Ukulele Jam Time!

Funded Jan 22, 2019

My musicians and I got off to a late start this school year playing on our lovely new ukuleles. I only see my students once a cycle and with state tests, assemblies, vacations, and so forth, our Ukulele Unit started much later than anticipated. My 5th and 6th Grade students have been playing for 2 weeks, which is essentially only two class periods. They can already play three

1-finger chords: C, Am, and F. We are using curricula from the Little Kids Rock program. In addition to our Little Kids Rock resources, we are working on two melodies: Mary Had A Little Lamb on the A-string and Smoke on The Water by Deep Purple on the G-string.

My students were amazed and humbled that these instruments were not bought by the school and were actually donated. Their surprised facial expressions and comments like "Reaaally" or "Wow that's nice," showed how grateful they are. One student said, "They actually gave them to us for free?" Kids in general love new things. Switching from piano to ukulele was refreshing and challenging. They are super happy that they each have their own to play and practice on instead of sharing with a partner. This gives them a chance for more practice time. Overall they are extremely excited and ready to rock.

My students will have only two months to become their best musician. By the end of the school year the goal is to play multiple song progressions using the following four chords: C, Am, F, and G. They also have to play two short melodies on the A-string and G-string. If we can add more songs and chords to our repertoire we will depending on time. They will have music in their schedule next year allowing them to grow musically..

We are learning in our ensemble how to follow the conductor, by starting and stopping in unison using gestures and cues . When playing as an ensemble, they are improving upon listening skills and balancing volume. This allows them to understand through application the importance of group play versus solo play while instilling patience and focus. We always have a set solo time for those who are ready to show off their talent. Giving them a time to shine while teaching the listeners to respect a performer. We always pay attention and watch, especially when a soloist is playing conveying proper audience etiquette. We mean business during solo time, so no interruptions like talking or playing/strumming during the solo. We have created an "Uke of Applause." That is our version of clapping by the class strumming the open strings rapidly. They love that!

The best part is watching them enjoy learning and feeling successful. This experience gives them a chance to feel proud about their hard work and persevering when things seem hard. Thank you for giving my students the opportunity to love and appreciate music through the ukulele.”

With gratitude,

Ms. DiStefano