Welcome to the tropical world of the Ukulele! The fourth graders at Grovecrest spend a semester learning to play the ukulele. It is a rewarding experience which requires a minimum of effort, time, and expense. It is also a way for students to learn about music before going on to more complicated string instruments. Singing and strumming ukulele songs will enhance any classroom situation or family get-together and provide hours of enjoyment!
For Volunteers:
Thank you for taking the time to teach our 4th graders! You will be teaching ukuleles for 30 minutes per week during an 8-week semester. (See semester schedule for dates). Don't worry if you don't have any experience teaching ukulele, it's fun and easy for a beginner to pick up. You will need to check out your 4th grade Ukulele binder, book, & CD from Janna Hubert (801-785-2311), which you will return at the end of the semester. We have had many books go missing over the years, and this is the best way to keep replacement costs down.
Though this program is not designed for technical study, the materials presented will introduce students to the history of ukuleles, hand/eye, note reading, rhythm, harmony, and cooperation in a group setting. The songs learned will only use 2-3 simple chords, and then can progress to more difficult chords if you prefer.
Scheduling the Music Lab
Coordinate with your teacher to find a day/time that works best, then visit the "Music Lab Schedule" page on this blog to reserve the Music Lab room. If you need to change your lesson time, check the Music Lab schedule on the blog to see if your time spot is available. Please email me with any changes, just so that we don't double-book any classes.
Tuning the Ukulele
You will need to arrive a little early to class to make sure the ukuleles are in tune with each other. There is an electronic tuner on the shelf next to the piano in the Music Lab, please put it right back so that other classes may use it. If you haven't used one before, watch the tutorial below. It's so much faster, and easier! We prefer that a teacher or an adult do the tuning, because strings are broken much less often! Please email or call me if a string does get broken so that we can replace it quickly.
We tune our ukuleles to the C6 tuning (GCEA) and start teaching using the C chord, F chord, and G or G7 chord. You can add in as many other songs as you feel your class can handle. Some classes progress faster, and others are happy to just learn songs with those 3 chords. The teaching posters for the songs are kept in the Music Lab. Please let me know if you notice that any are missing and we can get it replaced.
We tune our ukuleles to the C6 tuning (GCEA) and start teaching using the C chord, F chord, and G or G7 chord. You can add in as many other songs as you feel your class can handle. Some classes progress faster, and others are happy to just learn songs with those 3 chords. The teaching posters for the songs are kept in the Music Lab. Please let me know if you notice that any are missing and we can get it replaced.
In the past we have had the 4th grade classes perform a few ukulele songs at a school assembly. This is not required, and you can work with the classroom teacher to determine what works for both of you.
If you would like to check out a ukulele to use in lesson preparation, please contact Janna Hubert 801-785-2311 or email jannahubert@yahoo.com. Because of large class sizes this year, you will need to bring it back as soon as possible to the Music Lab.
Printables for Classroom Use (click on the links below)
Ukulele in the Classroom FREE Printables
Fun Teaching Ideas for the Ukuleles
Around the World
* you will need a set of 8 1/2" x 11" flashcards with chord fingerings on the front, name of chord on back
The teacher (or a class volunteer who knows the content of the cards well) stands at the front of the class. Begin with a student who is in one of the corner seats of the classroom. That student stands and so does the person beside them (these will be the first two contestants). The person with the flashcards shows the first card and the two contestants call out their best answer. The first contestant to call out the correct answer wins that round and continues on. The other contestant sits down. The winning contestant then goes and stands beside the next student in the row and the game continues. The contestant who gets the most correct answers in a row wins and gets a prize.
This games is also excellent to keep your class focused while the you (the teacher) circulate and tunes ukuleles at the beginning of the class.
Thank you to one of our fabulous volunteers, Nedra Snyder, for teaching these tutorials!
Tutorial: Tuning the Ukulele
Tutorial: Teaching Tips
