Mr Hemis

Forty-five years as a chef, five of them cooking in childcare, and that's where the ukulele came in. Singing and dancing with the children turned into learning an instrument, and Mr Hemi now performs cultural music for early childhood centres and family events around Brisbane. The format is three songs in a loop, then a slow-down and a chat, then three more, unless the room is really going, in which case he just rolls with it. Kids get to hold the ukulele, strum it, drum on it and hunt for the batteries. "Big Red Car", "Hush a Bear", "Inanay Gupuana" and "Taba Naba" are in the mix, and he's happiest when the parents are acting the songs out too. Blue Card held. Fifteen to thirty minutes is usually the attention span, and he plans for it.