Ukulele lessons in Thames Ditton
The ukulele is the least intimidating instrument I teach and the quickest to get a song out of. Four strings, soft on the fingers, and small enough for a child of five or six to hold properly.
Who these lessons are for
- Young children — often the best first instrument before hands are ready for guitar.
- Adults who want to be playing something by the end of the month.
- Guitarists who want it as a second instrument, which takes about a fortnight.
What a lesson looks like
Half an hour suits the ukulele well, and for young children it is the right length. We are usually playing a whole song — a real one they chose — inside the first two or three lessons, which matters more than it sounds. Momentum is most of what keeps a young beginner going, and nothing builds it like getting to the end of something you actually wanted to play.
Levels and exams
Beginner to comfortable. The ukulele has less ceiling than the other instruments here, and I will say honestly when a student has got what they came for, or when the guitar is now the better home for what they want to do.
In Tom’s words
I am slightly suspicious of how the ukulele gets sold — as a novelty, or as a guitar with bits missing. It is neither. But I do think it is the most efficient route I know into playing and singing at the same time, which is a skill that transfers everywhere, and it has started more children on music in my experience than any other instrument I teach.
What it costs
Prices are being confirmed — please ask and Tom will tell you straight away.
A free tool that helps
Ukulele Tuner — standard GCEA and the low-G variant. Free, no signup, works on a phone.
To print: Ukulele tab paper — blank four-line tab with the string names down the left; and Blank ukulele fretboard diagrams — twelve-fret necks for chord shapes and scales (PDFs, A4). All the blank paper.
Worth reading next
Ready to start?
Tell Tom what you would like to play and roughly where you are, and he will come back to you with times.
Get in touch