(From a posting from Bob to the jazz guitar newsgroup) Rocco, I took a lesson from a guy named Curt Sheller, who lives in Pottstown, PA area. Depending on where you live in the Philly area, that might be a bit of a drive for you, but he is well worth it. He's an excellent teacher. I took a lesson from him a couple of months ago, and had planned on taking a one-hour lesson per month from him, but then my work required me to travel almost every week since then and so I haven't been able to master the assignments he gave me so far.

I have taken single lessons from a few teachers in the area, and he is by far the best I've seen.

He is the only guy that I could find that is truly flexible in terms of scheduling, and to top it off, he's the best teacher for the guitar I've ever found as well... - Bob

Should You Study Music With A Teacher or Should You "Wing" It On You Own?

This question always comes up in this type of discussion about music.

Here is Chuck Anderson's take on the question.

An objective assessment of the two alternative approaches leads me (Chuck Anderson) invariably towards the formal route. Why? Because without guidance, there is a tendency to go in circles, What do you practice, when do you move to the next topic? When are you doing something wrong? How do you practice what doesn't exist to you? - Chuck Anderson

Here are links to some great resources, right here on Learning Ukulele with Curt for answering the questions to What Do I Study? when going it alone or with a teacher.

Getting Started Series of `Ukulele Lessons • This series of lessons is intended to take a beginning ukulele player, just Getting Started through the basics.

Learning the `Ukulele - The Top Ten • regardless of the resources you use to learn to play any instrument, it's important to know what there is to learn and how that affects what you want to do.

What Level Player Are You? • You might be a beginner in one aspect of your learning and intermediate or advanced in other areas. This is especially true if you have experience playing other instruments, or have focused on one aspect of your playing.

The Elements of a Successful Music Program • Few Of The Elements That Would Be Typically Covered In A Well Rounded Musical Education

The Study of Music Today • There is a lot of information available that is just wrong, so try to consult a legit expert on the subject. Don’t assume that the information is correct because it’s in a magazine or on-line. Magazines are notorious for featuring well-known players who can’t teach. They often have a very fuzzy idea of what they’re doing and what to call specific scales, chords, and techniques. - Chuck Anderson

Glossary of Terms • a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, program notes, and when communicating with your fellow musicians.

3 Ways to Study with Curt • Private In-Person One-on-One Lessons, One-on-One Virtual Lessons if you can't make it to Pennsylvania, USA, or Lessons via Email Correspondence.

It's All About Learning Songs • Using songs for learning to play the ukulele is the most common approach to, well, learning to play a song.