Instructor Manak Khamvongsa, right, counts the beat with members of the UkeALadies of the of Assistance League of Santa Clarita as they practice Beethoven’s Ode to Joy on their ukuleles at the Valencia Hills Clubhouse in Valencia on Wednesday. Signal photo by Dan Watson.
Ukulele sales might have seen a slight increase in the Santa Clarita Valley just before Christmas two years ago.
“For Christmas, ask for ukuleles.”
That’s what Mamie Kosaka told about 20 women from the Assistance League of Santa Clarita who joined the recently formed UkeALadies.
Kosaka got the idea for the group, who perform for the Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center and senior living facilities around Santa Clarita, from an Assistance League conference in 2013.
She and her fellow members learned at the conference about another Assistance League chapter’s group called the String Alongs, and they decided to bring the concept to Santa Clarita.
They looked at each other and said: “We can do this,” Kosaka said.
Starting with just two chords and $500 to buy 10 ukuleles, the group set out to learn songs that most people knew and could sing. In their first year, they learned 14 songs and are now up to 26.
Many of the original members attended a three-day ukulele camp at the Little School of Music in Valencia their first year to nail down the basics, starting with just two chords. That’s where they met Manak Khamvongsa, the school’s ukulele teacher.
To expand their musical repertoire, the UkeALadies take monthly lessons from Khamvongsa — or Mr. Manak, as he’s known to the UkeALadies.
“They had such a great time they wanted to keep the momentum going,” Khamvongsa said.
Khamvongsa is moving the group toward a more orchestral sound, he said, as they learn more advanced material like Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the UkeALadies’ next challenge.
“He wants a bigger sound,” Kosaka said.
The UkeALadies range in skill level and age but are all members of the Assistance League. When a new member joins, long-time members help teach her the material one-on-one. Khamvongsa said veteran members help coach newer members as they join to learn the group’s common core of music.
Judy Plouff is an original member of the UkeALadies and joined the group because “it sounded like fun.”
“It was really easy to pick up,” Plouff said. “We were actually playing a song after our first time together.”
She said performing with the UkeALadies gave her the confidence to play in front of a group at an Assistance League meeting on her own after a fellow UkeALady passed away. Plouff learned to play “Yesterday” by the Beatles on her ukulele to honor her friend.
“It touches different parts of us,” she said.
This year, they’re scheduled to have four performances, and will perform next at Summerhill Villa on June 15 at 1 p.m. The UkeALadies play a medley of classic songs that are easy to sing along to.
