Maine Motif Issue 1, Vol. II (Fall, 2017) | Page 19

Tuning Troubles The ukuleles took about a week of tuning during my prep period to get the strings to stay taunt. Due to the cheap strings they required tuning at the beginning of each class. I decided to allow my seventh grade students to bring smart phones into the classroom to download the “GuitarTuna” App. I also allowed students to use the class iPad if they didn’t have a smart phone. The first class I taught each student how to tune. The good news with these ukuleles is that the strings are very forgiving and the majority of students were successful. In the future I would like to get clip on tuners for grades 5 and 6. In the meantime I will continue tuning them before each lesson. Ukulele Unit Each grade spent about four classes on the instrument. I started teaching the open strings on the ukulele. I used mixed methods here including some of the lessons offered on QuaverMusic. I taught different concepts to each grade. For fifth grade I taught basic finger picking and the fret board as well as composition. Sixth grade learned about how to construct a scale in notation and on the fret board. Seventh grade learned C Major, F Major, G Major and A minor so that they could play basic pop songs such as “Riptide”. Ukulele Performance Many students wanted to extend their learning. Many stayed during lunch and after school working on the ukulele. We decided to open auditions for our cabaret fundraising performance to general music students. Many students performed at our cabaret not only on the instrument but vocally as well. It was a great night with a new audience. Student Ukuleles Many students opted to purchase their own ukulele last year and keep it in their locker. This year we will be sending home a beginning of the year newsletter on ukulele brands and letting parents know that their child may want to purchase a ukulele of their own for additional practice. Lauren teaches General and Choral Music at Falmouth Middle School grades 5-8. You can contact her at [email protected] .