From the Porch is a series of capsule concerts and interviews filmed on Centrum’s front porch. Featuring faculty, participants and students from the many workshops Centrum offers, they are a tiny snapshot of Centrum at its best.

When she was 5 years old Heidi received her first ukulele from the Hawaiian Easter bunny while living in Kailua, HI. She has fond memories of teaching herself chords and writing songs in her room in Albuquerque NM, the place she thinks of as home. She picked the instrument up again in 1992 in Hollywood, CA while playing a singer-songwriter for a network TV pilot. Now life imitates art, and she plays music full time. Heidi LOVES working with beginning and intermediate students of all ages. Her classes are fun, and people often find themselves laughing so much they don’t realize how much they are learning! She is particularly good at explaining complicated concepts in very simple terms. Besides teaching how to play ukulele she teaches musical improvisation, like you might see on “Whose Line is it Anyway?” and shares techniques to free performers from blocks and stage fright. She is personable, non-threatening and loves engagement. Seeing people along on their journey to connectedness through music is her passion.

Daniel Ward is an accomplished musician, composer and educator, who has become one of the country’s top clinicians and performers on the ‘ukulele circuit’. He is known for his command of Latin styles and teaches right hand techniques, adapting his style and knowledge from the classical and flamenco guitar. He has been a featured performer and workshop instructor at festivals across the country, including: Reno Ukulele festival, West Coast Ukulele retreat, Wine Country Ukulele Festival, San Diego Ukulele Festival, Port Townsend Ukulele festival, Albuquerque Ukulele festival and many More. With his partner Heidi Swedberg, he has performed as an artist in residence at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix AZ, and performed at Children’s Music Festivals around the country, including concerts in Los Angeles, New York City, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, and the Austin City Limits Festival. Heidi and Daniel were also featured performers at Music China in Shanghai in 2012.

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