YOUR AD HERE »

Library Corner: Check out the music

Lindsay Windler
Grand County Blues Society
Grand County libraries will be offering free ukulele classes on Saturdays in January through a partnership with the Grand County Blues Society.
Grand County Library District / Courtesy photo

If you’ve been in Grand County, you’ve likely heard the name John Catt.

Catt had a dream to make music accessible to everyone in Grand County. He began this mission by turning Winter Park into a destination for national touring musicians by producing the Blues from the Top Music Festival.

This annual festival, now in the planning phase of its 20th year for June 24-26, has brought top national blues talent to Winter Park. Everyone from Kenny Wayne Shepard and Lucinda Williams to crowd favorite Samantha Fish, and many more have made the trip over Berthoud Pass to perform live on stages throughout Grand County.



In 2006, Catt’s dream expanded when he saw local youth in need of accessible musical instruments. The Grand County Library District saw this opportunity and together they created the Check Out the Music program.

This long-term partnership still exists today and residents can simply use their library card to check out a musical instrument from their local library branch. It’s as easy as checking out a book — and 100% free of charge.



This partnership is always innovating and as partners we believe that just providing instruments to residents isn’t enough. Music education is equally as important, and we are starting 2022 off with a bang!

January marks the perfect time to try something new, so why not learn how to play a new instrument?

The Grand County Blues Society and libraries across Grand County will be hosting free beginners ukulele classes that will teach you instrument anatomy, basic strumming, chords and even give you a quick intro into reading music.

Ukulele Classes

Jan. 15 —10:30 a.m.-noon at the Kremmling Library

Jan. 22 — 10:30 a.m.-noon at the Granby Library; 1:30-3 p.m. at the Fraser Valley Library

Jan. 29 — 10:30 a.m.-noon at the Hot Sulphur Springs Library; 1:30-3 p.m. at the Juniper Library

By the end of the class, students will be able to perform a song together in harmony.

Classes will be taught by local resident Lisa Kohlwey MacEachern. MacEachern has a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education K-12 and has been teaching music lessons since 2008.

These beginner ukulele classes are available to teens and adults, and ukuleles will provided by the Grand County Blues Society.

All classes will be free of charge, but there are limited spots available. Visit the programs tab on http://www.gcld.org to find a library offering near you.

If you’d like to discover more about the Grand County Blues Society, the Check Out the Music program, or the Blue Star Connection, you can visit http://www.grandblues.org.

 


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.