*An additional $20 for the course binder, payable to the instructor on the first day of class, is required.

This course will introduce ukulele and guitar players to music theory ideas that are relevant to playing their instrument. We will cover the following: the notes on your fretboard, time signatures, key signatures, the major scale, the three main minor scales, the major and minor chords that are part of a key signature, common chord progressions such as the I-IV-V-vi, how to play a pickup, Nashville notation, the different kinds of 7th chords, the Circle of Fifths, transposing music to a different key, and using a capo. This class assumes the students are comfortable playing basic chords on their instrument and can use a chord sheet to play songs. Students are expected to bring their instrument to each class and to tune it before class begins. We will apply the ideas we learn in class by reserving play time for the last part of every class. Students will receive weekly emails from the instructor with videos to watch and some light reading. The final day of class will be a field trip to Harrisonburg’s own Hometown Music.

Anne Henriksen is Faculty Emerita at James Madison University, where she was a professor in the Integrated Science and Technology Department for 19 years. Dr. Henriksen came to JMU from The Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she was a staff scientist for ten years. Dr. Henriksen received a PhD in chemical physics from UVA, and an MBA in management science from the University of New Mexico. She has spent the last fifteen years studying neuroscience, neuropharmacology, neuroendocrinology, genetics, and bioinformatics. Her personal interest is in understanding the important role of sex steroid hormones in the brain during all stages of life. In her spare time, Dr. Henriksen enjoys playing the piano and bass guitar; composing classical music for piano; studying music theory; and teaching at the JMU Lifelong Learning Institute, including courses on neuroscience, genetics, and music theory for uke and guitar.