Tag Archives: ukelele

Cutie Circle Celebrates Three Years of Ukulele Fun

The Coquitlam Ukulele Tiny Instrument Enthusiasts (Cutie) Circle will be hosting a ukulele birthday bash on Sunday, July 9, to celebrate its third birthday!!!!

There will be cake, a couple of prizes and lots of strumming and singing with friends! First-time visitors are welcome to join us for free this weekend! We’ll be bringing a few extra ukuleles for brand new players to try out at the Circle!

Come between 2 and 4pm this Sunday to the Rehearsal Hall at the Evergreen Cultural Centre.

Let us celebrate this milestone with family and friends who have supported us the last three years to put on ukulele workshops, concerts, community outreach for newcomers to Canada, ukulele documentary film screenings, and the Fraser Valley Regional Library’s Uke ‘N Play public ukulele lending initiative, just to name a few.

We are especially grateful to the many participants of our free 7-Week Ukulele Workshop Series for Absolute Beginners who have gone on to spreading joy by volunteering their time to host ukulele circles in their own communities and workplace including in Pitt Meadows, Port Moody, Vancouver and soon in Maple Ridge this September.

As we look ahead to the coming season, we invite you to be a part of our community outreach at the City of Coquitlam’s Multicultural Day on July 15, 2017 at the Glen Pine Pavilion. We’ll be performing on stage and giving our very popular, free mini-lessons on the ukulele to the public.

We’ll also be celebrating Culture Days with ukulele activities fit for the entire family on September 30 at the Michael Wright Art Gallery, in the Gathering Place at Leigh Square in Port Coquitlam and on October 1 at the Pinetree Community Centre in Coquitlam.

We would like to thank the Cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, especially the folks at the Evergreen Cultural Centre and Leigh Square, for the support we receive and look forward to many more happy times shared at these outstanding venues.

As we contemplate the amount of ukulele fun we have had, we send our gratitude to our mentors, including Azo Bell, Jim D’Ville, Manitoba Hal, Kimo Hussey, Zanuck Lindsey, Ralph Shaw, and Jake Shimabukuro. We are thankful to our friends and local ukulele leaders, Gary Cyr, Braden Deans, and Ron Usher who have generously lent their hands from the very start to make sure the Cutie Circle would thrive! We finally thank all the Cuties who volunteered and/or participated in ukulele activities of all manners. Your enthusiasm inspires us daily to spread the ukulele spirit and passion to a larger audience! Thank you for your friendship!

See you all at the Birthday Bash!

 

 

Cutie Circle’s 2017-2018 Calendar

Cuties’ Song Circle Dates for the 2017 – 2018 Season

Cutie Circle’s Regular Meeting Dates

We’ll be meeting from 2:00pm to 4:00pm on the following dates.

July 8, 2017 (We’ll be celebrating Cutie Circle’s Third Birthday.)
August 13, 2017
September 10, 2017
October 15, 2017 ** (moved back for Thanksgiving)
November 12, 2017
December 17, 2017 ** (moved back due to room availability)
January 14, 2018
February 18, 2018 ** (moved back for Family Day)
March 11, 2018
April 8, 2018
May 13, 2018
June 10, 2018
July 8, 2018

Complete Event Calendar

Venue Location – Address, Directions and Facility Map

The Evergreen Cultural Centre’s address is 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, BC.

We’ll be meeting in the Rehearsal Hall at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. As in the past, we will have free parking on Sundays and evenings.

DIRECTIONS

TransCanada Route
From Hwy# 1 take exit 44 and take Highway #7 NORTH (Lougheed) towards Coquitlam Town Centre. We are located just north of Coquitlam Shopping Centre at the corner of Guildford and Pinetree.

Barnet Route
From Barnet Hwy travel east through Port Moody, (along St Johns Street), and Coquitlam (along Barnet Hwy). Turn north (left) on Pinetree Way just east of Coquitlam Shopping Centre.

The Evergreen Cultural Centre is located on the northeast corner of Guildford Way and Pinetree Way, four blocks north of the Coquitlam Shopping Centre.

PARKING

Evergreen Cultural Centre has a north and south parking lot operated by the City of Coquitlam. Parking is free on Sundays. Parking is also free in the designated 30-minute parking spaces.

North Lot (Studio Theatre/Art Gallery/Box Office)
Travelling northbound on Pinetree Way, turn right at the traffic control signal at Town Centre Boulevard. Travelling southbound on Pinetree Way, turn left at the traffic control signal at Town Centre Boulevard.

South Lot (Rehearsal Hall)
NEW – note that there is no longer access to our south lot (backstage lot) from Guildford. Access to the lot via the North Lot and then via the driveway on the west side of the building.

NEW LOT – there is a new City of Coquitlam PAID parking lot located at the SE corner of Pinetree and Guildford. Parking is free after 6pm.

TRANSIT

Beginning December 2, 2016, patrons will be able to travel to the Evergreen Cultural Centre on the Evergreen Skytrain Line extension. We are located immediately adjacent to the Lafarge Lake – Douglas station at the north end of the Evergreen Line.

For more information and a transit schedules, please visit the Translink website.

ACCESSIBILITY

Evergreen Cultural Centre is an entirely wheelchair accessible facility. There are three wheelchair parking spaces next to the drop off area and in close proximity to the centre.

Facility Map

Once you arrive at the Evergreen Cultural Centre, refer to this Facility Map for finding the parking lot, the ramps, the Rehearsal Hall and the Studio Theatre. (Click the image below for a larger version.) The doors to the facility will be opened 15 minutes before our meeting time.

Evergreen Cultural Centre Facility Map

Cuties Celebrate Canada 150 in Coquitlam

Cuties are ready to celebrate Canada 150 on July 1 with ukulele players of all ages at the City of Coquitlam’s big birthday bash! Join us between noon and 6pm for some singing and strumming!

We will be having an outdoor jam all day and be giving free ukulele lessons to all guests wanting to try their hands at a fun and happy instrument. Students earn certificates for participating in the ukulele lessons! Come also for the multi-colour ukulele hand stamps, too!

Learn to play “O Canada” on the ukulele with us! Come with a song to perform!

Our booth will be located on the Community Drive near the basketball courts. Look for the tent that has lots of ukuleles, flower leis, music stands and happy smiles!

See the map below for the location of our tent.

“Named one of the top 20 festivals in Metro Vancouver by Business in Vancouver, this is a free community festival with live music and entertainment, food, beverages, family activities and fireworks.”

— City of Coquitlam’s Celebrate Canada Day’s webpage

Event Parking

Limited parking will be available. Event-goers are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool or use ​skytrain. A free bike valet service will be available. Ride the SkyTrain’s Evergreen Extension to the Lafarge Lake – Douglas Station, it provides direct access to Town Centre Park.

A free shuttle bus will run from 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. between the site and Gleneagle Secondary School and free public parking will be available at:

See you all there!

Cutie Circle’s 2017 Ukulele Workshop Series for Absolute Beginners

For the third year in a row, Cutie Circle volunteers (aka Cuties) will once again be offering aspiring ukulele players a free ukulele workshop series on Saturday afternoons.

Intended for absolute beginners with little to no background in music, this workshop will give participants some basic knowledge to begin a journey into music using the happiest instrument on earth from April 8 to June 10.

It was a fantastic experience for attendees and volunteers alike and we can hardly wait to meet everyone and spread the joy of ukulele this spring. Many of our students have gone on to share music by volunteering their time to perform at municipal and regional events and/or to teach ukulele to other seniors and children in the community.

Photo Credit: Helena M.

We thank the City of Port Coquitlam for offering the beautiful Michael Wright Art Gallery at Leigh Square for this workshop free of charge.

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Gathering Place, Leigh Square Community Arts Village

Date: Saturdays, April 8 to June 10, 2017
Time: 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Location: Michael Wright Art Gallery, Gathering Place, 2253 Leigh Square Place, Port Coquitlam
Admission: Free
Pre-registration is required. Registration form is located on the bottom of this page.

Courtesy of City of Port Coquitlam

Courtesy of City of Port Coquitlam

Workshop Requirements

Participants are encouraged to bring their own ukulele, music stand, digital tuner and copy of the textbook, Ukulele for Dummies, 2nd Edition. (Please do not be offended by the title of this rather good publication.)

volunteers

Ukulele Kits Loaning Program

We have acquired a few sets of ukuleles, music stands, digital tuners and textbooks (with our personal funds) for loaning to participants who do not own any equipment, upon receipt of a refundable deposit of $60. Please do not mark in (and/or damage) the loaner textbooks (otherwise the deposit will be forfeited). Participants can reserve a set when they register using the form below.

Ukulele Scholarship Initiative

We are in the process of establishing a small scholarship for a few keen students who might otherwise not be able to afford to buy their own ukuleles to continue their music journey upon conclusion of our ukulele workshop series. Those who would like to donate any ukulele in good condition (new or used) to this scholarship program are welcome to contact us. We will put you and the recipient in touch.

Ukulele Lending, Rental and Sales in the Region

As some of you have asked about the availability of ukuleles in the region, we have made some inquiries at local stores.

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Michael Wright Art Gallery, Gathering Place

Ukulele Rental

  • Long & McQuade (Port Coquitlam) has a couple of soprano ukuleles in stock for rent at $10/month. Please confirm with the store regarding availability if interested. (Information current as of March 14, 2017.)

Ukulele Sales

  • Empire Music has a selection of ukuleles available via its website. For pick-up orders only (with a 24-hour advance notice because the company is a warehouse not a store-front), our students qualify for a 5% discount. (Information current as of March 14, 2017.)
    Empire Music has generously offered us a discount on the ukuleles we purchased for this workshop.
  • Long & McQuade (Port Coquitlam) has ukuleles for sale and can offer a payment plan. The store also offers special discounts on ukuleles for all Cuties. The discounts can range from 9% to 15% depending on the make and model of the ukulele. Mention Cutie Circle at time of purchase to receive the discount. Ask for Brandon Smith for further assistance. (Information current as of March 24, 2017.)
  • Tom Lee Music (Coquitlam) has offered participants of this workshop a 10% discount on regular-priced ukuleles and music books. Please contact Dallas Todd or Adam Dean at the store and mention you are a participant of this workshop to receive a discount. (Information current as of March 14, 2017.)

Disclosure: We do not receive commission from any of these merchants. They are mentioned here as a service to the participants only.

Ukulele Lending Collection at the Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL)

  • Cutie Circle and Terry Fox Library collaborated in the Fall of 2016 to create the Uke ‘n Play ukulele public lending collection. The Cutie Circle, Empire Music, King’s Music, Ohana Music and our good friend, Linda Thiessen, collectively donated 50 ukulele kits (including ukuleles, gig bags and tuners) and the FVRL rounded out the collection with ukulele instruction books and plastic containers for each kit. Library patrons of the 25 FVRL branches (from Port Coquitlam to Boston Bar) can now borrow ukuleles for free. In fact, Library network cardholders in the surrounding region (e.g., Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley) can borrow ukuleles in person at FVRL locations as well.

Scheduling Notes and Supplementary Materials

The Workshop Series will start on April 8.

There will be no workshop on April 15 due to the Easter long weekend.

There will be no workshop on May 13 due to the May Day Parade.

There will be no workshop on May 20 due to the Victoria Day long weekend.

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Registration

Online registration began on March 15, 2017 and is now closed.

Thank you for your support. All seats have been filled.

Registration confirmation has been sent to email addresses supplied via the form below. We look forward to meeting you at the workshop.

The workshop series is geared towards adult learners and is unsuitable for young children and unaccompanied minors due to the length of each 2-hour session and the pedagogy employed. Adult participants who would like to bring along minors must supervise and assist their children at all times during the workshop.

As seats are limited, we kindly ask that all who register for this workshop commit to attending all sessions. Participants with full attendance will receive a Certificate of Completion for the workshop. Registration is required for all participants.

If you would like to be put on the waiting list, please complete the form below. To assist us in our lesson planning, please let us know briefly your music background.

Volunteers who are registering to help with the workshop, please indicate availability in the “Music Background / Comments” box.

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Thank you for your response. ✨

Ukulele, Tuner, Music Stand, Textbook Package(required)

Generous Sponsors Help Cutie Circle Amass 50 Ukulele Kits to Start Public Lending Collection at the Fraser Valley Regional Library

ukes

Do you know that starting in October, music lovers from Port Coquitlam to Boston Bar can partake in the joy of ukulele by borrowing the world’s happiest instrument from their local library?

That’s right! Fifty cheerful ukuleles complete with digital tuners and gig bags contributed by Cutie Circle, Empire Music, King’s Music, Ohana Music and our good friend, Linda Thiessen, are coming to the 25 branches of the Fraser Valley Regional Library (FVRL) Uke ’n Play Collection (FVRL’s media release). The generous sponsors are committed to bringing music to the people and supported this project right from the start! The dream of putting one uke in every home is getting one step closer to reality!

Thanks to the friendly ukulele players at the Terry Fox Library (who disguised themselves as smiley librarians) in Port Coquitlam, the Cuties and FVRL collaboration was formed in February!

Library

Serving a population of 700,000, the FVRL will add the joy of making music to its offerings. In its typical library fashion, the FVRL will include ukulele instruction books to the lot and assemble them nicely into carrying bags to round out the 50 ukulele kits!

The ukulele lending collection includes a variety of styles and colours to suit different tastes and levels of playfulness. From the standard figure-eight shaped brown soprano ukuleles, to their red glossy cousins, to the huggable pineapple cuties, to the thin-line arched back travel-size ukes decorated with abalone and pearl inlays, there is a ukulele to appeal to every aspiring ukester!

Here’s a sample of the fun collection.

uke02

Ukulele #02

uke23

Ukulele #23

uke38

Ukulele #38

uke50

Ukulele #50

What’s more? The strings of each uke have been carefully stretched by members of the Cutie Circle. In fact, the Cuties have lovingly strummed a handful of happy tunes into the tummy of each and every uke to get the instruments well on their way to meeting their new friends in the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley. The hope of the Cuties is, of course, that all the people the ukes will touch can then build on these happy vibes and spread the music to their friends and families.

The Cuties also had a farewell party for the ukes to give these babies a grand send-off.

Courtesy of Jerry S.

Courtesy of Jerry S.

The official launch of the lending collection will take place at five of the FVRL locations:

Uke ’n Play launch events will be held at five FVRL locations. Please contact the library for more details.

The ukuleles will be in your neighbourhood in October!

Are you ready?!