Ukulele Lessons in New Mexico

How ukulele learning works in New Mexico

New Mexico’s student routes divide between school organizations and private-teacher honors. The New Mexico Music Educators Association (NMMEA) runs district festivals and All-State auditions, including guitar, but its All-State ensembles do not include ukulele. The Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico (PMTNM) offers a separate Student Honors Auditions route for ukulele, from district auditions to state finals for district first-place winners. Levels are assigned by age in early September, and state entrants must study with a PMTNM member in good standing. That difference helps you choose an honor goal suited to the instrument.

Auditions and events in New Mexico

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

A ukulele student seeking a state honor follows PMTNM Student Honors Auditions, since the New Mexico Music Educators Association All-State ensembles include guitar but not ukulele. Students audition first at the district level, and district first-place winners can advance to state finals. Judges hear recital-caliber performances and provide written comments, making the process a formal performance goal as well as a chance for feedback. Districts set their own audition dates; Central District’s auditions are usually in late September, with an early-September postmark deadline, and the state competition follows in early November, so families considering this route should plan around their district’s fall date.

What do auditions ask you to prepare?

PMTNM honors auditions ask ukulele students to perform recital-caliber repertoire for judges, who provide written comments. The Student Honors Committee sets the repertoire and general rules, so your preparation follows the current requirements rather than a single fixed ukulele list. In weekly lessons, a polished event piece usually takes three to six months to prepare. That time lets you build reliable chord transitions, steady strumming, and a confident performance rather than simply learning the notes.

Homeschool and private school students

Homeschool students can pursue PMTNM Student Honors Auditions as ukulele players. For NMMEA All-State auditions, a parent registers the student and contacts the executive director; since ukulele is not an All-State category, this route serves students playing the instrument categories NMMEA offers. Ukulele students looking for a formal state honor have the PMTNM district-to-state path.

Starting at any age

Starting a child on ukulele

A child can begin ukulele when they are ready to fret notes and keep a steady beat; lessons do not need to wait for a school ensemble. Rio Rancho Public Schools begins orchestra in fifth grade, but that program does not create a ukulele-specific school route. Private lessons build chord changes, rhythm, and reading at a pace that fits your child, while giving them a way to develop musical confidence before and alongside school music.

A teen in New Mexico

A teen who wants a formal performance goal can use the district-to-state Student Honors Auditions route, with weekly lessons providing a steady place to shape repertoire around schoolwork and other commitments. The fall audition season gives a student a reason to build reliable playing over time, while lessons can stay focused on the music they enjoy when an honor event is not the goal.

Starting or coming back as an adult

Adults are welcome to begin ukulele or return after a long break. In Santa Fe, Queen Bee Music Association’s free Folk Jam is open to all levels and instruments, so you can bring your playing into a relaxed group setting. Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization also holds ukulele practice in Los Alamos. A dedicated teacher meets you at your current level, whether you are learning your first chords or rebuilding skills you already have.

Finding the right teacher

What should a good ukulele teacher do?

A strong ukulele teacher helps you or your child change chords cleanly, keep a steady strum, and shape a song into a confident performance. The right pace and repertoire differ for a young beginner, a teen preparing for an honor audition, and an adult returning to music, so personal fit matters alongside training. Lesson With You teachers hold at least a bachelor’s degree in guitar. You can choose a teacher yourself or ask us to recommend one, and switch teachers at no cost if the match does not feel right.

How do live online ukulele lessons work?

A live ukulele lesson lets the teacher see your fretting hand and strumming arm while hearing your timing, chord clarity, and tone, then respond as you play. Set a camera so both hands are visible and use a quiet room; your teacher can help adjust the view. Our one-on-one Zoom lessons meet weekly with one dedicated teacher, so you get real-time feedback without a commute and can choose a teacher who fits. In Albuquerque or Deming, you have the same choice of teacher and the same lesson.

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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 Mexico

Where to hear ukulele

For a change of sound from solo ukulele, Santa Fe Pro Musica presents orchestra, string quartet, and Baroque concerts in Santa Fe, with $10 tickets for students with school ID and for youth and children 18 and younger. Santa Fe Symphony offers limited Mezzanine and Balcony seats at 25% off for most Mainstage Series concerts with advance arrangements. In Albuquerque, the New Mexico Jazz Festival’s Outpost concerts offer a fifth ticket free when four are purchased, a useful way to hear how rhythm and ensemble playing work in jazz.

Where to play with others

For an informal setting that gives a ukulele student a chance to listen closely to a group, Santa Fe’s Queen Bee Music Association hosts an Old-Time Jam on first Sundays from 4 to 6 p.m. at Santa Fe Brewing Co’s Beer Hall at HQ. It is distinct from a student audition, so it suits a player who wants to follow tunes and listen for how the parts fit together. In Albuquerque, the High Desert Sand Fleas Ukulele Club offers a dedicated ukulele gathering on the second and fourth Thursdays.

Ukulele around New Mexico, area by area

Albuquerque area

For listening in Albuquerque, Summerfest offers free summertime concerts featuring music, dance, food, and children’s activities. Students can also hear the New Mexico Philharmonic, whose season includes orchestral works such as Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony. These performances are not ukulele-specific, but they let a learner hear how melody and accompaniment fit together. The city also has a dedicated ukulele group for players looking to make music with others.

Las Cruces area

Las Cruces has free summer listening at the City of Las Cruces’ Music in the Park series at Young Park. For a concert-hall setting, performances at Atkinson Recital Hall are generally free and open to the public. Neither setting is ukulele-specific, but both let you hear musicians working together live, then bring ideas about pulse and phrasing back to your own playing.

Santa Fe area

Santa Fe offers classical and chamber music listening for young audiences. The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival presents a free Summer Young People’s Concert at the New Mexico Museum of Art. Santa Fe Pro Musica offers $10 tickets to students with school ID and to youth and children 18 and younger. A ukulele player can listen for how performers shape a melody and keep time together, even when the music is not written for the instrument.

Roswell area

In Roswell, Sundays in the Park offers free outdoor concerts on select Sundays from May through September, starting at 5:30 p.m. Students can attend Roswell Symphony Orchestra concerts free of charge. These are listening opportunities rather than ukulele groups, but they give you a chance to hear a live ensemble and follow how melody and accompaniment fit together.

Farmington area

Farmington’s Summer Terrace Concert Series at the Farmington Museum offers free live music on Saturdays during the summer, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. The Totah Lounge Music Series also presents a free evening of live music at the Totah Theatre. Neither setting is specifically for ukulele, but both offer a local chance to hear live performers and notice how rhythm supports a song.

Los Alamos area

In Los Alamos, the Los Alamos Concert Association offers youth ages 6–18 free tickets to its classical music concerts. The Los Alamos Arts Council’s monthly Daytime Performance Series has free performances for all ages on the first Wednesday of each month. These listening options complement local opportunities to play ukulele with others, giving you both live music to hear and music-making to work toward.

A little ukulele history in New Mexico

New Mexico has a tangible ukulele-making presence. In Las Cruces, Justin Deurmyer hand-builds ukuleles alongside guitars, mandolins, and other string instruments; in Albuquerque, Pimentel & Sons makes custom concert ukuleles, including one with a turquoise Zia design on its fingerboard. For a student, that local craft connects learning songs and technique with the instrument’s design and making. The ukulele’s place here is personal and hands-on, rather than part of a statewide school honor ensemble.