Madison Messenger - February 19th, 2023

PAGE 2 - MADISON MESSENGER - February 19, 2023
www.madisonmessengernews.com
Strings are the thing in build-n-play ukulele class
By Dedra Cordle
Staff Writer
If someone had told Tim Tanner at the
start of his career in vocal music education
that one day he would lead a course on how
to build and play a musical instrument, he
likely would have laughed in their face.
“I have no background in playing string
instruments. All of my previous attempts to
learn how to play string instruments have
failed, and I am certainly not the one you
call when you need to fix things around the
house,” he admitted with a grin.
But much to his surprise, Tanner, vocal
music instructor at London City Schools, is
teaching just such a course as he nears the
three-decade mark in his career.
“This has been an unexpected turn of
events, but I have to say that I could not be
more excited to be involved in this new
course offering, nor could I be any prouder
of the results that have come out of this program,”
he said.
The idea for “Ukulele: Build-N-Play”
began to form in the winter of 2020 when
Tanner was experiencing a prolonged period
of boredom during pandemic-related
school closures and the discouragement of
public gatherings as the holidays approached.
“I had been doing a lot of puzzles to keep
my mind occupied, and I was looking for a
bigger challenge,” he explained.
That bigger challenge came in the form
of a build-it-yourself ukulele kit his wife,
NOTICE TO
MOBILE HOME TAXPAYERS
• The last day to pay first-half 2023 Mobile Home
Taxes in Madison County is Friday, March 3, 2023.
• Payments must be made in person at the Madison
County Treasurer’s Office until 4:00 P.M. Friday,
March 3, 2023.
• Mailed payments must be postmarked by the Post
Office by midnight Friday, March 3, 2023.
• By law, first-half taxes paid after March 3rd, will
incur 5% penalty for the first ten days and after ten
days; a 10% penalty will incur regardless of
whether the taxpayer has received a bill.
• If you have not received a first-half 2023 Mobile
Home tax bill, call the Treasurer’s Office
immediately at 740-852-1936 or 1-877-454-3309.
Stacey L. McKenzie
Madison County Treasurer
MM FEBRUARY 5 & 19, 2023
MM2023141
Valerie, bought for him as a Christmas surprise.
Valerie knew her husband had always
wanted to learn how to play a string instrument,
and she thought he might finally find
success with the ukulele as it is more “userfriendly”
than its bigger relative, the guitar.
“It’s much lighter than a guitar, it’s much
shorter than a guitar, and it only has fourstrings
which is more forgiving on your fingers
and hands,” Tanner said. “It really is
the perfect instrument for all ages and abilities,
and I’m not sure why I never thought
to give it a try earlier.”
As he began to assemble his StewMac
ukulele kit, a new idea popped into his head:
Messenger photos by Dedra Cordle
London High School senior Julie Betz sands portions of her
ukulele. After all the frets and strings are on the body, she will
paint the instrument to personalize it.
Teaching students at the high school level,
especially those who have had no interest in
taking choir or band, how to build and play
the ukulele.
“I began documenting every step and
every mistake that I made during the
process,” Tanner said. “I knew that if I was
really going to do this, I had to know where
things went right and I had to know where
things went wrong in order to troubleshoot
for the students who would take this course.”
Within months, Tanner had built his
first ukulele and learned how to play chords
from the songs of some of his favorite 80’s
rock artists.
“I don’t think I can accurately describe
the sense of pride I felt at building my own
ukulele and learning how to play it, not proficiently
to be certain, but just learning how
to play it,” he said. “I knew that these kids
would feel the same way if given the chance.”
That chance came during the 2021-22
school year when Principal Michael Browning
advocated for “Ukulele: Build-N-Play” to
become a course offering at the high school.
Tanner says 12 students signed up for the
initial course and word quickly spread.
Logan Weiner, a junior, said positive
word-of -mouth is why he decided to take
the course this semester.
“I have no skills at guitar, no wood building
skills under my belt, and I’m not really the
most artistic person, but some of my friends
who took the course said how fun it was to
take and that is why I am here,” he said.
Tim Tanner, vocal music instructor at London City Schools, displays
a ukulele he and several high school students built during
his class, “Ukulele: Build-N-Play.” This particular ukulele and case
will be raffled off during the school district’s S.T.E.A.M Festival on
April 1.
He added that the course has lived up to
the hype.
“We’re still in the build phase, but it has
been really cool to learn how to make a
ukulele with my own hands,” he said. “I
can’t wait until we learn how to play it.”
With nearly 20 weeks in a semester, Tanner
has broken the ukulele class into two
phases. The first phase is a 10-week build
during which students assemble the body of
the ukulele, smooth and sand, add the frets,
line up the strings, and personalize the instrument
with their own artwork. During
the second 10 weeks, Tanner encourages
students to listen to their favorite songs,
study the chord progressions, and repeat the
tablature on their ukuleles the best they can.
“My expectation for them is not to want to
begin a career as a ukulele player, although
you never know what might spark a new interest,”
he said. “I just want them to be proud
of the fact that they have built something
with their own hands, that they have done
something different and learned how to play
chords from some of their favorite songs. The
biggest pleasure I have had so far during this
course is seeing them be happy, seeing them
carry their ukuleles around the school and
showing them off to their friends.
“I really was not sure this class would be
a success when it started, especially since I
was new to building ukuleles and playing
ukuleles, as well, but I am so thankful I am
able to be a part of this and to see the joy
that it brings to those who take this class.”