- December 4, 2025
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Lakewood Ranch’s Alice Baumann said she couldn't have predicted, even in her wildest dreams, that she would be the president of Aloha Ukulele.
Aloha Ukulele is a Lakewood Ranch club that was founded four years ago and now Baumann is leading the way. Considering she taught English for over 20 years in Japan, Colorado and New York, playing the ukulele was not high on her list of priorities.
“There’s nothing better than having this (ukulele) next to your heart,” Baumann said. “Music from your heart is reaching their (the audience’s) hearts, and that's what we're here for,” Baumann said. “We're here to spread a joyous noise. Life is tough, so let's have some music. That's really what it's all about.”
Baumann said when she looks into the audience during performances and sees smiles on her fellow ukulele players and those in attendance. It makes for a good time.
Lakewood Ranch’s Kathy Gordon has been going to the beginner ukulele class since December and she appreciates Baumann's bubbly personality and encouragement.
“She'll say, ‘I'm only five minutes ahead of you in learning’ and she says 'to just strum along,'” Gordon said. “There's no pressure and you just do what you can and have a good time.”
Gordon said she is not the least bit musically inclined, but she wanted to try something different. She said her fingers were killing her from the strings when she first began, but she didn’t let that stop her. She is now knowledgeable about the chords but emphasized she still has a lot to learn.
“It's just such a happy thing,” Gordon said. “It takes you away from all the negativity going on in the world today.”
Playing the ukulele not only brings happiness to Gordon, but also her dog Rosie, a 4-year-old terrier mix. She howls as if she is trying to sing a song each time Gordon is practicing, which is twice a week.
“It makes her so happy,” Gordon said. “She's waving her tail, so I know she's happy.”
Lakewood Ranch’s Brenda Webb started attending Aloha Ukulele in July. She lived in Makakilo, a residential area in Oahu, Hawaii from 1999 to 2007. As a school teacher there, It was common for her to see groups of kids playing ukulele, as it is a big part of Hawaiian culture.
Webb took a beginner class back then, but picked the hobby back up recently. She said playing the ukulele is beneficial for older people because memorizing and recognizing chords helps with memory. Webb said you get out of it what you put in, because without a good amount of practice, changing to the correct chords at the right times can be difficult.
“I'm not as swift as I used to be, changing cords and holding it,” Webb said. “Even my sight is not as strong as it used to be, but I think it's a very good incentive to be able to meet others and have some fun things to do with a group.”
Webb is not the only Aloha Ukulele member who has lived in and experienced Hawaiian culture. Lakewood Ranch’s Nancy Adkins has been playing ukulele since 1993 and described herself as a “professional beginner.” She joined Aloha Ukulele in 2022.
In 2023 her grandson, 22-year-old Kai Adkins who plays bass instead of ukulele, joined the group as well. Although the group is mostly made up of older ukulele players, Kai doesn’t shy away from being part of the group.
“The sense of welcoming I get even as someone who's just as young as I am, you're never too old or young to learn something,” Kai Adkins said. “Coming to this, you get to use your ear more and talk to people that have many stories and experiences.”
Parrish’s Carl Backman is an original member of Aloha Ukulele and has been playing with Baumann for seven years through a Parrish ukulele group prior to the start of Aloha Ukulele. He appreciates the club for giving him something to work for.
“The thing that made me stick with it was that when I left for that day, I was able to play two songs,” Backman said. “That's what made me like, ‘Oh, I can do this.’ Now I can play thousands of songs.”
“Alice says ‘It's the instrument of joy’ and it really is,” Backman said. “You cannot be unhappy when you play.”
Baumann said ukulele playing has “grown leaps and bounds” ever since the Covid 19 pandemic because it is an easy hobby to pick up with videos online to learn how to play for free.
Baumann said everyone is welcome to join Aloha Ukuelele, no matter what skill level or what experience, or lack thereof, they might have. She encouraged singers to join as well, even if they don’t want to play ukulele.
“There's no dues, there's no nothing,” Baumann said. “ If you don't have a ukulele and you want to try one, we'll give you one. We just want more people. We want to conquer the world with the ukulele.”
