The Library System of Lancaster County on behalf of Lancaster County Public Libraries is pleased to announce that they were awarded grant funds from Music for Everyone to start a special Ukulele Lending Library. The grant presentation of the ukuleles will take place at Edward Hand Middle School gymnasium (431 S. Ann St. Lancaster, PA) on May 24th from 4:30pm – 6:30 pm. The Ukuleles will be available for lending at the public libraries in Lancaster County. The libraries will also have extended learning resource materials such as, ukulele “how-to-play” books, DVD’s and songbooks for lending to the public.
The ukulele is a great tool to spark creativity and is easy to learn how to play. Having access to borrow the Ukuleles will give children and adults alike hands-on opportunities to practice positive self-expression and have fun. Research shows that when a child plays a musical instrument their brain has an improved ability to process language and speech sounds. Academically, this phonological awareness makes them better readers and learners. The benefits for adults are also impressive—studies at Northwestern University found that musical training can benefit adults by offsetting some of the effects of aging by improving brain activity.
Awareness about music and the important role that music has in people’s lives is an important goal of Music for Everyone—it’s also a goal that public libraries can support by promoting this new service.
The grant funding allowed for the purchase of 30 ukuleles. Local libraries will have ukuleles to lend out for public use, while 10 ukuleles will serve as a set for local library programming use and establishing “Youth and Other Age Ukulele Clubs” at the libraries. Plans are underway for librarians to learn the basics and how to play the ukulele so they may transfer the knowledge to patrons.
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