“The beauty of the ukelele is the simplicity of it, the ease of learning an instrument,” said newly retired music director Bronwyn Edwards of the Fauntleroy UCC congregation in Seattle, Washington. “It’s a welcoming little instrument, and anyone can play. It’s not too demanding.”
Bronwyn Edwards led the Fauntleroy UCC ukelele group until her recent retirement.
Edwards has been part of the church’s ukelele group since they began back in 2016. She has recently handed the title of music director over to Zachary Fitzgerald, who is thrilled to have walked into a position where this group is thriving. “They’re pretty autonomous,” he shared. “What I love is that my job is just to make sure they have the space and means to make their music. It’s about the joy, not about being directed.”
The Fauntleroy UCC ukelele band practices every week on Thursdays.
The Fauntleroy ukelele band of 25 or so people meets on Thursdays, and has an open invitation to play at services on Sundays. Just recently as part of their church summer music series, the ukelele group played the finale on “Blues Sunday.”
“We have quite a catalog of songs,” said Edwards. “A lot of secular music, everyone loves the Beatles of course, but we have a list of spiritual songs we play, and well over 30 Christmas carols.”
Fauntleroy UCC ukelele band at a recent practice.
As well as playing for church events, the ukelele group also goes into the community and performs at festivals, in retirement homes, and sometimes even plays for those who are sick. “We have played to individuals who were struggling with illness or close to their end-of-life. We went into their homes and played and sang to them, and they so greatly appreciated the experience. It was a very moving experience for all of us,” shared Edwards.
The fabric of the community
“It’s part of the fabric of our community,” said associate pastor Karyn Frazier. “It’s the sort of group that epitomizes the church. You see the porousness that is Fauntleroy with the ukelele band. What happens in the sanctuary and then beyond our walls is a joyous little gathering, a counter narrative to the fractured world and environment we are currently living in.”
The Bristol NH UCC “Joyful Noise” ukelele band, featuring Debbie Doe (top left), Bonnie Biondi, Lucille Keegan, Bessie Symington, Jan Laferriere, Sue Ruesch, Sandy MacKay, and Sandi Despins.
All the way across the country in New Hampshire, Debbie Doe, leader of the Bristol, NH UCC ukelele band, agrees about the importance of being part of the fabric of the local area. Their group was founded with that in mind.
“We wanted to be open to the community,” said Doe. “We have some people who are members of the band but not members of the church, but they come every month to play at a service. We not only wanted to bring music to the people of our church but also out in the community. We often play at fairs, and go into assisted living homes, and even in schools and libraries.”
The Bristol UCC Joyful Noise group brings new meaning to “Go Tell it on the Mountain.”
The “Joyful Noise” Bristol band has been playing since 2018. They currently have 11 members of the group, ages 60 to 90 years old.
An injury and inspiration
Doe said she was inspired to play after a trip to Hawaii in 2017. “I played the guitar in my youth, and I found it was too heavy after I had suffered a broken wrist. Then I picked up the ukelele and I started playing and I decided to offer the idea to those at church. I was so surprised when about ten others said they’d be interested in playing too!” They’ve been playing together ever since.
Pass-A-Grille ukelele band plays with their UCC singing group at a local nursing home.
At the Pass-a-Grille Beach Community Church in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida, community is the continued connection. Jo Small has led and been playing with the self-proclaimed “Uke Kooks” going back to 2009, though she moved away for a bit. Small said their group has nine people, including the resident ukelele songwriter and expert Dr. Richard Norenberg, who is 93-years old. “Richard writes songs about everything and anything,” said Small, “including a send off song back when I left the church for another position for a while.”
The Pass-a-Grille “Uke Kooks” at a recent practice.
The Uke Kooks often perform with a singing group, which Small said takes some of the pressure off of them, so they can concentrate on just playing their instruments. “Half of us played already, and the rest have just picked it up when they joined us,” she explained.
“We don’t play at services very often,” said Small. “But we do play for church receptions on special occasions. And we are going into some nursing homes and playing there as well. We do a lot of outreach, people are interested in our group and our church. It’s a nice way to promote the UCC message.”
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