Christmas at Highwic Uniquely ‘Uke’

Would-be ukulele players have the chance to learn some new skills at a ukulele workshop and Christmas sing-a-long coming up at Highwic in Newmarket on December 1.

Highwic, which is cared for by the NZ Historic Places Trust, will host ukulele maestro Avon Hanson-Beadle, who will lead an hour-long workshop introducing beginners to the basics of playing the ukulele – with a special Christmas flavour.

“We’ll be taking traditional Christmas songs and simplifying them so they’re user-friendly for beginners. The ukulele is an easy and fun instrument to play, and we’ll have people accompanying themselves in no time at all,” says Avon.

“The idea is for people to take part in the workshop, and then participate in the Christmas Carol sing-a-long afterwards. It’s a great way for people to join in the spirit of Christmas while having a lot of fun.”

Avon leads The Ukulele Union – a combination of two enthusiastic North Shore ‘uke groups’, the Shore Cooleles and the Hibiscus Ukes – and is an experienced ukulele teacher.

“I specialise in making it simple using easy chords that anyone can master,” she says.

“The ukulele carol concert at Highwic last year was really great – and we’re looking forward to a similar result with our workshop and sing-a-long this year.”

The Ukulele workshop takes place on Sunday December 1, 1-2pm ($20 per person); followed by the Highwic Christmas Special – Carols by Ukulele, 2-3pm (admission free). People will also be able to explore Highwic ($10 per adult; children free).

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