Unit Name: Community Setting  

This project will be an event catered towards tourists in Hawai’i. For a “low” price, tourists can book a three day
course, each an hour, in which they will get culturally accurate and effective group ukulele lessons. I expect that
the demographic will mostly be tourists from ​America, Australia, Japan, and Canada​, so keeping the slides simple,
and mostly in a universal notation like a fingering chart will be important. Because this experience is directed
towards tourists, it will be assumed that all participants will have had little to no experience playing the ‘ukulele.
This experience would take place at the Ala Moana beachfront stage in the middle of the day, so as to not conflict
with the evening performances on the beach. This setting allows for a more tourist feeling to the experience,
which is important for the Hawai’i tourism industry. Also, the beachfront stage is the perfect size to facilitate this
experience. The experience will be open to anyone however, and special Kama’aina (Hawai’i residents) discounts
will be given.

Stage 1 - Desired Results 

Standards: Goals:
1.1​ The student will 1. I can follow along with the presentation by understanding how to
read and notate music, negotiate the chord-words notation, and how to mimic the strumming
including:1. high and pattern demonstrated by a facilitator.
low pitches, using
traditional and 2. I can sing the songs being presented with the other ensemble members,
nontraditional notation; sing in a way that is enjoyable for me, all while playing the ‘ukulele.
2. rhythmic patterns
that include quarter 3. I can play the demonstrated strumming pattern in rhythm with my
notes, paired eighth singing, and in rhythm with the other ensemble members around me.
notes, and quarter rests,
using traditional and 4. I can take-away Hawaiian cultural aspects from this experience, including
nontraditional notation; a brief history of traditional Hawaiian music, and a knowledge of what
and 3. identification of instruments​ are used in the making of traditional Hawaiian music.
basic music symbols.
1.2​ The student will 5. I can understand the role of traditional Hawaiian music in the ​ceremonies
demonstrate various and rituals of Hawaiian culture.
uses of the voice,
including 1. singing high 6. I can perform in a way that is sensitive to cultural accuracy.
and low pitches; 2. using
the voice in speech and
song; and 3.
demonstrating
expressive qualities of
music, including
changes in dynamics
and tempo.
1.7​ The student will
demonstrate melodic
rhythm, using
instruments, body
percussion, and voice.
1.10​ The student will
explore historical and
cultural aspects of music
by 1. recognizing how
music is used in the
customs and traditions
of a variety of cultures;
2. describing the roles of
music and musicians; 3.
identifying musicians in
the school, community,
and media; and 4.
describing how people
participate in music
experiences.
1.12 ​The student will
identify the
relationships between
music and other fields
of knowledge.
1.15​ The student will
demonstrate manners
and teamwork that
contribute to success in
the music classroom.
1.16​ The student will
explain the purposes of
music in various
settings.
1.17 ​The student will
describe personal ideas
and emotions evoked by
music.

Generative (Essential) Questions:

● How do I encourage cultural respect?

● How do I overcome unfamiliarity to achieve that respect?

● How do people actually begin to play the ‘ukulele? (​Beginner ukulele pedagogy​)

Stage 2 - Evidence 
Goal 1
● Meets Expectations​: The participants can interpret the notation and the chord the notation asks
them to play, with a few minor errors or hesitations. They can also mimic the strumming pattern
with somewhat accuracy while playing the chords.
● Developing: ​There is great hesitation when transitioning from chord to chord due to an inability to
navigate the notation, which causes the strumming pattern to be ambiguous.
● Exceeding Expectations: ​There is great fluidity between chord changes, which are negotiated
well due to an understanding of the chord notation. Because of this fluency, the participant can
effectively mimic strumming patterns and adapt to changes in pattern.
Goal 2
● Meets Expectations: ​The participants valued their experience because they were able to make
music with other participants, and make music that they enjoyed completely unfettered from
expectation.
● Developing: ​Participants were mostly frustrated at themselves and were not able to enjoy
themselves in the community as a result. They also only strummed the ‘ukulele and didn’t sing
along.
● Exceeding Expectations: ​Participants had such an enjoyable time at the event that they take
their knowledge home with them, and continue to play the ‘ukulele for personal enjoyment.
Perhaps they even encourage others to pick up an ukulele in the future!
Goal 3
● Meeting Expectations: ​Participants can demonstrate overall ensemble rhythm in a way that
shows they are listening and making music with each other. Though not completely rhythmically
accurate, there is intent shown.
● Developing: ​There are a multitude of rhythm issues that make it difficult for the song to even be
recognizable. Areas to address are singing issues, strumming issues, and chordal issues
(changing on the beat).
● Exceeding Expectations: ​The sound is that of a ‘ukulele choir. The singing, strumming, and
chord changes are done mostly in tandem, and they are listening to each other in a way that
shows great ensemble discipline. Instead of ensemble intent, there is ensemble ownership.
Goal 4
● Meeting Expectations: ​Participants can identify key instruments in traditional Hawaiian music
(​‘ili’ili​, ipu, and ​’ulī’ulī) by sight,​ and how the history of Hawai’i was tied into its musical traditions.
● Developing: ​Participants come out of the experience with baseline knowledge only of the
‘ukulele, and cannot explain how the various instruments functioned in history.
● Exceeding Expectations: ​Participants can develop an understanding of the various Hawaiian
musical instruments, identify which instruments are which based on their Hawaiian names, and
know when and how those instruments were used across the history of Hawai’i.
Goal 5
● Meeting Expectations: ​Participants can evaluate the musical role of traditional Hawaiian music
in the customs and ceremonies of Hawai’i.
● Developing: ​Though there is understanding of how the ceremonies worked, there is not a clear
idea of how the music and dance affected those ceremonies. The participant might also not
understand exactly why the ceremonies were important to Hawaiian culture.
● Exceeding Expectations: ​Participants can evaluate the musical role of traditional Hawaiian
music in the customs and ceremonies of Hawai’i, and can also understand how Hawaiian culture
has survived to this day, and why Hawaiian culture is as culturally accurate as it is.
Goal 6
 ● Meeting Expectations: ​Participants are actively engaged in the understanding of tradition, and,
though difficult and unfamiliar, there isn’t much giggling or discouragement from the ensemble.
● Developing: ​Participants allow their unfamiliarity to block them from a deep understanding of the
tradition behind what they are performing. There is a lot of laughing, and maybe even mockery of
the Hawaiian language.
● Exceeding Expectations: ​Everyone brings an attitude of understanding to the event, and there is
never an instance of cultural dissonance; everyone is eager to learn about ‘ukulele, Hawaiian
culture, and Hawaiian history.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan 

 
HINT: Equation for learning activities: ||: [Student does x] + [in this way/these ways] + [for this
purpose] + [in this period of time]. [Teacher does y] + [for this purpose] when [students
does/needs z]. :|| + [Means of assessment: checklist, rubric, conference, self-assessment, etc.].

Guiding Questions: Are these experiences 1) enriching, 2) valuable, and 3) engaging for learners?
Are teachers playing a meaningful role in supporting learning? 

Goal 1
● We will be using a notation system similar to that of our JMUke projects, in which the chord the
participants should play will be congruent with the word the chord should change on. There will
be fingering charts handed out, and also on the projector so that participants will have a clear
visual that will help them learn over time and through experience.
● Before we even start on chords, we will first teach the participants how to hold and strum the
‘ukulele so that they have a good foundation from which to start from. We will teach them some
basic strumming patterns consistent with traditional Hawaiian music, and some will be phased in
throughout the experience, with the participants mimicking the model as it is performed. Most of
the first day would be learning chords and strumming
Goal 2
● All employees of the experience will be people who are enthusiastic about spreading Hawaiian
music to tourists, and making the world a more culturally informed place, so they will all be
enthusiastic facilitators. Through osmosis, our participants will be more likely to have fun and
enjoy their experience if the people leading it are informed, organized, and enthusiastic.
● Going off of that, all the facilitators will also be competent musicians who are physically and
mentally capable of performing the tasks we want the participants to be able to perform. By
having competent, enthusiastic models, we increase the chance of our participants having a
meaningful experience.
Goal 3
● This will be the most tricky one to facilitate, as it is a very natural tendency for beginners to lag
behind and drag. One idea I have to help with rhythm would be through encouragement.
Whichever of the employees is leading the song will be doing their thing, and another employee
would tell the participants over a microphone: “Cousins, make sure you keepin up wit Brudda
Makana on the uke!”, to playfully remind the participants of where they should listen.
● Another idea I had for rhythmic accuracy would be to include rhythm on the handout with the
chord sheets. Under a section titled: “Things to think about”, I would include rhythm/steadiness of
pulse as one of the main focus points.
Goal 4
 ● The employees of my experience would all be trained in performing on traditional Hawaiian
instruments (which isn’t as daunting as it sounds; I am trained in all of them, as are most Hawai’i
residents), so that they could accompany the ‘ukulele ensemble and provide an accurate
representation of traditional Hawaiian instruments.
● We would also give VERY short lectures (~30 seconds at a time) about Hawaiian history, and how
each of these traditional instruments has been used throughout Hawaiian history. They would
function as breaks between playing, and would give our participants some context into what they
are playing. This would take place mostly on the second day, as the first day is more tailored
towards ‘ukulele proficiency.
Goal 5
● On the last day, the event would be more of an actual Hawaiian ceremony than a facilitated
experience. The ‘ukulele ensemble would be a part of the experience, and some of them would
even be asked to play traditional Hawaiian percussion instruments like ​‘ulī’ulī, ‘ili’ili, and pū’ili. The
employees would interact as kahuna (priests) and ali’i (chiefs/noblepeople), who would have been
in charge of the ceremonies in a traditional setting.
● Using all of the fundamentals developed on the first day paired with the cultural knowledge
developed on the second day, the goal is that participants can comfortably interact with the
ceremony and enjoy the experience!
Goal 6
● I think the best way to encourage cultural development in the participants would be to facilitate a
VERY culturally accurate experience. The employees would all be very educated as to the
accuracy of the experience, and would know how to facilitate that. By providing an air-tight
experience, we will provide that great, accurate model for them that will be their mental image for
Hawaiian culture.
● Another great way is to remind them on the handout that they are engaging in traditions that are
sacred to the Hawaiian culture, and to not disrespect those boundaries. Being a little
uncomfortable is one thing, but disrespecting the culture is another. We want to facilitate an
experience that is encouraging, yet culturally stern.

Final Assessment Rubric 

Goal/Quality No Evidence  Minimal  Meet  Exceeds 

Evidence  Expectation Expectations 
s 

1 If there is There is an Strumming and Strumming, chords,

participation, it is attempt to play chords are done rhythm, and singing
lackluster, and the right chords well, and there are all done nearly
not much effort is and strum along, is great intent to fluently, to a point
put into but it is mostly get better, but where the participant
improvement disjunct there is a can help those
tendency to lag around them
behind

2 People looked There is an There is an There is an

visibly upset, and enthusiasm in at enthusiasm in at enthusiasm in all
did not want to least one of the least two of the three days of the
 participate three days three days experience

3 There was no There was little There was effort There was great
attention to effort shown put into attention given to
rhythmic towards rhythm. rhythmic rhythmic accuracy,
accuracy, if There were accuracy, which which showed in the
people even consistent issues was overall performance, which
played at all with dragging good except for had few rhythmic
occasional errors
issues with
dragging

4 There was no There was little There was effort A deep

effort shown in effort shown in shown in understanding of
understanding understanding understanding Hawaiian instruments
the different instruments and instruments and and cultures was
customs or culture, but customs, which shown through
instruments of participants could was shown participation in the
Hawaiian culture identify through final day, playing
instruments identification different instruments,
somewhat was consistently and immersing
accurate and themselves in the
could be ceremonies.
matched to
ceremonies

5 There is no effort There is little Participants Everyone actively

shown in effort shown wanted to play participated in the
understanding towards different last day of the
the ceremonies, understanding, instruments and experience, and
or how Hawaiian but there is interact with our actively engaged with
history has participation and last day of the the different activities
progressed and baseline experience
survived knowledge of
history

6 There is no effort Effort is shown in Participants Participants actively

shown in cultural becoming more actively worked worked to improve
understanding or culturally to improve cultural awareness,
cultural growth empathetic, but cultural interacted with every
there might have awareness day of the experience
been snickers or through the with enthusiasm, and
mockery of the experience, but never disrespected
culture as well had small the culture through
instances of their actions and
disrespect words.