You’ve probably seen the posters around campus, advertising meetings at Big Momma’s on Tuesdays. Or you might have seen the group perform at Open Mic nights at Riad, singing and playing ukuleles together. DUkes, one of Drury’s most prominent clubs, is always putting together events to bring students, and Springfield’s community, closer through music.

DUkes is a club on campus committed to bringing Drury students together with the power of the ukulele, an instrument originating from Hawaii. The group was started in 2013, and has persisted throughout the years as a place for ukulele enthusiasts to get together and share their music.

“When we meet we’ll play songs, and some students will even play solos where they sing and play on their own,” explained Drew Moore, the co-president of DUkes. “It’s kind of a form of therapy; one hour a week we have the opportunity to play happy songs, forget about our problems, and even make friends.”

The group also often performs the national anthem for basketball games on campus.

Expanding beyond Drury

DUkes not only holds events on campus and around Springfield, but they plan to move beyond and include more activities.

“We’re planning a uke tour to Memphis to meet other players,” explained Moore. “We think an experience like this would be good for the students because it allows us to interact with other people and to see what it’s like outside of Springfield.”

DUkes often plays around town, coordinating with local businesses like Riad, and other ukulele clubs to sponsor open mic nights where players can show off their chops.

If you’re looking for a group of people to hang out with and play music, make sure and check out DUkes! The club meets every Tuesday at Big Momma’s from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and is open to everyone, whether they’ve played the ukulele before or not.

Written by Ryan Smith.