Mexico Music Store owner David Reetz has taught music for more than 40 years and has found a useful tool in an instrument that looks like a mini guitar and has a funny name.

The Ukulele is like a guitar but has a smaller body and a much smaller neck and like a bass has only four strings. Reetz has a class of young students he teaches and this past weekend they performed at the Hickory Ridge Ukelele Festival.

Reetz has given thousands of lessons to folks learning to play the guitar but not many lessons in the ukulele. One of his daughters suggested that Reetz start looking more towards the ukulele and see if anyone would be interested in learning.

“She didn’t even ask me and she put two ukulele students on my schedule,” Reetz said. “I figured it out pretty quickly.”

Reetz first noticed that ukuleles could be popular with children. He would give his students a ukulele to play but when it was time to move on most of the students didn’t want to put the ukulele down. Reetz said he would make his students play something else but their mind was on getting the ukulele back in their hands.

“It was kind of like reverse psychology,” Reetz said. “They wanted to play the ukulele and they started buying their own. I said, ‘Wow this is something.’”

Reetz believes the ukulele appeals to children for many reasons because of its simplicity and the soft sound it makes. Children can learn to play a song in one lesson; unlike the guitar which can take several lessons just to learn a chord.

“It sounds sort of sweet like a child’s voice,” Reetz said about the sound while strumming along. “All of a sudden they’re playing something that sounds good. You know how long it takes them to do that on a guitar? It’s not a very good sound and it hurts people’s ears for a while. This doesn’t hurt anyone’s ears.

It’s not just children. Reetz also has older students like a man who is in his mid-80s but wanted to learn so he could play with his girlfriend. 

“I love that story,” Reetz said. “The ukulele has had a lot of success bringing music into people’s lives and happiness. It’s not as full or as fancy but it does the job to get them into music. They enter into the musical realm through an easy route.”

Reetz created his own lesson book that includes songs written by some of his students and sells it in his store. Reetz orders about 15 to 20 books at a time and has had to reorder. The response is a little surprising but not much considering what he’s seen.

“I figured I would sell some but it seems like I have to order them every couple of months,” Reetz said. “I kind of saw it coming. I could see what the kids were liking.”

Reetz also believes he can help the future musical programs at local schools by getting kids involved in music early. 

“They hear the rhythm, they hear the melody and they want to grab another instrument,” Reetz said.

Reetz also gets personal satisfaction from his work seeing kids enjoy music and it touches him.

“It’s kind of another payday when a kid plays and goes on and does something,” Reetz said. “It’s almost like your own child musically. As I get older I still play for fun but I want to teach. I want to leave something to somebody else besides just being able to do it myself.”

Reetz also has been affected personally by the ukulele through playing and teaching it. 

“It’s made me appreciate simple things,” Reetz said. “In life, you don’t always get what you want and sometimes you have to make it with four strings. I’ve had to make do with less and that’s real to me.”

Reetz is also very spiritual and he believes the ukulele has also helped him get closer to his faith.

“There’s music in Heaven, it’s a sound you’re looking for,” Reetz said. “We can feel this thing leading us and we’re looking for that. It can put us in tune with who we are and who we want to be and maybe get rid of some false stuff.”