Ukulele can be a super fun classroom instrument for your elementary students! I have heard from a lot of people who would like to start a ukulele program with their students, but have not had experience with it and feel intimidated about where to start. I was in the same situation, but decided to jump in and learn as I go! Here's how I did it.
I decided to start them in 4th grade after they have learned recorder in 3rd. In 5th they start band, so it's a great way to keep their instrumental interest going in the meantime.
When I began my current job, the previous teacher had already done some fundraising to start this program. I had no prior experience with ukulele, but if the money was already there, I thought I might as well jump in!
What materials do I need?
I purchased Kala brand ukuleles from our local music store, and the quality has been great. After having a few larger classes coming up I realized I would need a few more for my classroom set. Our store was out of Kala at the time, so I got Panda brand instead. I do not recommend these! My students always ask, "Um... Is this out of tune or something?". The answer is no, it's tuned, it just sounds junky!
I also purchased two classroom uke racks from West Music. These have worked well, and were easy to put together. The price was also waaaay less than most of the other options I found.
I also use these chord charts that fit on the fingerboard to help then understand where their fingers need to go. I've seen a lot of people use small colored stickers for this part, but I've found the chord charts work well without having to permanently stick something on there. I also find it helpful to have commonly used chords posted somewhere in the room for students to refer to if they have a "brain fart"!
Here are a few I made and use: Football Theme, Surf's Up Theme, Brights Theme, Boho Spring Theme, and more.
What curriculum materials do I need?
Because I didn't have any formal background, and living in a rural area makes finding and attending trainings difficult, I have used a variety of curriculum and resources. I just had to feel my way through it, keep what was working, and chuck what wasn't.
As always, this is just ONE way to go about it. There are a lot of options out there. This is just what worked for me!
Our district uses both Quaver and Musicplay Online for curriculum. I like the introductory lessons for ukulele in Quaver, so I start there. It takes them through the history, construction, and vocabulary for beginning ukulele, and gets them playing songs using only one string at a time. Musicplay Online is my primary curriculum and has a ukulele version for most of their songs, so I plan on starting to incorporate that more for next year.
I love using ukulele play alongs on youtube! My favorite channel is Ukulaliens. They have plenty of warm ups and easy 2 and 3 chord songs to help them get started and feel successful.
This year I started incorporating lessons from the Essential Elements series, and my I love that the songs used also have games and activities that go along with them, so I can use the same material to teach several concepts.
Build Excitement!
We all know kids learn best when they are excited and motivated. Here's what I did to help build excitement around beginning this program!
I asked our local music store if they would be interested in donating a ukulele in return for some free publicity and community service recognition. They said yes! So we had a big reveal of the ukulele that was going to be up for grabs at our spring concert.
I used these Brag Tags to help students keep track of all the chords and skills they had learned and demonstrated successfully. Over the course of the unit I had a handful of students who acquired 16, and their names went into a drawing at the concert. The student whose name was drawn went home with their very own ukulele!
Creating a ukulele program with my students has been a very rewarding endeavor, and is building skills students can use long after they are no longer in my elementary music classes. Again, these are ideas that I've used and have worked for ME- there are a lot of options out there! Don't be afraid to try new things and find what works for you!
Comments