Use Your Ukes! Monday, October 07, 2019
recommended by Jen Sper and Lora Moore, School Choral and Classroom Music Specialists
Using ukuleles in your elementary music class is a great way to teach musical concepts – harmony, melody, rhythm, style, form, and more! They keep young students actively involved in classroom music making, and are perfect for little hands to be successful quickly. We encourage you to explore these new resources for incorporating the ukulele into your classroom:
Use Your Ukes
So, you have some ukuleles? Great! This book is here to help you introduce this fun and versatile instrument to your music class. It will walk you through how to teach the first ukulele lesson, where to go next, and how to gradually expand your students uke skills. Best of all, every lesson idea comes from a music teacher who tried it with their own young musicians first. Use those ukes well, with these great ideas that really work! See below for valuable ideas from Cristi Cary Miller on using this resource:
Essential Elements for Ukulele
Playing the ukulele is an enjoyable, easy, and inexpensive way to get involved in music. It provides a way to learn musical concepts and skills that can apply to any instrument you decide to study. Moreover, it will give you a great opportunity to share the joy of making music with other people. This book will help to provide you with the basic skills and musical background you need to get started. The online audio contains demonstrations of all the songs and examples available for download or streaming using the access code printed inside the book. This carefully crafted method emphasizes chord strumming skills; teaching students HOW to practice; note reading exercises; chord challenges to learn how to figure out chord progressions; tab reading; and more. It also includes nearly 30 familiar songs that students can play while still learning, including: All My Loving * Home on the Range * Hound Dog * Jambalaya (On the Bayou) * La Bamba * The Lion Sleeps Tonight * The Rainbow Connection * Take Me Out to the Ballgame * and more! Practice, experiment, and have fun playing the ukulele!
Continue in the Essential Elements series with Book 2, and explore the supplement Easy Strumming Songs for 12 more fun songs to play.
Find a variety of ukulele music on our website, or contact us for more ideas on incorporating this instrument into your classroom. Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!
About the Authors:
Jen Sper has been with Stanton’s since 2006. A former middle school and high school choral director, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, she also enjoys good food, running (to counteract the good food…) and the Muppets.
Lora Moore joined the Stanton’s choral staff in July 2018. A former middle school and high school director of 32 years, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Choral Music from Capital University and a Master’s of Arts in Choral Music from The Ohio State University. Currently she is a church choir director, operates a private voice/piano studio and is active as a clinician and accompanist. During the off hours, Lora enjoys scouting out new day trips in Ohio to balance what her budget allows for her frequent trips to New York City to visit family and take in a Broadway show or two!