I also set up a “Rainbow Blanket” at the front of the room that designates a spot where students can physically communicate their need for additional help-offering a space where students can get additional help without the need for raising hands or disrupting other students by yelling for attention.ĭrip Drop with first grade: Step 4: Extension I let students choose wherever they would like to sit in my classroom and who-if anyone-they would like to work with. I have found this step works best when I allow students to choose the way in which they want to work. In the application step, students do just that- apply their comprehension of the music to the ukulele. By the end of these exercises, students will have the information they need to apply their skills to music. If they are working on strumming, we focus on how to play the chords of the song, and how we identify when to play those chords. If they are working on plucking, we focus on the pitches on the musical staff. In this step, students understand what they are looking at when they are reading the music. I do this because you will find that I added on every ukulele in my classroom nine stickers on the fretboards that have color-coded pitches on them (see photo below). The only difference with my musical staff is that I color code every music note, as well as the chords notated above the staff. Therefore, I believe in starting students off by learning the full musical staff. Students learn best through exposure to knowledge beyond their current understanding. ![]() Tinker Tailor with Kindergarten: Step 2: Comprehension But if you introduce any song with a dance, game, story, etc., students are more willing to work hard at learning it because of that positive experience they originally had. If a song is preselected for a student without allowing the child to play with it, they are less willing to learn it, no matter what age. I believe there is a correlation between how a student feels about a song and how motivated they are to learn it. Whether it’s Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star or Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, I want my students to enjoy the music they are creating. My applied teaching may greatly vary between classes, but they all follow a guided four-step instructional sequence. But I can tell you from personal experience, by teaching ukulele to students starting from Kindergarten through 5th grade, we are setting our students up to become engaged self-motivated learners of the music making process.Īnswering this question is very complex, because how I utilize the ukulele in teaching is dependent on the lesson concept and age-level. We never even fathom the idea of teaching it to students who are only 5 years old. When educators think of the ukulele in music education, our minds often go to 5th grade and junior high students. When not being used as an isolated unit, but as a cornerstone of the curriculum, the ukulele can do more than you ever thought possible. You may be wondering how all of this is possible? My students have been able to reach these objectives through the use of the ukulele. These musicians are my Kindergarten through 5th grade students. Also below, if you see an open circle at the top of the chart, then this represents an open string, so you don’t put any fingers on this string.All Uke Can Do: Enhancing General Music through the UkuleleĮvery week I get to work with a talented group of musicians who analyze, arrange, compose, improvise, and perform amazing pieces of music, all before recess. The solid circles you'll see in the images below represent where you position your fingers on the strings.Ĥ. ![]() The four strings, from left to right, are G, C, E, and A, also shown above.ģ. You can see these labeled on a real ukulele in the image above.Ģ. A chord chart is designed to illustrate the first five frets of a ukulele, with the vertical lines being the strings and the horizontal lines being the frets. ![]() ![]() Here are the four things you need to know to read a chord chart:ġ. TIP: Try to play on the fingertips as much as possible to avoid muting the other strings, to get a clear sound.īefore you get started learning the chords, you’ll need to understand how a ukulele chord chart works. By learning these basic chords you’ll be able to play many awesome songs on your ukulele in no time. If you’re new to ukulele and are wondering where to start, then you can begin with these easy chords! On this page we’ve chosen to break down the top 13 ukulele chords. Top 13 Ukulele Chords (A Beginner's Guide To Ukulele Chords)
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