HANSON — The reverberation of ukuleles could be heard throughout the Hanson Library on Tuesday an ideal activity for a rainy, summer day.
The inside event featured Julie Stepanek, a children’s performer from Shutesbery, a town near Amherst. She’s a self taught guitarist who fell in love with the ukulele.
She works for the Jones Library where she teaches children’s programs and has become known for her ukulele music lessons and programs.
Tuesday’s class of 14 children was colorful with each ukulele individually wrapped as a Christmas morning surprise. The children sitting in a circle unwrapped and held their instruments turning to see who got which color and if their ukuleles were comparable to the larger or smaller versions of the instruments on the front bench.
Stepanek kept the children engaged for the one hour program explaining plucking, and basic musical notes, proper fingering techniques and differentiation between the guitar and ukulele.
Several children had their own instruments from home, which Stepanek adjusted; also using the teaching moment to give explanation how she brought the instrument into tune. The program was funded by the Hanson Public Library Foundation.