At the National (Folk Festival, in Oz) a couple of years ago, Mike Jackson (not to be confused with the late Michael Jackson) arrived with a couple of cartons of ukeleles of various colours; all had a set of four coloured stickers to mark finger positions for three basic chords. Just before his workshop on ukeleles he started selling them for $25 and had a reasonably brisk trade.

Daughter #2, who is a bit of an eisteddfod champion on the recorder, wanted me to buy her one so I did. We went to Mike's workshop and, although I've known (and sung and played with) him for much of the last three decades and was well aware of his abilities with kids' music workshops, I was a bit gobsmacked. Within 10 minutes, he had got around 30 instruments and checked they were all in tune to A440 and, as well had the entire audience strumming chords while singing a song. Over the next half hour they all sang more and more complicated songs requiring up to four chords.

Daughter #2 (now 15) is still a heavyweight on her recorders and daughter #1 (now 18, a bit of an eisteddfod champion on piano and doing her HSC with music as an Extension subject) intends taking the ukelele with her when (if?) she travels during her gap year. She reckons its size (read "portability") and cheapness lend itself to such use, allowing her to keep music and its sociability close at hand with ease.

Radio National has a series "Into the music" which, last week, dealt with the history and current resurgence of ukeleles, and Mike was one of the featured interviewees; the announcer commented (at the end of the program) that the broadcast was dedicated to Mike and Di (his partner) Jackson for their efforts at raising awareness of, and teaching how to play, ukeleles in schools. Unfortunately, the program is not available on podcast.

Cheers, Rowan