There’s More Than Just Football In Green Bay  

Think of Green Bay, Wisconsin and the first thing that comes to mind is undoubtedly its title-winning football team, the Green Bay Packers. Whether you’re an NFL fan or not, you’ve heard of them, and for good reason: The Packers have won 13 league championships – the most in NFL history – with nine pre-Super Bowl NFL titles in addition to four Super Bowl victories. So it comes as no surprise, then, that their home town of Green Bay is also famously known as Titletown USA, thanks to the Packers claim of 13 titles.

In 2016, Forbes even ranked the team as the world’s 26th most valuable sports franchise with a value of $2.35 million.  

It’s extremely rare that anyone would ever associate Green Bay with anything other than its title-winning football team, but the city is actually known for much more than just its sports. Most interestingly, the city is known as the Toilet Paper Capital of the World, because they invented the first “splinter-free” paper there – ouch. A less, uh, crappier, nickname for Green Bay though is the Ukulele Capital of Wisconsin (though the residents of Milwaukee may argue otherwise), which is beginning to take hold thanks to the extreme interest and enthusiasm towards the uke there.  

The Green Bay Uke Club in particular is making waves in the ukulele community. The group’s mission is to make every uke enthusiast a better player and a better person. The club’s website states: “What sets us apart from most is that our focus is on getting you from a beginner to intermediate level of musicianship as quickly as possible.”

They offer some of the best free sheet music and ukulele resources on their website, multiple parts and full scores in tablature form, audio files of the tablature for reference and practice, individual and group lessons, private and public performances and free club events open to the public, including meetings, workshops, clinics and open jams. The Green Bay Uke Club is, essentially, a one-stop shop for all of your ukulele needs.  

The club’s emphasis is on duets, trios and larger ensembles. Their goal is to promote playing together and often source the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle in his quote: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

Group ukulele lessons are 45 minutes long and held once a week at Heid Music, 2605 S. Oneida St. in Green Bay. Tuition for a three-month session currently stands at $210 plus a $25 registration fee. Individual lessons are held at the same location and cost $25 per half-hour. A $25 registration fee is also required.  

If you’re looking to find your place in the ukulele community, Green Bay is where you should be.