Hollywood is known for its beaches and casinos,
but one rapidly growing group is bringing the ukulele scene to the city.
The Florida Ukulele Network, or F.U.N., is a group of ukulele enthusiasts that come together in Hollywood to jam with their four-string miniature guitars. The group has been jamming since 2009 and over the years has expanded their meetings to cities like Palm Beach and Space Coast.
 |
| Typhoon "Ty" Olopai |
The group's organizer, Typhoon Olopai, began
these meet ups in Hollywood as lessons for a friend's daughter. That friend
started inviting more people to these lessons and as the group consistently
grew, Olapai decided to open a page on the popular social networking site Meetup.com.
"People came as far as Orlando, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, Jupiter, and Tampa." said Olopai
With this rapidly growing group of ukulele players, the non-profit organization F.U.N. was born. F.U.N. also participates in ukulele festivals and concerts in Florida and holds workshops for aspiring ukulele players; all lead by Olopai.
Olopai is originally from Saipan, Commonwealth of Northern Marina Islands (CNMI), but now resides in Hollywood. He was 11 years old when he first picked up his father’s 8-string Kamaka ukulele and was instantly hooked. Olopai speaks passionately about the ukulele and describes it as an instrument of joy and positivity.
"People came as far as Orlando, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, Jupiter, and Tampa." said Olopai
With this rapidly growing group of ukulele players, the non-profit organization F.U.N. was born. F.U.N. also participates in ukulele festivals and concerts in Florida and holds workshops for aspiring ukulele players; all lead by Olopai.
Olopai is originally from Saipan, Commonwealth of Northern Marina Islands (CNMI), but now resides in Hollywood. He was 11 years old when he first picked up his father’s 8-string Kamaka ukulele and was instantly hooked. Olopai speaks passionately about the ukulele and describes it as an instrument of joy and positivity.
"I have been teaching
ukulele for 7 years and I have literally seen people's lives change," said
Olopai, "not just learning how to play it, but to become inspired,
innovative, creative and bringing smiles to people's faces."
Hawaiin folk and reggae are popular genres during these jam sessions, but Olopai welcomes all styles of music.
"People love music regardless if they can't sing or play any instrument," said Olopai, "but when you teach someone to play the ukulele and have them learn their favorite songs, the ukulele dramatically becomes a part of their soul. Now they can resurface that good feeling again by playing their favorite song, on the ukulele, whenever they want to and as many times as they like. And that is the power of the ukulele!"
For more information on F.U.N., contact Olopai through the links below.
Hawaiin folk and reggae are popular genres during these jam sessions, but Olopai welcomes all styles of music.
"People love music regardless if they can't sing or play any instrument," said Olopai, "but when you teach someone to play the ukulele and have them learn their favorite songs, the ukulele dramatically becomes a part of their soul. Now they can resurface that good feeling again by playing their favorite song, on the ukulele, whenever they want to and as many times as they like. And that is the power of the ukulele!"
For more information on F.U.N., contact Olopai through the links below.
Helpful links:
No comments:
Post a Comment