What will students learn in Ukulele Classes?
Our ukulele lessons begin with an introductory 6-week course. If students choose to continue, they can take three subsequently advancing 8-week courses in the same time slot as long as there are sufficient students. Students will learn the skills and concepts listed below. The skills and concepts are similar for all ages, but older students will master them faster. Also, as older students have advised us that they are not so fond of leaping and twisting, they have the option of clapping rhythms rather than jumping them, and stepping on sock mats rather than jumping or playing Twister on them.
Introductory Course skills and concepts:
Level 1 skills and concepts:
Level 2 skills and concepts:
Level 3 skills and concepts:
Students who complete the 3-level course series can participate in 8-week “Let’s Play!” courses where we will continue to learn new songs and play together.
Introductory Course skills and concepts:
- Correctly hold and strum the ukulele
- Identify treble clef notes using figures from the funny story The Carrot, the Dog, the Egg and the Frog (… and the Bunny) (even the older students will learn the story, because using the story pictures is the simplest and fastest way to learn the treble clef notes)
- Read chord charts
- Pluck open strings and strum Am7 (all open strings), C, C7 and simplified F chords
- Sing simple songs using those chords
- Color and stomp out simple music on a sock mat (older students too will color and stomp out the music because this makes it fast and easy to learn to play the treble clef notes on the ukulele
Level 1 skills and concepts:
- Learn F, G7, G and D7 chords and sing simple songs using them
- Find and pluck treble clef notes on the ukulele
- Understand sharps and flats, whole and half steps and find them on the ukulele
- Learn to count and clap 1, 2 and 4 beat notes and rests using Clap & Jump Rhythms and the “Build-A-Measure” mat
- Color in simple music and stomp it out on the floor
- Create a ukulele floor mat to stomp out simple 1-2 string music before plucking it on the ukulele
Level 2 skills and concepts:
- Learn additional chords, including E7, Am, A and D
- Learn new songs with new chords
- Play simple melodies and duets
- Add ½ -beat notes and rests to rhythms and “build” and clap measures including ½-beat notes
- Color in multi-string music, stomp it on the ukulele floor mat, then play it
Level 3 skills and concepts:
- Learn additional chords and new songs with new chords
- Learn new strumming patterns
- Recognize pitch changes and jump pitch progressions on sock mats
- Learn (and clap) more complicated rhythms including syncopations
Students who complete the 3-level course series can participate in 8-week “Let’s Play!” courses where we will continue to learn new songs and play together.