The ukulele — an instrument that is small, four stringed, and of Hawaiian origin — is not a typical instrument for a student from Kansas to play. However, whenever he has free time or on the weekends, sophomore Brady Beal is trying to teach himself to play the ukulele.

“The thing that inspired me to play the ukulele was I watched a lot of videos on it and I thought it was interesting,” he said.

Beal started playing the ukulele about two months ago.

“I can’t play any songs yet because I’m still trying to learn,” Beal said. “Since I’m learning, I usually just strum.”

Many famous people that also played the ukulele are Adam Sandler, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Jr., Neil Armstrong, Ryan Gosling, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Willie Nelson. Even though it would be a fun experience to be a famous ukulele player, Beal said he thinks he’ll just stick with playing for people he feels comfortable around.  

“I don’t plan on playing anywhere, but if I do play, I will probably only at family gatherings,” Beal said.