The Greensville couple, who have more than 55 years of ukulele instruction between them, agree that the ukulele is “a misunderstood instrument” across much of Canada, with the exception of the east and west coasts. To break down old-fashioned, pre-conceived notions that the uke is “just a toy,” they have invited Hill to showcase what the versatile four-stringed instrument can do. The 27-year-old B. C. native will present an hour-long concert next Thursday (November 13) at 7 p. m. in the Legion Hall, 79 Hamilton Street, Waterdown.

Recognized as one of the world’s best ukulele players, Hill has been playing the instrument since he was nine years old. He was a Grade 4 student in the 1970s when ukulele instruction was mandatory in many B. C. schools. He got hooked on the instrument and now performs across Canada and around the world with a repertoire that stretches from Schubert to The Beatles and beyond.

With three solo albums to his credit, the young musician “is not only a wonderful performer, but an amazing educator as well,” Elayne Ruplen said.

Hill will be in Ontario this weekend to conduct workshops at the Ontario Music Educators’ Association conference in Toronto, where he’ll promote a curriculum for ukulele that he co-wrote for Canadian schools with J. Chalmers Doane, widely known as “the grandfather of Canadian ukulele.” While in Ontario, he’ll perform three times, twice in Kingston and once in Waterdown.

The Ruplens met Hill about three or four years ago while attending one of his workshops and were duly impressed. “I think his performance in Waterdown will be very educational for a lot of people,” Norm Ruplen said. “They’ll be surprised by what he does; I know I was.”

The Ruplens have taught ukulele for many years, both as part of the school curriculum and also as an extra-curricular activity. Norm was a music teacher with the Halton public board for 25 years while Elayne was a Grade 3 teacher with the Hamilton- Wentworth District School Board for 34 years. When they retired, they continued to teach the ukulele, starting up their own business, String Along, which offers programs at Allan A. Greenleaf and Mary Hopkins schools in Waterdown, the Ancaster Meadow School and, for adults, a course at the Dundas Lions Memorial Community Centre.

They and another retired teacher, Beth Callowhill of Dundas, instruct a total of 140 students from Grades 1 to 5, as well as 25 adult students, every week. The Ruplens work four days a week to deliver the program.

“We both love the ukulele and the kids love it, too. We put on school concerts and do fundraising,” Elayne explained.

The ukulele’s small size and price tag make it ideal for many who want to play an instrument but cannot afford to make a big investment, she added. Students don’t need to know how to read music and adults are delighted to find that they can learn to play the ukulele “without even being musical.”

Students, young and old, sing and strum during class, Elayne said, adding that playing the instrument is “quite a social activity.”

In the last two decades, there has been a resurgence of the ukulele, particularly along the west coast of the United States. It is also making inroads along the eastern U. S. coast, but still has a lot of uncharted territory to cover in mainland Canada, where it isn’t taken very seriously.

The Ruplens still remember a Canada-U. S, border guard erupting into laughter when they told him they were going to Portland, Oregon to attend a five-day ukulele festival.

They’re determined to change that type of response by educating people about the instrument that can play – and play well – any genre of music, including classical, jazz, or country.

“It’s a pleasing instrument” that comes in five different sizes, with the largest still being smaller than a guitar, Elayne said. It promotes eye/hand co-ordination in children and also teaches them to listen, focus and read notes. For both adults and children, it’s easy to hold and easy to play.

The origin of the ukulele can be traced back to 1879 when a Portuguese immigrant introduced it to Hawaii. It developed a strong following in Japan, Europe and the United States, but needs more exposure in Canada.

“We want it to be taken seriously, but we also want people to know it can be a heck of a lot of fun,” Elayne said.

Tickets for the upcoming show are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $5 for children under 12. To order tickets, email stringalong@cogeco.ca or phone 905-628-0170.