Creating an Instagram Ukulele Community w/ Adam Pergande
It’s not easy spending so much of our time immersed in a digital environment. As musicians, we dearly miss the opportunities that local events afforded us to meet people and form new connections.
Yet while our concerts and festivals are irreplaceable, there is something to be said by the immense potential of the digital communities we form to not just maintain our connections and creativity, but to expand them.
We wanted to share a story with you today of musician and educator Adam Pergande. Adam is a UK-born & raised student of music who made the leap several years ago to relocate abroad to the city of Castellon, Spain. He teaches English as the Head of Studies for the local program Speakers’ Circle.
Through the course of this year, Adam, like many, had to shift to a digital classroom. As he navigated the newfound challenges of online teaching, he made the decision to post his first ukulele cover to share with friends on Instagram. “I just fancied something new,” Adam recalls, “it was a great way to stay motivated to practice and learn new songs.” One cover turned into two or three, and pretty soon he had an eager little crowd of people awaiting each new post. It did not take long for friends sharing with friends for the addyuke community, his Instagram moniker, to develop a reach far beyond his original expectations.
“It expanded into something far more imaginative,” Adam reflects, “and it became a fantastic creative outlet for me!”
And soon came the collaborations. Adam and his Kala ukulele started joining creative forces with other creators in Spain, Brazil, Malaysia, California, England, & beyond. And after connecting on a whim with U•BASS player Gus Liberdade from Portugal, the pair quickly realized they had a strong and dynamic creative bond to explore.
After collaborating on a Dua Lipa cover video together, Adam learned that Gus was also a very talented producer. Continuing to hit it off creatively, the pair are now working on Adam's first single: “Ferris Wheel.” “Seeing how the song has been evolving over the last few weeks has been so inspiring and I am certain that this is just the beginning of our musical partnership,” Adam says.
During this journey, Adam also became one of the very first Kala Ambassadors, representing our brand in Spain with his creative drive, collaborative spirit, and love of community.
And that’s not all! While planning out a future collaboration with another ukulele player on Instagram, Adam discovered that they happened to live in the same exact city. “In fact, we happened to live 5 minutes away from each other and we've been hanging out quite a lot,” Adam says, “Once things improve, we may even consider starting a Ukulele community here in Castellon.”
So, although our cafes may be quiet now and our stages empty, make no mistake that the ukulele community is making the most of our situation to meet, talk and create. “I'm so pleased I picked up my ukulele back up in March,” Adam shares. “Instagram is an open stage for everyone to share their artistic side, so I'm very grateful to be a part of it.”
