Cerritos College Woodworking Department Offered First Handcrafted Ukulele Workshop

NORWALK, Calif. - Dec. 2, 2013 - PRLog -- Students learned; the fundamentals of the construction of an acoustic-stringed instrument, how an ukulele is built, strung and maintained, the differences between traditional and Spanish style, and how to read and translate musical instrument plans. Students used hand tools, custom molds, jigs and power tools to build the ukuleles.

The class was divided into seven classes from November 15 through November 24, 2013 and was instructed by Monica Esparza.

Monica Esparza is a Spanish classical builder. She has over thirty years of experience in woodworking, and over twenty years of experience in building guitars and instruments. Since 2004, Monica has studied in Spain to learn more about the traditional style of Spanish Guitar making with the great maestro, Jose Romanillos.

“The Ukulele class was long overdue and with the overwhelming interest in this workshop, we plan to offer it again, and eventually a guitar making class. Monica Esparza is the first Woodworking class taught by a female instructor, which is great. We have several women in our classes and they find that making things with their hands is rewarding and fun. Our goal is to capture this momentum and provide more opportunities for women to get involved in this field, both as a hobby or career,” said Anthony Fortner, Woodworking Professor. “

Interested in taking the next Handcrafted Ukulele Workshop? Learn more and register for classes with Community Education at http://www.cerritoscommunityed.com/.

Cerritos College Woodworking Program offers classes in furniture making, cabinetmaking, and woodturning.  Cerritos College houses a 27,000 square-foot facility, where over 100 stationary and portable woodworking machines are available. Hands-on training and real-world experience is emphasized, and all classes are project-focused. The classes cover topics including faceframe and frameless cabinet construction, architectural millwork, table and casegood construction, solid surface fabrication, hand tools, and veneering.

To learn more about Woodworking, visit http://cms.cerritos.edu/woodworking/ or call at (562) 860-2451 Ext. 2986.

To learn more about Monica, visit http://www.monicasguitars.com.