JMUke Harvest Festival!

Overview:

This experience will take place at the JMU Harvest Festival on October 20th. Children and families will be
invited to join us as we play some simple songs on the ukulele as they’re walking through. There they will be taught
chords as they are playing that fit into basic chord progressions so that they can pick up the ukulele and start playing
right away. We will most likely start the experience by singing through the song and teaching the needed chords.
Then as we’re singing through, check with the students on if we need to refresh chords as they come into the song. If
needed we can also take sections of kids and give them one chord per section and play through a song by pointing to
the group and shouting out the name of the chord. We can also have a short breakout session to check their chords
and ask them to group up with whatever they need the most help on.

Rationale:

This experience matters because it gives children a space to experiment and learn about music in a fun,
casual way. This free experience will teach the kids basic music skills like singing through a melody, and how to play
certain chords on a ukulele. The ukulele is also not a particularly common instrument. It is not always utilized in
general music education so this experience could be a unique exposure to the instrument and how it is used for some
of the kids and even their parents. Also for the parents, they may not have had the chance to play an instrument or
engage with music in a long time, so getting to do that with their kid could be a very meaningful experience for them
as well.

VA Standards and “I can” statements:

 VA 2.3 I can play different types of pitched and non-pitched instruments alone and with others
o I can play melodic patterns that move up, down, and stay the same.
o I can play with expression, using dynamics and tempo.
o I can accompany songs and chants by using ostinatos and single chords.
o I can use proper playing techniques.
 CA Anchor Standard #5. I can develop and refine artistic techniques and work for performance
 VA K.13 I can express personal feelings evoked by a musical experience

Materials:
 Ukuleles
 Handouts
 PowerPoint
 Projector
 Personal Computers

Detailed Process:
1. Ice breaker- introducing all of the teachers and explaining the purpose of the event

2. We will begin by singing a song as a group

3. Stop singing and teach the chords used in the song.

4. Students will then play the chords of the song all together with the song while singing

5. The teacher and students will sing through the melody while playing each chord, helping individual students
if they need it. They will do this twice, with time for questions in between.

6. The teacher will demonstrate the strumming pattern for the song and indicate that the students should copy
the action. The teacher will address any questions or individual issues with the strumming pattern at this time.

7. The students and the teacher will sing and play through the melody while using the strumming pattern.

8. The students will sing and play through the melody while using the strumming pattern on their own.

Assessment: 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
o __: The student held the ukulele correctly
o __: The student was able to play most of the chords the teacher demonstrated
o __: The student was able to sing while playing the ukulele

 Self-assessments
o Ask the students to show how they think they’ve did playing by asking them for a thumbs up,
thumbs down, or sideways thumb. They’ll answer these questions:

 Can you play the chords that the teacher showed?

 Can you sing while playing?
 Did you have fun?

 Performance assessments with clear criteria for how you are assessing.
o The student will play their ukulele while singing. The teacher will check if the student can hold the
instrument properly, play most of the correct chords, and sing the melody at the same time. The
teacher will also assess how much each child participated, either through playing, singing, or
dancing along to the music.
Extensions:
Some ways that we could extend the activity…
- We can ask for song recommendations
- We could teach them more simple chords that could fit into another short song, or with the song they had just
learned
- We could experiment with different strumming patterns throughout the song
- We could add more improvisation to let the students have more freedom musically
- We could ask if any student would like to play for the group on what they just learned to play
Adaptations:
Size: If some learners have smaller fingers you might have to guide them in the best way to correctly place the
chords such as having them lay the instrument flat and pushing down the strings like buttons.
Color: Some learners react to colors better than numbers. If this is the case, they can use the different color stickers
on the ukulele so that they know where to place their hands. It is directly related to the colors in the powerpoint slides
for the songs.

Pacing: If there is an individual learner that isn’t keeping up with other students, we can solidify each chord of the
song as a group until everyone is on the same page. We could also say “if you can’t play all of them only play a chord
you know and slowly try to add more in again.”

Modality: We could tell them what to play by showing them on our own instruments, we could show them on a chord
chart, or we could tell them what fingers to put where and help them do it. We can teach them visually by showing
them, auditorily letting them listen first then respond, and kinesthetically physically making them move in ways that
will help them play and sing at the same time.