Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Overview
Summarize what is going on:
The audience will be learning how to play familiar songs on ukulele, as well as sing along to them. Using the
slides we have created, the audience will learn chords with tablature notation. They will follow the slides to
recognize chord changes and read lyrics.
Rationale
Why does this experience matter?
This experience matters because this will allow everyone to learn familiar songs on an instrument that not
many people are familiar with. It will allow the audience to channel their musical abilities within them. This is
a simple way to make music and have fun! Not only that, but it also allows us as educators to expand our
knowledge of teaching.
● Extrapolate meaningful learning goals related to your acquisition goals here. (Reference a related VA
or Core Arts standard here in parenthesis with VA 2.2.2 or CA 2.3.1, numbers indicate the actual
standard numbers)
● (VA HGI.11): I can play different songs in different styles using tablature notation.
● (VA HG! 16): I can make it through a song looking at it for the first time.
Materials
● A: Ukulele
● B: Voice
● C: Song/Chord Slides
● D: Projector
● E: Computer
Detailed Process
Time Required
5 mins 1) Greet everyone and distribute ukes.
3 mins 2) Introduce JMU people to crowd. (Name ,something interesting,etc.)
5 mins 3) One JMU student will lead the group through learning the four most common
chords that we’ll be using: C, G, Am, and F
a) Teacher will describe how the colored stickers correspond with different
chords
b) Starting with C, teacher will demonstrate each chord and participants will
repeat
c) The group will go back and forth between C and G a few times to get used
to how that change feels
d) The group will play C, G, Am, F on loop
e) During this portion of the process, whoever is not leading will be floating
around, demonstrating and helping out
35 Minutes 4) One JMU student will lead the group through learning strumming patterns
a) On C, the teacher will demonstrate a few different ways to strum (with side
of thumb, with thumb and pointer finger together, any other preferred
strumming technique)
b) The group will strum Down, Up on repeat
c) The group will watch the leader strum Down, Down, (pause) Up, Down, Up,
on repeat and repeat
d) The leader can repeat this process with any number of strumming patterns
2 min/chord 5) Whichever JMU person completed the slides for selected song will take the lead for
the song while the others will float around and address questions, play, and provide
assistance for anything/anyone that needs it.
5 min. 6) Start with teaching how to play the chords involved with each song as they appear,
through demonstration and explaining the tab notation. *note: this step may vary in
length as the process repeats and chords are reused.*
7) Work on transitioning in between different combinations of the possible chords by
35 min/song calling out the different chords verbally and pointing to the board while using the
strumming pattern associated with each song to hopefully allow better fluency when
35 min/song we run the whole song. *Like the previous step, this one can also vary in length if
progressions become familiar.*
8) Run Song. Push through if possible. If it falls apart, restart at the top of section to
regroup.
9) Possibly run song again, if participants wish and time allows..
10) Repeat steps 310 as time allows.
Assessments
Develop specific assessment mechanisms to help you chart the growth of individual students related to each
specific learning goal (I can statement). Actually make some assessments in these forms:
● Checklists
● Rubrics
● Selfassessments
● Performance assessments with clear criteria for how you are assessing
Checklist
● Participants can play the proper chords and switch between them.
● Participants can echo strumming patterns
● Participants can sing the melody
● Participants can can sing and play whole songs
Performance Assessment:
● Steady Tempo: Did the ensemble maintain a steady pulse, as observed from the leader position?
● Clear strumming pattern: Observed from the front of the room, did the ensemble have clear rhythm or
was there general sonic confusion?
● Correct chords with intime changes: Observe whether chord changes occurred as indicated in the
slides.
● Intune and intime singing: Did the singing somewhat resemble the real song? Were people able to
match pitches?
Extensions:
● Experiment with songwriting
● Experiment with vocal harmony
● Experiment with different strumming patterns
● Create a song mashup if the chords are similar
Adaptations
Size We have different size ukuleles, which will be available to those who may need a different
size.
Color On the ukuleles, there are stickers that coordinate with particular chords. These colors also
match the chords on the slides.
Pacing Pacing will be determined by observing the group. If we notice people that may perhaps be
showing signs of being lost or confused, we can stand next to the person/people confused
and offer guidance in a respectful way.
Modality All the songs we will be doing will incorporate major and minor chords.
Include any visual aids or manipulatives here.