Passengers on a flight from California to Hawaii were given a ukulele and offered to play: some liked the trip, others called it hell with a cacophony

There was an unexpected ukulele lesson for passengers on a six-hour Southwest Airlines flight from California to Hawaii on Sept. 16, reports SFGate.

Photo: IStock

The idea of ​​an unsolicited music lesson on a six-hour flight was baffling to many naysayers who criticized the hilarious collaboration between the airline and the Guitar Center, which provided instructors and ukuleles.

The experience, albeit for promotional purposes for two mega-corporations, was a harmonious, unique memory of flying passengers bound for Hawaii.

“Those who weren’t there can imagine that it was either wonderful or terrible. But if you were there in person, it would only bring smiles, said Ryan Miyashiro, a Guitar Center instructor who was one of three instructors on the flight. — The lesson itself lasted 20 minutes. It happened mid-flight and it was a nice break from what you're usually used to doing on a long flight."

Miyashiro has been working at the Guitar Center in Pearl City, on his home island of Oahu, for the past year and a half. It celebrates the rich history of the instrument and its connection to the culture of Hawaii. He said he started learning to play years ago when he lived in the Bay Area but felt homesick.

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He was the top choice from Guitar Center management for this in-flight lesson, both for his ability to teach large classes and his passion for sharing music with new students.

“Music creates community, and that’s what I felt on this flight,” he said. “Especially in the last two years, we tend to keep to ourselves. Even though we are physically next to two people, depending on where you are on the plane.”

The Southwest flight was made on September 16 and departed Long Beach for Honolulu. Most of the passengers were completely unaware of the action.

When they got to their seats, they found a Mitchell MU40 Soprano ukulele. When class time came, Miyashiro was joined by fellow Guitar Center instructors Alexandra Windsor and Ryan Imata. Their goal was to teach 180 passengers the three chords — G, C, and B7 — so they could play the classic “Hello, Aloha! How Are You?

While Miyashiro taught finger placement and instrument technique, a Southwest flight attendant made contact to help broadcast the lesson.

“The students—er, passengers—were able to pick it up very quickly,” Miyashiro said. “They learned to combine it all together.” A sheet of chords was distributed with diagrams of the chords themselves and lyrics, but the musical annotation was not needed."

When footage of the flight surfaced on social media, the stunt was met with mostly derision. Some have called it something of a "nightmare" or described it as "hell above ground". For its part, Amtrak stepped into the virtual conversation with an offer to travelers: "By the way, we have a quiet car," according to a social media post from the train service.

This week's flight became the main event on Twitter this afternoon as it was ridiculed and criticized.

However, the flow of negativity did not overshadow Miyashiro's impressions. He insisted that the 180 passengers take advantage of the unique opportunity to enjoy the lesson: no one reached for the emergency exit door handle to avoid the music.

“By speaking up for myself, in order to live a confident and happy life, I have given up trying to control the version of myself that lives in other people's heads. Most of life is perception, Miyashiro said. “If they perceive this event that way, if they think negatively, then that’s how they will feel.” This doesn't mean I should let their perceptions influence mine. It was surreal to be in flight with all these people involved in one thing to create a collective energy and sound. Everyone on board was both a spectator and a performer.”

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After the flight landed, passengers were allowed to either keep their ukulele or send it home for free. The action is over, but, according to Miyashiro, it is far from being forgotten.

“The reason we go on trips is not to collect souvenirs, but to collect memories,” he said. “I feel like we definitely got it done.”

After landing, several passengers shared their impressions. They called the lesson in the sky "fantastic" and "a memorable experience."

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