Professor Stu Answers Questions For You

This is an excellent and important question. Generally speaking, we recommend that most students start with the Freshman Class. It is designed for those just starting to play or with limited experience. Over my
long career as a teacher, I have worked with many self-taught students or students who have been shown a few things by a friend. While well intentioned, many fundamentals get overlooked, which leads to problems down the road. We start at the beginning and build a solid foundation for future growth. If a student has been playing for a while and feels comfortable with their technique, then the Sophomore Class would be a good fit.

There are many attractive features to learning online. The convenience factor is huge. No driving to and from a music store, sometimes in bad weather and traffic. No “having to be there at a specific time,” which can create scheduling problems. You can take your lessons at your convenience and your pace. All the material is precise and easy to follow and understand. Each lesson builds on the previous one.

Our school works for any age. The material is designed more for adults, so young kids may not be familiar with the songs. I have taught ukulele to adults of all ages, from teenagers to retired people well into their 80s. The

Excellent question. There are a lot of opinions on this subject, all valid. My take is PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR UKULELE EVERY DAY! Keep your ukulele on a stand or hanging up where you can see it. The act of having to
take it out of a case is sometimes a deterrent to playing. Your practice doesn’t have to be long. Play through your new lessons from start to finish.Do this once a day, and you’ll have it down. Make a little more time to go
back and review some of your earlier lessons to keep them fresh. In all, 10-20 minutes a day will do it. More time would be great, but we all are busy.

The short answer is yes, of course you can stop at any time. I would encourage anyone who feels like they are getting frustrated or “hitting a wall” to hang in there. No one has ever learned to play an instrument without experiencing frustration. You can do this. Don’t give up easily.

Like most things, your progress will be directly related to your effort. You will learn new songs every week, and they will allow you to quickly grow as a musician. It’s safe to say that you will become a good player faster than you think you will.

Is it? There may be other online programs that cost a little less per month, but at $25 per month, this program is a bargain! That breaks down to $6.25 per lesson with no travel time, waiting around a music store, or having a specific meeting time on line for a 1 on 1 lesson. As a private teacher on line, I charge $55 an hour. This is a typical hourly rate. $25 per month is an excellent price for a program of this quality.

That’s true. You can. But like most things, teaching yourself presents many issues. How do you know if you are doing something correctly? Who is there to answer any questions you may have? Who are you accountable
to? Being an extremely experienced teacher, I have created a program that builds skills and opens doors to different genres of music. My curriculum is presented at a consciously chosen pace that facilitates learning.

Simply click "Enroll" on the class you are interested in and select your payment option.  You can pay a discounted "all up front" rate, or choose to extend your payments over time.  Once you have completed the payment process, the class will begin immediately.

Classes begin the day you sign up. Upon registering, you will receive a few brief videos to help you understand some basic essentials about ukuleles, and my teaching technique. Your first song will be sent to you on the same day of the following week. You will then receive your future lessons on the same day of each week.

The String Along With Stu Program is broken down into 4 Classes with 20 songs per semester. If taken without any breaks, it would last 80 weeks, or roughly one year and six months. If you complete the whole program, you will come out of it as a very good player.

I have found that having access to all of the course material is counter-productive. It can be very tempting to jump around to songs you may like more than others. This presents problems as some songs are more
complicated than others, and you may find yourself trying to play something you are not ready for. This can be self-defeating and discouraging. The songs will be sent to you every week in an order that builds on itself.

Yes. Option A would be that you can pay $25 per month. Each semester takes 5 months, so you would pay a total of $125 per semester. Option B would be to pay for the whole semester up front. The price would be a one-
time payment of $99 for the semester. This is a 20% savings.

While not exactly a “recital,” we will have community Zoom meetings periodically that will offer opportunities for students to play for their peers and receive feedback. It would be closer to an Open Mic than a recital.

At this time, there is no option to purchase a single song as I believe the primary focus  is on the learning progression .  One off songs may be added in the future and we will keep all of our students in the loop when that happens.