So, if you’ve figured it out, I’m starting off with a few leisure activities that I’m already familiar with. While part of me feels as though this is cheating a bit, I also feel like these activities could be new to those that are reading, therefore, why not blog about them too.
Week two is all about learning an instrument. I am currently learning to play the ukulele; I selected this instrument because Google advised me that it happens to be the “easiest” instrument to learn and I wanted to set myself up to succeed. According to the tutorful blog, the ukulele is:
easy to learn as an adult
soft to the touch
inexpensive to buy
require almost no maintenance (apart from the occasional change of strings)
also a great way to pick up the fundamentals of stringed instruments which you can easily apply to its big brother, the guitar
“Learning to play a musical instrument provides a peaceful retreat from the pressures of daily life. Therapeutic outcomes of playing music include better communication skills, improved emotional release, and decreased anxiety and agitation.” Shipman continues, “Despite the lifelong benefits of playing an instrument, only about 8% of adults aged > 18 years play a musical instrument.” I always wanted to learn to play an instrument and am always in awe when I cross paths with someone who can.
The ukulele that I purchased sat on my shelf for over a year before I made any effort to pick it up about a month ago. I easily became frustrated by the learning process, as I often do. I’ll be honest, I find the number of resources online overwhelming (one of the reasons I was driven to create this website) and found that I spent more time trying to source out appropriate materials to learn from than I did actually learning.
That’s when I decided to invest in my learning. As wild as it seems, I often struggle with just putting my money where my mouth is and typically take the painful path of trying to learn everything for free; because I’m stubborn (there’s actually more to this, however, being mindful that this post isn’t about the Brene Brown book regarding learning to be authentic and vulnerable that I just finished; it’s likely because I have some self-worth challenges). Being stubborn can be even more painful in the end and I’m so over taking the long road to everything in life. SO, the point of my over-sharing? To normalize the conversation regarding self-worth challenges and highlight the awesome App that I’ve been using to support my ukelele learning journey (still following me?).
Yousician. I resisted purchasing the paid version for about two weeks, however, quickly realized the 10mins they allow for free per day just wasn’t enough. Using their App you can:
follow lesson plans created by real music teachers
learn fast with interactive tutorials
stay motivated with goals and progress tracking.
The App listens to you play and gives instant feedback on your accuracy and timing, which is pretty cool! So ya, I’ve invested in myself and I paid for the pro version. Since I did, my learning has accelerated at an amazing rate; I’ll keep you posted on my progress! If you want to see a snipit of day two of me using the App, check out a video of me playing along here.
Need more convincing to give it a try yourself? Bryant lists a plethora of health benefits as well as research backing it up in her web article; give it a read!
Where to buy a ukulele? I really suggest a music store; a half decent one won’t cost you more than $60 – $80. You can also rent instruments from most music stores, so if you’re not sure but would like to give it a try, rent one for a month or two.
52 Week Leisure Challenge: Week Two – Ukulele
So, if you’ve figured it out, I’m starting off with a few leisure activities that I’m already familiar with. While part of me feels as though this is cheating a bit, I also feel like these activities could be new to those that are reading, therefore, why not blog about them too.
Week two is all about learning an instrument. I am currently learning to play the ukulele; I selected this instrument because Google advised me that it happens to be the “easiest” instrument to learn and I wanted to set myself up to succeed. According to the tutorful blog, the ukulele is:
“Learning to play a musical instrument provides a peaceful retreat from the pressures of daily life. Therapeutic outcomes of playing music include better communication skills, improved emotional release, and decreased anxiety and agitation.” Shipman continues, “Despite the lifelong benefits of playing an instrument, only about 8% of adults aged > 18 years play a musical instrument.” I always wanted to learn to play an instrument and am always in awe when I cross paths with someone who can.
The ukulele that I purchased sat on my shelf for over a year before I made any effort to pick it up about a month ago. I easily became frustrated by the learning process, as I often do. I’ll be honest, I find the number of resources online overwhelming (one of the reasons I was driven to create this website) and found that I spent more time trying to source out appropriate materials to learn from than I did actually learning.
That’s when I decided to invest in my learning. As wild as it seems, I often struggle with just putting my money where my mouth is and typically take the painful path of trying to learn everything for free; because I’m stubborn (there’s actually more to this, however, being mindful that this post isn’t about the Brene Brown book regarding learning to be authentic and vulnerable that I just finished; it’s likely because I have some self-worth challenges). Being stubborn can be even more painful in the end and I’m so over taking the long road to everything in life. SO, the point of my over-sharing? To normalize the conversation regarding self-worth challenges and highlight the awesome App that I’ve been using to support my ukelele learning journey (still following me?).
Yousician. I resisted purchasing the paid version for about two weeks, however, quickly realized the 10mins they allow for free per day just wasn’t enough. Using their App you can:
The App listens to you play and gives instant feedback on your accuracy and timing, which is pretty cool! So ya, I’ve invested in myself and I paid for the pro version. Since I did, my learning has accelerated at an amazing rate; I’ll keep you posted on my progress! If you want to see a snipit of day two of me using the App, check out a video of me playing along here.
Need more convincing to give it a try yourself? Bryant lists a plethora of health benefits as well as research backing it up in her web article; give it a read!
Where to buy a ukulele? I really suggest a music store; a half decent one won’t cost you more than $60 – $80. You can also rent instruments from most music stores, so if you’re not sure but would like to give it a try, rent one for a month or two.
Ukulele Websites:
Ukulele Apps:
Related
Jennifer