UKULELE ARTISTS TO FILL THE APRIL SUMMER AIR WITH HAPPY MUSIC
After a two-year hiatus of sorts, the Philippine Ukulele Festival returns for its fourth salvo of weekend jamming with music lovers of all ages and from varied walks of life.
The ukulele revelry will happen on April 21 - 22 at the Centris Mall beside where EDSA MRT passengers get on and off the light rail terminal at Quezon Avenue in Quezon City.
Festival organizer, Happy Music, a retail store operation specializing in ukuleles, and members of the Ukulele Underground Philippines (UUP) community did not actually stop playing their hearts out after the first three successful PUFs in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
Post-PUF3, they chose to sow and cultivate in key locales outside Metro Manila and spread the love for the petite package of musical delight through social media.
Grow they did. From fledglings of enthusiasts here and there, UUP now has over 8,000 followers on Facebook. On its Facebook page, HappymusicPH has earned “likes” from over 58,000 people.
Retreat from the music scene they did not. They have participated in the Pasinaya arts festival of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Why, at the CCP just last month, 200 ukulele artists joined the Pasinaya.
Since 2015, they have had jamming and beginners’ tutorial sessions in public parks, schools, and picnic grounds. The result: ukuleles now compete for store space in music stores nationwide for scores of people choose the diminutive instrument as their new beloved.
The potential for the growth of the ukulele community in the country is vast. Millennials, post-millennials, and even the Gen-Xers have developed a strong liking for the ukulele because it is easy to learn, fun to play, portable, and light.
Music is taught in elementary schools and high schools nationwide. That’s their baseline right there. Another factor is that the ukulele has become a first choice of instrument for Filipino kids inspired by the skill, fame, and success of ukulele playing artists like Hawaii's Jake Shimabukuro, South Korea's Sungha Jung as well as local players led by Happy Music in-house artist Pao Gumba.
On April 21 and 22, PUF4 will showcase the fruits of their labors these past three years. Ukulele artists from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will converge at the Centris to fill the air with happy music that lifts the soul, puts smiles on faces, and warms hearts. (END)
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