Thanks to the tireless and innovative programs of UCSB Arts & Lectures, Thursday, April 4, was ukulele day in Santa Barbara. In the morning, YouTube star and ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro got things started at the Granada in front of more than 1,000 schoolchildren. The students attended the free concert as part of Arts Adventures, a collaboration between Arts & Lectures and the University’s Office of Education Partnerships that links field trips to The Granada Theatre with the idea of possibly going to college. Later that same day, Shimabukuro performed at the Isla Vista School and on campus at Storke Plaza.

If you haven’t yet seen him, know that this young man from Hawai‘i does things with his instrument that have earned him the accolade that he’s “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.” What counts as high praise for his musicianship does little, however, to convey the wholesome qualities he conveys as an individual. Largely self-taught, endearingly humble, and devoted to bringing a message of hope to audiences of all ages, Shimabukuro is the antithesis of negative millennial stereotypes. For a whirlwind introduction to what he can do, check out the video that launched him, a cover of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” that’s been viewed more than 16 million times.

That night, the seven members of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain entertained a packed Campbell Hall with even more clever ukulele arrangements and their signature brand of dry humor. The audience for this performance was mostly older, and it’s possible that some of those present could remember when singer and comedian George Formby established the ukulele as a staple of popular culture in the U.K. Yet to understand why this little instrument rated an entire day of such varied activities, it’s necessary to go beyond what we know about ukulele players, past and present.