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GUITAR INDUSTRY SPECIAL GUITAR & UKES IN SCHOOLS<br />
tars or related products.<br />
“We estimate that the program has<br />
reached over half a million students and<br />
has influenced over $50 million in sales<br />
since 1995,” Sulkow said.<br />
He added that the program has benefited<br />
the industry because more players means<br />
more consumers.<br />
“People who would have played anyway<br />
are starting earlier, which means more<br />
years of consumption,” he said. “Teachers<br />
are more secure in their jobs because they<br />
58 I MUSIC INC. I JULY 2012<br />
are reaching so many more children, so<br />
the program is actually helping band and<br />
orchestra indirectly.”<br />
UKES IN THE CLASSROOM<br />
Since guitars and ukuleles don’t have<br />
school rental nights like band and orchestra<br />
instruments, many retailers get the<br />
word out through their road reps.<br />
“All our road reps are aware of what<br />
schools have guitar classes and what<br />
schools don’t,” said Jeff Mozingo, owner<br />
of St. Louis-based Mozingo <strong>Music</strong>. “It’s<br />
a great opportunity for our reps to help<br />
a school without the program and get it<br />
acquainted with how it works and help<br />
get the program put into the school day.<br />
Not to mention they can sell guitars to<br />
the school to get it started along with accessories<br />
and wall hooks.”<br />
West <strong>Music</strong>, based in Coralville, Iowa,<br />
also uses its road reps to promote the<br />
benefits of ukulele classes in schools. The<br />
store works with a local school in its area<br />
to develop a four- or five-week ukulele<br />
club that meets during lunch or after<br />
school. Doug Ducey, West’s community<br />
outreach director, said the company is in<br />
discussions to develop a ukulele rental<br />
program.<br />
Pacific Winds in Eugene, Ore., has a<br />
classroom set of 15 loaner ukuleles that it<br />
makes available to school groups to help<br />
get programs started. However, since ukes<br />
are inexpensive, Shawna Gribskov, head of<br />
the ukulele department at Pacific Winds,<br />
encourages customers to purchase their<br />
own instruments.<br />
“Once the kids have had some experience<br />
in a group setting, they have a pretty<br />
good idea about what they want,” she said.<br />
Pacific Winds contacts instructors individually<br />
and keeps in touch through e-mail.<br />
Gribskov also said the company makes<br />
a point of attending ukulele events and<br />
concerts to keep in contact.<br />
“When a school group is ready to make a<br />
purchase, we essentially quote a school-bid<br />
price, realizing that the good will generated<br />
toward the instructor pays back in<br />
their recommendation for their students<br />
to purchase from us,” Gribskov said.<br />
Pacific Winds is also involved in a local<br />
ukulele festival, UketoberFest, where<br />
the retailer sponsors and supports the<br />
children’s activities, so students, teachers<br />
and parents are aware of the store’s<br />
offerings.<br />
Greg Weast said he’s noticed uke sales<br />
to schools far exceed guitar sales because<br />
ukes are easy to play and inexpensive. According<br />
to Weast, word-of-mouth has been<br />
his most effective way to promote ukes.<br />
“It also helps to have a foundation that is<br />
assisting with helping the schools purchase
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