What happens when you commit to 100 days of consecutive musical growth? As I hit the midpoint of my fourth year in the 100 Days of Ukulele Project, I’m looking back at the ‘marathon’ so far. It hasn’t always been easy, but the lessons I’ve learned from this global community are too good not to share.
The marathon
While thousands are hitting the pavement outside, I am indoors running a different kind of endurance race: a marathon of daily ukulele practice. My goal? Recording 100 videos for 100 consecutive days.
When I asked a friend who has completed 36 marathons—including the legendary Boston Marathon —why she does it, her answer was simple: “Because I can.”
If you ask me why I keep composing and recording at this pace, my answer is slightly different: “Because I can’t stop.”
For this year’s project, I’m focusing on communicating the heart of my Pick Pluck Play! Series directly to my readers and students. While composing is my first love, this 100-day challenge forces me to prioritize recording, ensuring that the music I’ve written finally finds its way from the page to your ears.
Lessons from the training trail
Every marathon requires a training log, and my journey with the 100 Days of Ukulele Project is no different. Looking back at my “stats” from previous years shows just how much my approach has evolved:
2022 : Finding My Footing
The first year was undoubtedly the hardest. I struggled to find the right repertoire and wrestled with perfectionism. However, I discovered a vital “pro-tip” for efficiency: it is much easier to practice daily but batch-record multiple videos in one session. By the end, I hadn’t just improved my playing; I had leveled up my video editing skills, too.
2024: The Power of Constraints
To solve the “what should I play?” dilemma, I introduced thematic categories for each day of the week. These creative boundaries—like “Mahalo Monday Moods” or “Aloha Fridays I’m in Love”—acted as a compass, helping me reach my objective faster and with much less decision fatigue.
2025: Purpose-Driven Practice
Last year taught me that a specific goal changes everything. Having started composing rigorously, I used the 100 days as a platform to debut my own original ukulele compositions, a result of the Daily Music Writing Project. Giving my work a deadline helped me move from “writing” to “releasing” my music to the world.
The road ahead: what’s next?
Reaching the halfway mark is just the beginning of the “home stretch.”
I plan to edit and upload these videos to dedicated YouTube playlists, as there is one for each title in the Pick Pluck Play! Series as well as for the 8-week Make Your Ukulele Sing course.
Until then, the best way to see these videos is check my Facebook page as I upload these 90-second reels for public consumption.
Looking forward, I’m excited to share that the second half of this project will feature brand-new content from my upcoming book “Common Chord Progressions.” Stay tuned for a first look at these new arrangements!
