Week 7- One Last Challenge

Week 7

This week I chose a song to learn called “Down by the Bay”. This song is a traditional children’s song. I chose this song because it teaches children about rhyming. In the verse the children are prompted for a rhyme, such as, “Did you ever see a fly - wearing a tie?” When choosing songs I want to make sure that they are educational for my students. In my recent practicum placement I found that Language development and music paired very well as cross curricular connections because music helps foster a variety of language skills. For example, in this song students are learning to hear and produce rhymes. Therefore I want to use songs like “Down by the Bay” in my future classroom to make cross-curricular connections whenever possible.

This week I decided to set a challenge for myself. I wanted to play in front of other people for the first time. I had always practiced playing my ukulele alone in my bedroom, so I decided that I should further develop my skills by performing in front of other people. I asked some of my friends if they would listen to me play songs. I chose “Down by the Bay” and “Baby Beluga” because these have been my two favourite songs. I was very nervous performing in front of other people, but my friends were very welcoming. After a few fumbles I was able to play both songs. I’m really glad I challenged myself. This experience made me feel more comfortable performing in front of others. This was a good challenge for me to gain confidence in my ukulele abilities because I want to be able to use my ukulele skills in my future classroom one day.

Throughout this experience I have learned a lot about playing the ukulele and music instruction but I recognize that there is so much more to learn. I am very excited to continue my journey of implementing music into the classroom. Thank you for reading!

Week 6- More Relevant Songs

This week I was trying to decide what songs I should learn next. I thought that I should try to learn more current songs. Many of the songs I have learned were popular during my childhood.  I found a video of a Disney short called “Lava Song.” This video has a story about a volcano who is lonely and wants someone to love. I thought this was a beautiful song and a very cute story to encourage children to learn empathy.

While I listened to the song I felt that this would be a good song for me to learn because it is more current than the other songs I have been practising. I also felt that this song would be a good challenge for me. There are a variety of chords to learn in the song. It is also a good song to learn because I will have the opportunity to try different strumming patterns. Here is a helpful video I used to learn “Lava Song”.

 

I found singing this song more challenging. The majority of the song is sung by a man so it is difficult for me to adjust my voice. Singing a song helps me play better because it helps me to do the chord changes at the correct spots in the song. I have tried transitioning the vocals of this song an octave higher but that was also out of my vocal range. I instead did my best singing the song in its original range.

For future songs I learn I will select songs that are better suited for my voice. I have decided to download the sheet music and the ukulele tabs. The sheet music will include the vocal range and I will be able to determine if it is in my vocal range. This will be a more productive way to choose a song. Stay tuned for more updates!

Week 5 - Learning Through Videos and Sheet Music

This week I learned another fun song for children, Hakuna Matata. This song is familiar for most students because they saw the original Lion King Movie.  There is a remake of the Lion King coming out and I think the songs will be popular once again.

Here's a tutorial I found helpful!

This video was very helpful. But I felt that it was difficult to keep up with the chords. These were new chords that I had never learned before so it was difficult to play in time with this performer. So I decided to download the sheet music so I look at the ukulele tabs so I could visualize the chords. Therefore this week I discovered that I learn best by using a combination of video demonstrations and sheet music.

I chose to learn the song “I'se the B'y” because this song is fast paced and I thought it would help me practice playing at a faster tempo. I thought this would be a fun song to incorporate in the classroom and use with rhythm band instruments. Rhythm band instruments often include tambourines, triangles, drums and shakers. Therefore this song would be an effective way to promote student involvement in music exercises.

This week has helped me progress by gaining a larger repertoire of chords and songs I can play. I am so excited to learn more! Stay tuned!

Week 4- Overcoming Challenges

This week I have hit some road-blocks. There have been several challenges that I have overcome. One challenge I have found was that my hands get sore after playing for a while. I have been trying to deal with this challenge by playing for 20 minutes and taking a break. Since I use my left hand to play the chords and my right hand to strum, I find that my left hand has been getting sore. For some chords you have to stretch your fingers so I have been doing hand stretches and massaging my left hand to try to build up my stamina to play for longer periods of time.

Another challenge I have encountered this week was switching between chords. One song I learned this week was “Scarborough Fair” by Simon and Garfunkle (1966). This song is one of my favourites. However, the chord transitions are very quick. I overcame this challenge by practicing the transitions between chords by picking two chords to practice at a time and switching back and forth. This alternating of chords helped me to become faster at transitions.

This week was very productive. As previously mentioned I learned “Scarborough Fair”.  I also learned another song called “The More We Get Together” by ... . I chose to learn this song because it emphasizes welcoming students and singing their names in the verse of the song. I want to use this in my class to help my students feel welcome. This song also has a storybook to go along with it. I would use this song to facilitate students’ literacy development

I’m really enjoying my journey to learn how to play the ukulele. Every challenge I find is a learning opportunity. I believe in a growth mindset and it is important to understand that new challenges are critical for learning. Looking forward to sharing more with you!

Week 3- Learning Chords Through Baby Beluga

I have made some changes to my genius hour plan. My original plan was to learn chords then learn songs. I found that this was not an interesting or practical way to learn how to play the ukulele. I decided to begin learning how to play the ukulele by choosing a song that interests me, would be applicable in classrooms with children, and is not too difficult to play. I then learned the ukulele chords for that particular song. And then I worked on transitioning from chord to chord in the sequence I would need to in the song. The first song that I have learned is one of my favourite books from my childhood, Baby Beluga by Raffi. This song waswritten and is presented in the form of a book. I remember reading this book as a child and singing along. I thought that this song was a good choice to integrate into a primary classroom.

Photo of the Baby Beluga books I own

I also chose this song because I already knew how to sing the lyrics. As a beginner I find it is easier to play a song that I can sing along too. This allows me to play the chords at the correct time based on the lyrics.

This week I learned that it is more interesting to learn musical skills through a song, rather than learning the chords separately and then finding songs. It was very motivating to learn the chords with a purpose and it was much more fun to practice the chords in the context of a song where I could sing along. In my future classroom I would like to teach my students chords through a song. This makes the learning more purposeful. It is exciting to actually be able to play a song, not just strumming isolated chords. I have also learned that when learning an instrument it helps to know the song ahead of time or have the opportunity to listen to the song. I would use this strategy in my classroom by picking songs that are familiar to students or by playing a recording of the song to help them learn the song.