the global strum: a history of the ʻUkulele (and the ukulele)

the global strum: a history of the ʻUkulele (and the ukulele)

Abstract

My Culminating experience project is entitled, “The Global Strum: a History of the ‘Ukulele (and the Ukulele)”. With this project, I wanted to bring awareness to the all too unknown story of the Hawaiian national instrument that is the ‘Ukulele. I wanted to explore this not only to learn more about the instrument myself as a ‘Ukulele principal, but also to bring attention to why an instrument this well known globally has a story that so few actually know. I also believe that the ‘Ukulele has become a notable example of historical and cultural erasure, and through normalizing doing research and learning about the ‘Ukulele’s history, we can begin to undo the societal norm and better appreciate gifts from other heritages. The instrument has deep ties to protest, national identity, and so much more that has been almost completely erased from its history after the instrument arrived in the mainland United States.I’ve researched this topic through many books, articles, essays, and also through hands-on interviews with important figures in the ‘Ukulele community that I met in my time in Hawaii for the International Ukulele Festival of Hawaii back in July of 2024. With this knowledge I learned about, I created my CE compositions, each of them directly representing a key period in the timeline of the ‘Ukulele’s story. After the drafting process, I workshopped some of these compositions in my Global Jazz Ensembles, and better incorporated BGJI concepts into the framework of my pieces. Through this project, I’ve learned that even the story of just one instrument is so complicated and complex, however so necessary to learn about in order to truly appreciate an instrument and the peoples and cultures that it represents. I believe this project not only informs, but also calls society to better educate themselves on the things that are taken for granted; there is almost always a greater unknown story behind everything.

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Campus

Boston Campus

Keywords

Ukulele; Music Education; Global Jazz; Hawaii; Portugeuse Music

the global strum: a history of the ʻUkulele (and the ukulele)

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