An Ann Arbor ukulele group that spans generations from teenagers to octogenarians is heading back to The Ark next month, this time to raise money for cancer patients and their families. The Brain Plasticity Ukulele Collective will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. on October 1 at 316 S. Main St., performing a benefit concert to support the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor.
Known as BPUC, the group is now in its second decade and blends original songs with cover tunes, layering ukuleles alongside guitar, flute, percussion, harmonica, accordion, mandolin, bass, piano, and melodica, according to MLive. The ensemble was formed in part to encourage musical growth and brain stimulation through live, collaborative music-making, per the same report. Proceeds from the October 1 concert will benefit the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor, which provides free support groups, educational workshops, and wellness programs for cancer patients and their families.
A Gym Conversation Sparked a Musical Movement
BPUC's origin story traces back to around 2015, when an 80-year-old Ann Arbor gym-goer mentioned she had received a ukulele for her birthday. That comment prompted British blues guitarist Mike Brooks to offer to teach her, and the lessons snowballed into a full ensemble, according to the Ann Arbor Observer. What started with three novice players at the gym has since grown into a multi-generational group with more than 20 members.
Today the collective is intentionally inclusive, with active musicians ranging in age from 17 to 89, according to the University Musical Society. The group is a familiar sight around town, regularly performing at Ann Arbor events including Top of the Park and the Ann Arbor Art Fair.
Brooks Brings a Storied Musical Résumé
Brooks, who leads BPUC, is a UK-born blues musician who scored a UK chart hit in 1979 before founding Electric896, a long-running youth music initiative in Britain that was once visited by Prince Charles, per the University Musical Society. He later relocated to Michigan and now also mentors local youth through the Neutral Zone music project in Ann Arbor, in addition to fronting the regional blues band Blueshouse.
This is not BPUC's first turn raising money at The Ark. The collective staged a benefit concert there this past spring, on April 30, supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeast Michigan alongside Blueshouse, as reported by WCBN. The Ark itself has hosted live music since 1965 as a non-profit acoustic music club, moving to its current Main Street home in 1996. Its 400-seat listening room now stages more than 300 performances a year, according to Wikipedia.
Keeping Cancer Support Free for Families
The Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor was founded in 2007 as a local affiliate of the International Cancer Support Community and offers 100 percent free psychosocial support groups, counseling, and wellness workshops for cancer patients, caregivers, and families, per the Michigan Society of Hematology and Oncology. Federal tax filings compiled by Cause IQ show the nonprofit operated on $1,189,310 in total revenue and $1,143,122 in total expenses during fiscal year 2025, relying on grants, individual contributions, benefit events, and social enterprise revenue to cover its costs.
One of those social enterprises is The Brides Project, an Ann Arbor boutique the organization runs that resells donated new and pre-owned wedding gowns at discounted prices, according to the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor. Established in 2011, the boutique accepts gown donations from across the country. Executive Director Bonnie Dockham, a University of Michigan-trained medical social worker who served as the organization's founding Program Director after working in radiation oncology at St. Joseph Mercy Health System, said the partnership with BPUC is continuing and that ticket sales help keep programs free for anyone touched by cancer, according to MLive.
Why the Need Persists in Michigan
The demand for these free services reflects a broader public health picture. Michigan recorded an age-adjusted cancer incidence rate of 495 cases per 100,000 men and 432.5 cases per 100,000 women between 2018 and 2022, according to American Cancer Society statistics compiled by Becker's Oncology. Those figures sit close to national incidence averages over the same period, which were 497.9 per 100,000 for men and 436 per 100,000 for women.
For a community nonprofit running on a budget just north of $1.1 million, an evening of ukuleles, guitar, and mandolin at a historic Main Street venue offers one more way to keep its support groups and wellness workshops free for the families who need them.
