Ukulele Lessons in New Hampshire

How ukulele learning works in New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s student music organizations serve different purposes, and the ukulele’s clearest statewide honor route is through the New Hampshire Music Educators Association (NHMEA). NHMEA runs All-State Modern Band, which includes ukulele, as well as a Solo and Ensemble Festival where students can seek an adjudicated rating or feedback. The New Hampshire Music Teachers Association (NHMTA) runs state-level competitions for piano, winds, voice, and strings, not ukulele, so it is not this instrument’s competition route. That distinction helps you focus preparation on the opportunity that actually welcomes ukulele.

Auditions and events in New Hampshire

How does an ukulele player reach New Hampshire's top student honors?

For a New Hampshire ukulele student seeking a top student honor, NHMEA All-State Modern Band is the statewide route that explicitly includes ukulele. Students audition in Manchester in November, with registration usually closing in mid-October, and selected players perform at the April festival in Concord and Bow. A separate option is NHMEA’s Solo and Ensemble Festival in February, with applications usually closing in early January. For a rating, an instrumental soloist must perform three major scales from memory and choose a piece from the approved list, so this offers a focused solo goal alongside the Modern Band ensemble audition.

What do auditions ask you to prepare?

For an All-State Modern Band audition, prepare two pieces that show stylistic range and skill as a lead player or accompanist, including an improvisatory section. Lessons can help you shape contrast between the pieces and make the improvisation feel intentional rather than uncertain. Build the set over time: weekly lessons typically need three to six months to prepare an event piece, especially when the player is also learning to improvise confidently.

What else is there to enter?

NHMEA’s Solo and Ensemble Festival suits students who want either an evaluated performance or feedback without a rating, and it does not require an audition. The February festival gives a ukulele player an individual performance goal alongside the All-State Modern Band route. Students who would rather play without competition can join informal jams in different parts of the state, where shared music offers a way to build experience with others.

Homeschool and private school students

New Hampshire homeschool and private school students can participate in curricular courses and cocurricular programs, including performing groups, in their resident district under its participation policy. The policy cannot be more restrictive for them than for district students, so school music participation is not limited to public school students. NHMEA events have their own eligibility requirements, which apply separately to each opportunity.

Starting at any age

Starting a child on ukulele

Ukulele is a practical first instrument for many children once they can hold it comfortably and coordinate a simple strum with changing chords. A private teacher can build tuning, rhythm, chord changes, and song playing step by step, giving your child a foundation to use in personal music-making and any school activity they choose. Weekly lessons also let the teacher adjust the pace to the child’s hands, attention, and interests, so early progress feels achievable rather than rushed.

A teen in New Hampshire

For a New Hampshire teen, NHMEA All-State Modern Band provides a statewide route, with auditions in the fall and a festival in April; Solo and Ensemble offers a separate February performance opportunity. Since these events follow a yearly cycle, lessons can help a teen build skills and repertoire steadily rather than compressing preparation into a few weeks. Weekly one-on-one work also gives a student time to balance school responsibilities with music and choose a goal that suits their interests.

Starting or coming back as an adult

Adults can play ukulele with others in several parts of New Hampshire. In Lebanon, monthly ukulele jams welcome all skill levels; Newmarket’s Sunrise Ukulele Strummers meet for beginner and intermediate players, and the Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group in Brentwood welcomes players of all abilities. It is not too late to start or return to the instrument. A teacher meets you where you are, whether you are learning your first chords or building confidence to join a group.

Finding the right teacher

What should a good ukulele teacher do?

A good ukulele teacher helps a student develop steady rhythm, flexible chord work, and the confidence to lead, accompany, or improvise. The right approach depends on the learner: a young beginner may respond to songs and small steps, while a teen preparing for Modern Band needs focused repertoire work and an adult may want a comfortable path into group playing. Every Lesson With You teacher holds at least a bachelor’s degree in guitar, but fit matters too. You can choose a teacher yourself or ask us to recommend one for your goals and learning style.

How do live online ukulele lessons work?

In a live Zoom ukulele lesson, your teacher hears your timing and chord clarity and sees how you use both hands, so feedback can come while you play. Set the camera to show the instrument and both hands, and keep the ukulele tuned; you can work through a chord change or a performance passage together in real time. There is no commute, and you can choose a teacher who fits rather than relying on whoever is closest. A student in Nashua and one in Laconia have the same choice of teacher and the same weekly one-on-one lesson. The first 30-minute lesson is free, with no payment method needed.

What $35 a week gets you at Lesson With You

A teacher with a degree in guitarEvery Lesson With You ukulele teacher holds at least a bachelor's degree in guitar.

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Ukulele in New Hampshire

Where to hear ukulele

Across the state, Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra’s Main Stage concerts in Portsmouth offer individual student tickets for $10 during the 2026–27 season, while Symphony New Hampshire is based in Nashua and performs throughout New Hampshire. In Manchester, free summer performances at Veteran’s Memorial Park bring live music to the city on Thursday evenings. These settings let a ukulele player hear how melody, pulse, and accompaniment fit together across different kinds of performances.

Where to play with others

A ukulele player can look beyond traditional concert ensembles to informal and jazz settings. In Exeter, The Word Barn’s monthly old-time jam welcomes all levels and instruments, while Interplay Jazz’s free monthly North jam sessions in Enfield welcome people to play, sing, or listen. In Merrimack, the Merrimack Concert Association Jazz Ensemble welcomes all instruments and experience levels, giving a more experienced player a larger-group option. The settings range from listening and joining in to ensemble playing, so you can choose a comfortable way to make music with others.

Ukulele around New Hampshire, area by area

Nashua area

Nashua Chamber Orchestra regular-season concerts are free for students under 18, giving a young ukulele player a chance to hear how an ensemble shapes rhythm and melody. In Manchester, the Levitt AMP Manchester Music Series brings free live music to Veteran’s Memorial Park on Thursday evenings throughout the summer. These are different kinds of performances, so a student can listen for how the beat and supporting parts change from one group to another.

Concord area

Concord’s William H. Gile Concert Series offers free concerts, including shows suitable for children, so families can share live music with a young player. Its free NH 39th Army Band Veterans Day Concert takes place in November. Although a band is not a ukulele ensemble, hearing its musicians coordinate melody and rhythm gives a student a useful listening experience.

Lebanon area

In Claremont, Da Capo Strings and Prelude Symphonic Ensemble offer ensemble playing for young string musicians, rather than ukulele players. Da Capo Strings tuition is $79 per month from September through May, while Prelude Symphonic Ensemble tuition is $84 per month over the same months. These options are relevant if your child also studies a string instrument and wants to play with others.

Keene area

Keene Chamber Orchestra concerts are free to attend, with donations welcome, and the city’s Community Events include free summer concerts with no registration required. The orchestra recruits string players and percussionists rather than ukulele players, but a student can still hear musicians keep time and shape a shared performance. The community concerts offer another accessible way to hear live music.

A little ukulele history in New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s visible ukulele activity centers on performance and local player communities. Portsmouth Music and Arts Center’s Folk Show includes its Ukulele Ensemble, and Sunrise Ukulele Strummers in Newmarket meet for a beginner/intermediate class with loaner instruments available. These opportunities show a student that ukulele can move from individual practice into shared playing; lessons can build the chord fluency and steady rhythm needed to take part.