What people are saying about Ryk’s Uke Class:
Finding a great teacher is difficult. Thankfully, we discovered Ryk’s ukulele classes from an online homeschool group recommendation. We were thrilled to find his middle and high school level (+ adults) music classes. Ryk is the real deal. He is an incredibly kind, knowledgeable, patient, and detailed music teacher. He has a beautiful, booming voice, provides implicit instruction, and masterfully shares tips and demonstrates skills while managing an online class, which can be challenging. He makes his students feel welcome and included, somehow making it feel as if it’s hosted in person. During class, his camera angles shows the student exactly what is he is doing while he explains things, making it easy to follow and duplicate at home. His song selection is spot on, teaching some nostalgic songs as well as introducing more recent tunes. He also shares recorded video lessons, making post-class practice easy, organized, and enjoyable. My girls have thoroughly enjoyed his class. They’ve attended sessions with friends, which always makes learning even more fun and supportive. Life happens and scheduling issues occasionally come up. We are deeply grateful for his understanding and flexibility when we’ve needed to swap dates in the same week. We wish Ryk much continued success and look forward to future sessions with him.
D.V., Vallejo CA
Thank you so much for the time you’ve put into these classes and making them dynamic and different from season to season–your classes are a really good example to me of the benefits of learning properly from a teacher (you) instead of trying to learn these things on your own!
R.C., San Jose CA
I truly enjoy Ryk’s ukulele lessons. I started with his Beginning Beginners class, with very little knowledge and no experience other than fiddling around and no discipline for practice. Right away he had us playing simple, familiar tunes, giving me confidence to play and sing and a desire to learn more. As I have progressed through the different levels, Ryk has added more challenges, not just with playing the instrument, but also with musicality and understanding theory. His approach is always an invitation toward exploration and discovery rather than pressure to perform. I still find making the time to ‘practice’ a challenge, but feel welcome to enjoy the time in class as my time to focus on playing, if that’s all I can muster in a given week. He is always open to requests, but Ryk’s wonderfully eclectic song choices always bring me joy!
L.B.F., Alameda CA
Ukulele class with Ryk has brought so much music into our lives and with that comes joy that we can access at any given moment. I can’t count the number of times that we’ve broken into a song that we learned from class with Ryk. Those musical moments bind us as a family and in the hard times that we’ve faced, those bonds are a wonderful gift.
F.S., Emeryville CA
I love my ukulele lessons with Ryk! He makes it all about enjoying music and playing for pleasure and connection with others, his instruction is clear and easy to follow, the songs he selects to teach with are varied, fun, and familiar. There are many options for class times and learning on zoom makes it easy to make it to class from anywhere. Highly recommend!
J.M., Berkeley CA
Ukulele class with Ryk has been so much fun! Whether it’s with as clear and simple a goal as keeping music an active part of life, creating community (especially during COVID), or continuing to benefit from Ryk’s masterful teaching when the children in your life have aged out of Music Together, this connection is deeply satisfying. With no matter what background or comfort level in music, everyone can (and should!) find an appropriate level of uke class with Ryk. Tons of fun, there for the taking.
E.C.R., Berkeley CA
For the past two years, Ryk’s fantastic ukulele classes have been a bright place in my days, and have given me so much: a firm foundation for learning a string instrument for the first time in my life; the building blocks for learning about music theory, which has translated to understanding music as a whole and approaching new music outside of class; and access to a community of music lovers. Ryk’s love and respect for teaching comes across wonderfully every session. Ryk’s method for teaching newcomers is oriented toward teaching the body to integrate learning slowly and patiently, which takes so much of the pressure away from the learning process and allows me to connect carefully and understand how my body learns complex movements. The classes have been an amazing supplement to my efforts to play music in person with people outside of class. The more I attend Ryk’s classes and practice using his methods, the more I feel attuned to players around me–and the more compliments I get on my improvement. Thank you, Ryk, always, for your exemplary teaching!
F.R. Oakland CA
I’ve been raving about Ryk’s ukulele and singing lessons to friends and family for years!! I’m so pleased that my dad (who lives on the East Coast) was able to start taking lessons after he retired. Now that he’s an Intermediate II student, we can take classes together! I can’t say enough about how much fun it is to share in this experience. My sister (who is in the Mountain Standard Time Zone) started taking lessons last year and we look forward to her joining us when our levels and schedules align. I feel so fortunate to have found Ryk and be able to strum and sing with my loved ones. Gives “community music” a whole new meaning!
K.Y. Orinda CA
Ryk’s ukulele class has brought me tremendous joy! The zoom setting is extremely accessible. The classes are well-organized and have a lovely flow. Within a few weeks of starting my first beginner class, I had a repertoire of great songs to play. All songs are recorded, most at multiple speeds which is perfect for practice. This class is a gem!
A.N.M Oakland CA
You’re such a gifted ukulele and music teacher! Prior to the pandemic, your in person classes had us ’embody music’ through games and movement, while also learning the basics of the ukulele. This is such an underappreciated way of getting to understand how to play, have found no other teacher does it, but I call on it even now as I’ve advanced my skills. During the pandemic, your zoom class really kept me grounded as we explored music, how and why we connect with it, and how it works. As someone who missed out on learning music and instruments as a child, I’ve enjoyed learning it as an adult – and hear music differently as a result of your teaching approach. As a player, I continue to explore the versatility of the instrument and the many ways to engage with it, and the way it encourages others to join in!
E.M. Takoma Park MD