Jenny’s Day Out With Educators

by | Mar 4, 2017 | Beginners, Kids and school

Educators learning from JennyJenny Peters presented “Ukulele in the General Music Classroom” at the January 27th Illinois Music Education Conference in Peoria. The session was well attended by educators eager to benefit from her expertise in teaching this child-friendly instrument.

Jenny highlighted many interesting topics during the session.

Why Ukulele?

Jenny explained that the ukulele is portable, inexpensive and easy to play. And it’s not intimidating because it’s easy to learn. So all students can be successful at it.

Jenny Peters Discusses How to Teach Effectively

Jenny presented her unique pedagogy which begins with students learning strumming patterns and one-finger chords. Next, she teaches singing rounds, then gradual expansion into two-, three- and four-chord songs.  Students then play together to develop rhythm skills. Students are also encouraged to listen to each other and play with a resonant sound. Jenny also emphasized the use of visual aids to reinforce learning.

Jenny pointed out that starting with strumming before teaching melodies means all students in a class are learning something brand new. (Even those students some stringed instrument experience are unfamiliar with strumming.)

Assessment

Assessment is very important to U.S. educators and forms an integral part of the development of ukulele skills. Two methods of assessment were highlighted:

Jenny out with EducatorsPerformance-Based Assessment

Here, students are divided into groups of four. Specific criteria about what is expected (referred to as a “rubric”) are then used to grade them based on their performance. The teacher can track students’ performance using a sticker chart or grade book. For motivation, students may take videos of themselves while performing. The videos can be uploaded to a protected video sharing site where parents can see their children performing.

Written Assessment

Students can complete written tests of their understanding of the material presented in books or in class. Students can write using clipboards while other students are doing their performance-based assessment.

Teaching Materials

Another great topic Jenny covered with the participants was how to evaluate ukulele teaching materials. Jenny pointed out that using a wide array of visual materials can speed students’ learning process. For presenting chord shapes, she proposed three types of images:

  • Traditional chord stamp
  • Chord stamp turned 90 degrees
  • Picture of a hand making the chord shape

Another great visual aid is video. Using videos in class allows the instructor to walk around and help struggling students. While the teacher is helping individuals, the rest of the class can follow the directions on the video and be learning to play the melody, strum, and sing together.

Jenny Peters Covers the 12-Bar Blues

Jenny also discussed teaching the 12-bar blues. The 12-bar blues is an important part of NaFME’s Common Core standards for music for harmony instruments (piano, guitar, ukulele). Learning blues makes it easy for students to create their own songs. A simplified blues scale can also be a great tool for students to learn how to improvise.

Educators Play Like the Students

This was the best part of the presentation. Jenny provided 70 participants with ukuleles and attendees got a chance to experience learning ukulele. Below is a snippet of the event.

Conclusion

The session ended with an enthusiastic question and answer session chock full of great participant ideas. Some of the topics covered were ukulele tuning, storage, classroom organization, special needs students, music theory, and how to teach when there are more students than ukulele. It was a great event in Peoria!

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  1. Teach a Rest Position

Create a standard position players use whenever they are listening:

  • Place the ukulele flat against the body.
  • Rest the strumming hand gently on the strings.
  • Keep both hands still.
  • Look toward the leader.

Call it “rest position” and demonstrate it at the group’s first meeting. Use the same phrase consistently: “Ukuleles in rest position, please.”

This physically mutes the strings and gives everyone a clear visual signal that playing has stopped.

  1. Use One Attention Signal

Choose a signal that can be seen or heard across the room. Possibilities include:

  • Raising one hand
  • Playing a short, distinctive chord
  • Saying, “Rest position”

Explain the signal before rehearsal begins: “When you see my hand raised, finish the chord you are playing, mute your strings, and look up.”

Avoid competing with the group by repeatedly talking over the instruments. Give the signal, pause, and wait until everyone is ready.

  1. Set a Clear “No Noodling” Expectation

Many players noodle because they are excited, nervous, practicing a difficult chord, or unaware that it is distracting. Address the behavior without embarrassing anyone.

Try saying:

“Between songs, please mute your strings so everyone can hear the instructions. We’ll always give you a moment to check chords before we begin.”

Then build short, intentional practice windows into the session:

  • “Take 20 seconds to find the opening chord.”
  • “Quietly check the change from C to G7.”
  • “Let’s try that strum together once.”

Players are more likely to stop playing at random when they know when practice is welcome.

  1. Amplify the Leader, Not the Entire Room

In larger groups, a small microphone, portable speaker, or amplified ukulele can save the leader’s voice and make directions easier to follow. Amplification should provide clarity—not to overpower the players.

Test the equipment before the session, position the speaker where everyone can hear it, and keep spoken instructions short. A microphone cannot replace an attention routine, but it makes a good routine much more effective.

  1. Create Predictable Transitions

Noodling often fills uncertainty. Tell players exactly what is happening next:

    1. “Finish the final chord.”
    2. “Rest position.”
    3. “Turn to page 14.”
    4. “Find a C chord.”
    5. “Watch for my count-in.”

Use a visible or audible count-in before every song. Once players learn that nothing begins until the leader counts them in, spontaneous starts become less common.

6. Operate iPads for music.

Many ukulele groups read off iPads, and everyone buys the same app. forScore is one of the common ones, but don’t get anything until the group leader tells you which one they use. From there, the leader or the singer/songwriter shares the music by AirDrop, so everyone is reading off the same page. Corrections land with the whole group at once, and nobody is working from an outdated copy.

 

A Simple Group Agreement

At the beginning of a session, say:

“To help everyone hear and learn, we use rest position whenever someone is speaking. When I raise my hand, please mute your strings and look up. You’ll have time to check chords before each song, and we’ll always start together on the count-in.”

The goal is not silence for its own sake. It is to create a group in which instructions are brief, rehearsals move smoothly, and everyone gets more time to make music together.

 

Here’s a list of etiquette expectations from ukulele group members to make the group learning more effective and fruitful for everyone. 

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