Ukelele time
Ukulele classes held by Aaron Canwell of Portland-based children’s band Micah & Me will be held from Aug. 8 to 10 at varying times at libraries in Quincy, Grand Coulee, Soap Lake, Moses Lake, Warden and Pateros.
COURTESY PHOTO/PORAPAK APICHODILOK/PEXELS
The Quincy Public Library, where Schiree Ybarra, a member of the NCW Libraries Children’s Committee, works as a supervisor. Quincy Public Library will host their ukulele class Aug. 8 at 4:30 p.m. – the classes are open to all ages but focused on children ages ten and older.
QUINCY — NCW Libraries will be hosting Aaron Canwell, founding member of Portland-based children’s band Micah & Me, at five Grant County libraries from Aug. 9 to 10 for learn-to-play ukulele programs, according to the NCW Libraries website.
Schiree Ybarra, a supervisor at Quincy Public Library and a member of the NCW Libraries Children’s Committee, said that Canwell, Micah & Me’s frontman, will be teaching some basic, simple songs for kids and focus on making a fun, upbeat event.
“It’s open to the public, but it’s geared for kids ten years and older,” said Ybarra.
The classes are open for all ages, said Ybarra, but the focus will be on children, as there is a limited supply of ukuleles available to learn with during the program.
“Aaron Canwell is the frontman for … Micah & Me,” said Ybarra. “He’s from Walla Walla Washington, and he’s been teaching and playing Ukulele for nearly 10 years. So he’s going to be bringing 30 ukuleles for people to borrow on a first come first serve basis, and staff can be there to help oversee it.”
Ybarra said events such as the ukulele classes are very important for local libraries like those across the county.
“The one thing we really try to get out to the community is libraries are more than just books. We are a community hub,” she said. “So we’re trying to incorporate that and introduce things to our community members that they may not normally be exposed to.”
The ukulele classes also tie directly into the NCW summer reading theme, which is why the Children’s Committee reached out to Micah & Me, said Ybarra.
“This year our summer theme, our summer reading library theme, was find your voice,” said Ybarra. “So that’s why we wanted to be able to incorporate some sort of music into it as well, because you can still speak your voice and your feelings through musical interpretation.”
According to the NCW libraries website, Micah & Me is made up of three stay-at-home dads and combines original music and upbeat cover songs to create a fun program for all ages. The website stated that the group was voted one of the top 5 performers for children in the PDX Parents Annual Picks for four years.
For more information on NCW events and local libraries, visit www.ncwlibraries.org.
Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Grand Coulee Public Library Aug. 8 at 4 p.m.
Soap Lake Public Library Aug. 9 at 1 p.m.
Quincy Public Library Aug 9 at 4:30 p.m.
Moses Lake Public Library Aug 10 at 10:30 a.m.
Warden Public Library Aug. 10 at 2 p.m.
Pateros Public Library Aug. 8 at 11 a.m.
SOURCE: NCW LIBRARIES
