Al Brottman (left) of Northbrook watches instructor Earl Essig of Northbrook strum Hawaiian-style chord progressions on the ukulele during a class at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Earl Essig of Northbrook teaches the basics of playing Hawaiian music on the ukulele at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. Over the last 25 years he's spent winters in Hawaii picking up traditional Hawaiian music and founded a Hawaiian Music Ensemble at Oakton Community College. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Susanna Fong of Northbrook strums some Hawaiian-style chord progressions on her ukulele during a ukulele class at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Susanna Fong of Northbrook strums some Hawaiian-style chord progressions on her ukulele during a ukulele class at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Earl Essig (left) of Northbrook points out chord fingerings to Al Brottman of Northbrook who just started learning the ukulele at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Over the last 25 years Earl Essig of Northbrook has traveled to most of the islands in Hawaii playing his ukulele and now teaches Hawaiian-style ukulele at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Basic lyrics and chord progressions for the Hawaiian song "Pearly Shells" for ukulele students at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Sue Fishbein (right) of Glencoe, Susanna Fong (center) of Northbrook and Doris Dutton of Buffalo Grove work on strumming through chord progressions on their ukuleles during a class at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Earl Essig (left) of Northbrook teaches Susanna Fong of Northbrook (right) and Doris Dutton of Buffalo Grove how to play the ukulele in a Hawaiian style during class at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Doris Dutton (left) of Buffalo Grove shares a laugh with Al Brottman of Northbrook after getting through a Hawaiian song on their ukuleles during a class at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Doris Dutton of Buffalo Grove sings a traditional Hawaiian song in English during a Hawaiian-style ukulele class at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Earl Essig (right) of Northbrook gives Al Brottman of Northbrook pointers on how to position his fingers on the ukulele at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

Earl Essig of Northbrook demonstrates how to strum simple Hawaiian vamp chord progressions during his ukulele class at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media

A cheat sheet of Hawaiian vamp chord progressions in the key of C and the key of G is used to teach students learning ukulele fingerings at the Leisure Center in Northbrook. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media