Who knew that Florida had so much more to offer than sun, sea and sandy beaches? We sure didn’t, and we certainly didn’t expect such an amazing ukulele scene in the Sunshine State. So, if you’re a Florida-local or just passing through, make sure your Bondi Uke is at the ready to take on the folks down in sunny Florida.

Keep strumming, all!