Stuart Fuchs joins the Staff of the WCUR
Introducing Stuart Fuchs
We can’t figure out how Stuart Fuchs (aka “Stukulele”) stayed off our radar for so long! But not any more! He will be joining us, this year, at the fifth, annual, West Coast ‘Ukulele Retreat, May 28 – June 1, at beautiful Asilomar on the Monterey Peninsula.
Stuart has worked as a touring performer and a celebrated teaching artist and workshop facilitator for over 15 years and plays (in addition to the ‘ukulele) several styles of guitar and the aboriginal didjeridoo! His repertoire ranges from classical music to Brazilian samba and, with his award-winning gypsy jazz band, “Babik” (bah-beek), has collaborated on arrangements of Django Reinhardt’s music for symphony orchestra. He has taught ‘ukulele to all kinds of people, from corporate executives and toy designers to developmentally disabled adults, juvenile offenders, and hospice patients. And, for more than six years, Stuart has been an artist-in-residence at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute and was recently awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to compose music with patients undergoing treatment for cancer. But most importantly, Stuart Fuchs is passionate about the ‘ukulele as a vehicle for personal expression and wellness and has facilitated ukulele workshops at music festivals, schools, and universities world-wide. I for one can’t wait to see what he is going to bring to our table!
Here’s a description of the 3-part Improvisation class he has put together for us:
According to Bobby McFerrin, “Improvisation is the courage to move from one note to the next.” With that, here’s an opportunity for intermediate and advanced players to take a giant and courageous step into the uncharted regions of your musicality with a very fun (and safe) exploration led by a master of improvisation, Stuart Fuchs. You will start by learning how to use the fundamentals of soloing—scales, dynamics, rhythms, string effects, phrasing, and timbre—to solo over a 12-bar blues progression applying these techniques. Having mastered that, you will go deeper into soloing techniques with arpeggios and storytelling, creating musical motifs and characters while developing speed, applying what you have learned to some cool, classic jazz. With three consecutive classes in the series, you’ll have ample time to practice what you have learned and an opportunity to create your own original licks and phrases, so that the next time someone says, “Take it away,” you’ll be ready, willing, and able.
And you can bet we’ll have some workshops on Yogalele and didgeridoo, as well!
Registration for the 2014 West Coast Ukulele Retreat is now open. Don’t dally if you want to join us. (Fees go up on February 14.)
(Click here if you want to bypass the web-site and go straight to registration.)
West Coast 'Ukulele Retreat 