Tenth Season of the Ukulele Challenge: Earth Day and Shakespeare
Alright Seasonistas! It's the TENTH season of the Ukulele challenge. Remember, you need not have participated in any previous Seasons challenge to pariticipate in this one. But, because it is our tenth weekiversary, I'm shaking things up... are you ready?
The Challenges. Yes. Challenges.
Today, April 22, is Earth Day.
and
Tomorrow, April 23 is William Shakespeare's birthday.
The challenge is to either cover (or write) a song that is ecologically minded or cover (or write) a song that references Shakespeare, one of his plays, or one (or more) of his characters. Also acceptable would be setting a sonnet to music, or singing one of the many songs from Shakespeare's plays. You can set it yourself, use one of the possible settings Shakespeare might have used (by John Dowland, etc), or take a popular melody and fit Shakespeare's lyric to it.
Prizes
Earth Day prize: A green uke leash style half strap.
Shakespeare prize: A copy of Shakespeare's sonnets.
Rules
• To enter, post a YouTube performance video as a reply to this thread by the DEADLINE: 11:59 PM HAWAII TIME, SUNDAY APRIL 29.
• Each submission must be a single-take, no cuts, and must have a spoken reference to this contest as an introduction.
• Judging criteria are
(a) playing,
(b) singing,
(c) spark/passion/personality,
(d) originality/creativity,
(e) setting/framing/lighting, and
(f) je ne sais quoi.
• I'm the sole judge on this one, so I'll have a little judging rubric based on the above, but in the end, if there's a tie, I'll hand it off to my wife to be the deciding vote.
• As with all the Seasons challenges, this is a uke-centric deal. You can have other instruments as back-up, but the uke has to be front and center, and remember that it's one take, so no over-dubs, etc. (A little enhancement in post is fine - reverb, etc, but you should know that I like my distortion like I like my coffee: light, if at all.)
• Instrumentals are fine. Good, in fact. I'd go so far as to say impressive. So, you know, there's that.
• Since this is the TENTH season, and I'm splitting the week into two, you may enter two performances, but only one for each category. So for you overachievers (or, you know, if you're just bored) go for it! If you do enter both categories, each video will be judged on its own merits, which is to say, this is not an extra-credit exercise.
When all is said and done, I'll make a traditional Seasons judge's feedback video. I'll shoot for Monday the 30th.
I'll leave you with this from The Tempest, which encapsulates the beauty of Earth Day and Shakespeare in one tidy passage (you'll recognize a bit from my signature, no doubt):
Play on, my seasonistas! Play On!
Alright Seasonistas! It's the TENTH season of the Ukulele challenge. Remember, you need not have participated in any previous Seasons challenge to pariticipate in this one. But, because it is our tenth weekiversary, I'm shaking things up... are you ready?
The Challenges. Yes. Challenges.
Today, April 22, is Earth Day.
and
Tomorrow, April 23 is William Shakespeare's birthday.
The challenge is to either cover (or write) a song that is ecologically minded or cover (or write) a song that references Shakespeare, one of his plays, or one (or more) of his characters. Also acceptable would be setting a sonnet to music, or singing one of the many songs from Shakespeare's plays. You can set it yourself, use one of the possible settings Shakespeare might have used (by John Dowland, etc), or take a popular melody and fit Shakespeare's lyric to it.
Prizes
Earth Day prize: A green uke leash style half strap.
Shakespeare prize: A copy of Shakespeare's sonnets.
Rules
• To enter, post a YouTube performance video as a reply to this thread by the DEADLINE: 11:59 PM HAWAII TIME, SUNDAY APRIL 29.
• Each submission must be a single-take, no cuts, and must have a spoken reference to this contest as an introduction.
• Judging criteria are
(a) playing,
(b) singing,
(c) spark/passion/personality,
(d) originality/creativity,
(e) setting/framing/lighting, and
(f) je ne sais quoi.
• I'm the sole judge on this one, so I'll have a little judging rubric based on the above, but in the end, if there's a tie, I'll hand it off to my wife to be the deciding vote.
• As with all the Seasons challenges, this is a uke-centric deal. You can have other instruments as back-up, but the uke has to be front and center, and remember that it's one take, so no over-dubs, etc. (A little enhancement in post is fine - reverb, etc, but you should know that I like my distortion like I like my coffee: light, if at all.)
• Instrumentals are fine. Good, in fact. I'd go so far as to say impressive. So, you know, there's that.
• Since this is the TENTH season, and I'm splitting the week into two, you may enter two performances, but only one for each category. So for you overachievers (or, you know, if you're just bored) go for it! If you do enter both categories, each video will be judged on its own merits, which is to say, this is not an extra-credit exercise.
When all is said and done, I'll make a traditional Seasons judge's feedback video. I'll shoot for Monday the 30th.
I'll leave you with this from The Tempest, which encapsulates the beauty of Earth Day and Shakespeare in one tidy passage (you'll recognize a bit from my signature, no doubt):
Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,
Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me that, when I waked,
I cried to dream again.
Play on, my seasonistas! Play On!
Last edited: