“I LOVED HAVING FIONA AS A TEACHER, SHE IS SO MUCH FUN AND SO KIND. HER SKILLS WITH THE UKULELE ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD!”
– THOMAS (9)
LET ME GUESS WHY YOU’RE HERE…
- You want your child to try something new, they’re driving you crazy. How about a life long skill!
- You know the value of learning an instrument. For self expression, creativity and brain development.
- You live in a remote area and there are NO music teachers at all
- You’re sick of being a taxi driver. In these days of busy schedules it would be nice to do at least ONE thing from home!
- Your child is left handed. Will a teacher or course cater for your child?
- You’re child’s had a bad experience in the past and it’s almost put them off music for life. This time it’s got to be right!
- You’re not musical yourself, you need help. What kind of support will you get?
- Your child lives in two different households, how can you make this work?
- You’re sick and tired of wasting money. You pay for lessons that you have to skip. Grandma’s birthday, school concert, sick child, a football tournament etc.
THIS IS THE COURSE FOR YOU!
“SEEING THOMAS ENJOY UKULELE LESSONS SO MUCH WAS HAPPINESS ITSELF. THANK YOU FIONA!”
– SUZIE
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOUR CHILD STARTS PLAYING THE UKULELE?
- They will feel like a rockstar!
- You will get free concerts
- They will gain a new life-long skill… playing an instrument!
- You will get more time to yourself to read that darn book
- They will discover they can persevere and achieve when they are challenged
- Your heart will be uplifted every time you hear that sweet ukulele jingle jangle
- The ukulele will be in their hands, not their device!
- They will tidy their bedroom… um… I can’t promise you that!
“SHE’S JUST THE BEST!”
– JAMIE (10)
BY THE END OF THIS COURSE YOUR CHILD WILL BE ABLE TO…
- Play SEVEN SONGS! From country to reggae to pop.
- Play C, F, G7 and Am chords
- Hold the ukulele and strum correctly
- Understand how to read a chord chart
- Gain ‘muscle memory‘ in their fingers
- Know what a beat, rhythm, chorus, verse and bridge are
- Bolster themselves up and keep going when things get tricky
- Be kind and patient with themselves while learning
- Do the rock sign, very important!
- HAVE LOTS OF FUN WHILE PLAYING THE UKULELE!
“I’m so grateful to you for introducing my children to the Ukulele. It’s been a fun way to encourage music in our household. They both love making up their own songs and I love that they have this connection to music” – Fleur
SO WHO THE HECK AM I?
My name is Fiona McDonald and my musical journey started at age 6 when I’d take myself off to the backyard and sing “Where’s the playground Susie” by Glen Campbell at the top of my voice.
Fast forward a couple of decades and I’m a member of two New Zealand bands: ‘Headless Chickens’ & ‘Strawpeople’ as lead singer, keyboardist and songwriter. I enjoyed a very successful career that included platinum records, numerous music awards and lots of touring.
Having never been a guitarist (too hard!) I surprised myself by falling in love, hard and fast, with the ukulele. Then I had to share the love, so have spent more than ten years teaching children and adults. But the word of mouth spread fast and my waiting lists were growing and growing until one day a parent of one of my student’s said:
“Why don’t you do an online course so you can teach everyone?”
…and that, as they say, was that.
Both of my parents are teachers and I think it’s in my blood. As much as I adore playing the ukulele, hand on heart, I love teaching it more. My one aim is that your child learns the ukulele and discovers a lifelong love of music.
“FIONA HAS A SPECIAL WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH KIDS; MY KIDS LOVED HER AND HER LESSONS. THEY LEARNED WITHOUT REALISING THEY WERE LEARNING. THEY WERE ENJOYING THEMSELVES SO MUCH!”
– KARYN
THIS COURSE WILL SAVE YOU TIME, MONEY AND FRUSTRATION!
- The ukulele is CHEAP compared to most other instruments
- The ukelele is EASIER too. No need to learn how to ‘read’ music, just strum and play!
- Your child will very quickly feel empowered as they play their first song in their very first lesson!
- It is is lively, magical and thoroughly engaging
- I talk about ‘monster claws‘ and ‘mandarin hands‘ and ‘laser beam watches‘. When I teach the ukulele, it’s fun!
- Your child will feel supported, inspired and excited. I teach with playfulness and kindness
- I teach left handed children how to play left handed. I supply both right and left handed songsheets and chord charts
- I create a world of self motivation, self love, learning to be patient with ourselves and not giving up.
- Your child will be not want the lesson to end. They will be keen to play their games and their favourite song.
- Never miss a lesson again! In fact play them as many times as your child likes! No more wasting money because of sickness, or Uncle John’s birthday!
“FIONA’S AMAZING ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM AS A TEACHER ARE LEGENDARY. SHE INTRODUCED OUR SON TO AN ECLECTIC RANGE OF MUSICAL GENRES AND INSTILLED IN HIM A PASSION FOR THE UKULELE AND MUSIC”
– ODETTE AND GLENN
Some children feel lonely, awkward, shy, angry and frustrated with the world. They can find it hard to process these difficult feelings. Did you know that it can be really tricky for some children to self soothe? Self calm? The ukulele can help!
Music as a form of self expression is invaluable. Mental health in the palms of their hands. One day your child might just turn around and thank you for giving them the means to cope when times got tough. It can be THAT important for some children.
WHAT I CAN’T STAND ABOUT SOME UKULELE TEACHERS AND COURSES (MY PET PEEVES)
- They say it’s a beginner’s course… then assume you know things! A beginner’s course needs to be just that – for beginners.
- How many times have I seen someone say “Let’s learn three chords in the first lesson!” That’s nonsense! Let’s not set up a child for failure! Nice and easy does it
- The teacher talks down to their students. Just because they’re kids, does not mean they want, or need, to be patronized
- The lessons are not step by step. Lessons have to be broken down in to bite sized chunks for a child to learn and feel victorious.
- The lessons do not go in order. Lessons need to flow seamlessly
“Fiona is a really cool teacher and I learnt so much from those lessons.” – Felix [9]
Consequences of not buying this course
- The window of opportunity for a child to learn an instrument is only open for a brief time. If you wait too long, ‘I’d love to!’ may turn into ‘I can’t be bothered’. If they’re keen, act now!
- You will lose the chance to have more time to yourself! Feet up, magazine, glass of wine anyone?
- Who would deny their child a life long love of music? It’s priceless! The ukulele will kick start this beautiful journey
- You will continue to lose your hair as you pull it out dealing with your kids driving you bonkers
- Your child will not have this beautiful means of self expression. Does your child feel sad, angry, frustrated? Of course they do at times! The ukulele is always there to help
- You will not get those free ukulele concerts or bragging rights with the grandparents!
- It may prevent them from trying other instruments. The ukulele is a brilliant gateway to other instruments, particularly the guitar and bass.
- You will continue to have a bored child who is just aching to try something new!
- This is your chance to help stretch your child’s brain in new directions, seize it
- What else will have your child feel like a rockstar, boost their self esteem, help with concentration and have them grinning from ear to ear?
I want to engage and excite children so they just don’t want to put their ukulele down!
Would you like that for your child too? I think that day is today!