Las Cruces Ukes

08/24/2026

Be ready to play on your porch!

This thing is growing super fast! Whatever you all are doing, keep doing it! Let's get this to every musician. on the planet!

07/05/2026

Check it out: being a member of the Las Cruces Ukes is good for you!

Few adults play musical instruments, and even fewer do so in a group, Caroline Mimbs Nyce wrote in 2024. What health benefits might they be giving up? https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

“Kids receive plenty of music education, but as people get older, they fall out of practice. Many stop picking up their instrument,” Nyce writes. “This is unfortunate, in part because plenty of research shows that adults could benefit from playing music.”

Playing music helps build larger brain networks and new pathways. “Musicians tend to have better attention than nonmusicians,” Nyce continues. “Banging on a drum or tooting a horn can also relieve stress, reduce burnout, and help with anxiety and depression. For older people specifically, research has shown potential cognitive benefits along with a possible decrease in dementia risk.”

Adults may be skipping out in part because music education is associated with childhood and coursework. And after people grow out of music education in their childhood, they tend to think that music is a special talent, Nyce writes, not something that just anybody can learn.

“Of course, people are busy; they simply may not have the luxury of sitting down to study Bach once a week, much less the money to pay for an instrument or private lessons,” Nyce writes.

Playing music in groups has additional benefits, such as allowing adults to feel more trusting of and connected to one another, and to the world in general. But while it’s easy to go to a park or gym and pull together a game of pickup basketball, “piecing together people at the same skill level to play a concerto or even just jam in a garage is another matter.”

Nyce herself recently began to play the recorder. “I plan to keep learning,” she writes, “not because it strengthens my neuropathways per se (though I certainly don’t mind that), but because making music, even when it’s silly—perhaps especially when it’s silly—is just a whole lot of fun.”

📸: Photo Media / ClassicStock / Getty

05/29/2026

Thanks to Las Cruces Ukes member Doug Roby for spreading the love of the ukulele with the next generation!

05/19/2026

What they said!

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. Have you thought about playing Ukulele to improve your Well-Being?

Reasons why Music and Ukulele are good for your Well-Being are:

🎶Reduces Stress & Anxiety - Playing music lowers cortisol levels and promotes relaxation helping you feel calmer and more at ease.

🎶Boosts Mood - Music triggers the release of dopamine - Your brain's natural "feel-good" chemical.

🎶Builds Confidence - Learning and making progress, no matter how small, helps you feel proud and capable.

🎶Creates Connections - Music brings people together. Sharing songs builds belonging and strengthens relationships.

🎶Improves Focus & Mindfulness - Playing the ukulele encourages you to be present in the moment and gives your mind a healthy focus.

🎶A Healthy Outlet - Express yourself, release emotions and turn difficult days into meaningful moments.

🎶The Ukulele is for Everyone - Easy to learn. Portable and affordable, Perfect for any age or experience and Brings joy, one strum at a time.

Be Kind to your Mind, Play more Music
The London Ukulele Project South East Ukulele Project Northeast Ukulele Project

05/12/2026

Does he?!

It would have really shocked Dr Zaius.
https://www.ukesterbrown.com

05/09/2026

Kahuna Picante Chas and Kahuna Grande Cheryl are at the Farmers Market this morning to tell you about our club and Las Cruces UkeFest! Find us across from Grounded!

04/12/2026

We’re not alone in our desire to make music! Join us Thursdays for Strum for Fun from 5:30 to 6:15 at Las Cruces Village, 3011 Buena Vida Circle.

Just shy of his 69th birthday, the author Tim Parks decided to pick up the mandolin again. At first, it felt like a daunting task. Even though he played for hours a day, his fingers felt stiff and he lacked technique. Seeking camaraderie in this endeavor, Parks wondered if he was singular in his new hobby. He found out he wasn’t. “If this attempt to reclaim the instrument of my youth had been a mistake, I wasn’t alone in making it. Asking around, I became aware of other older people who were returning to music or even taking it up for the first time,” Parks writes. Read more about his late-in-life musical foray: https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/GsG8X8

04/08/2026

They always put in a great show! Who is heading to Santa Fe?