Beth Blenz-Clucas blogs about music for kids that grownups will love too
The ukulele is enjoying a resurgence lately. And why not? This Hawaiian export is highly portable, cute and it makes a happy sound. Here on the mainland, it’s popular with performers who beckon everyone to try out the ukulele for themselves. Heidi Swedberg, best known for her role as Susan on Seinfeld, burst onto the kindie scene two years ago with her Sukey Jump Band. She received her first ukulele from the Easter bunny as a 5-year-old, while living in Kailua, Hawaii. She never stopped playing and now spends a lot of time encouraging families to make music together, with regular classes and song fests mixed in with concerts.
Heidi will travel to Haiti later this month, bringing her uke and her sunny-smart music to young audiences there. Her voice is comedic and cheerful without being sticky-sweet and the old-timey goodness of her music shines in this performance of “When You Get Old” at Kindiefest last month:
