Sophomore Dan Borrelli strums to the tune of Jason Mraz’s ‘I’m Yours’ on his ukulele as his voice mingles melodiously with his friend, junior Marissa Meyers. Yet only four months earlier Dan started teaching himself to play this instrument.

“My favorite part is probably the reactions from other people, and because it’s so portable,” Dan said.

Dan began playing the ukulele when several of his friends from the Youth Performers Theater (YPT) began to take up the instrument. Of the four types of ukulele, soprano, concert, tenor and baritone, Dan plays the concert variety. With the help of several YouTube videos, Dan was able to teach himself chords, which ultimately led to songs. The first of these songs was, ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You’ by Elvis Presley: his mother Amy’s favorite.

“My husband and I love Elvis,” Amy said. “I think it was my husband that asked him to learn how to play that, and we love it.  When he played ‘I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You’- that was awesome.”

According to Amy, Dan’s self-confidence, singing, and theatrical abilities have improved since learning to play the ukulele. This change in Dan has encouraged him to perform more frequently, whether it’s around the house or through an audition, and even led him and Marissa to create an Instagram video of a performance.

“He’s just really laid back, and lets me take control of everything,” Marissa said. “He just likes to have a good time when he’s singing and playing.”