“I first met the Utterly Butterly Ukulele Project at a rather surreal Chinese meal in Manchester at the Music Learning Live Conference 2010. On one side sat National Music Participation Tsar, Dick Hallam. On the other, were Steve and Mark from TUBUP, with ukuleles proudly twanged alongside the chicken with black bean sauce. It was the start of a beautiful partnership.
We got talking and I was impressed how authentic a ukulele made from a small plastic margarine tub and fishing line can sound. I thought it would be a perfect, inclusive project for SoundStorm, our Music Education Agency, a perfect combination of practical basic construction work and music skills. TUBUP came down and did a couple of trial days in local primary schools. They went down a storm. A random bloke even offered me £5 in a pub for my TUBUP uke.
Since then, we haven’t looked back. Over 2000 ukes have been constructed. They’ve visited 20 schools and led CPD for 60 teachers. It’s a perfect project for enthusing young people with music and every child takes home a unique, decorated utterly butterly uke. Schools book them year on year and they are important partners on our Music Hub.
If you want to bring something unique to your music hub, and enthuse hundreds of young people at the same time, I can’t recommend TUBUP highly enough. It’s a thoroughly unique and satisfying project”