Uke can do it!

Helen Byard shares her school’s approach to whole class ukulele lessons

I would like to recommend the ukulele as my favourite whole class ensemble teaching instrument.

Before I explain why ukuleles are great I would just like to say I also teach ocarinas to Year 2, recorders to Year 3, glockenspiels to Year 4 and Year 5 drumming, using djembe drums and table drumming. But the ukuleles are especially reserved for my Year 6’s for the whole 33 weeks. They sit proudly on the wall in the music room and the children see them as the ultimate prize at the end of their primary years’ music lessons. I decided to teach the ukulele in Year 6 as I personally feel confident that, from EYFS upwards, I have provided the pupils with the foundations of musical elements (like pulse, rhythm, pitch, harmony, tempo, dynamics) so they are ready to focus for an extended amount of time to learn an instrument with a specialist teacher.

Obviously, pupils can learn an instrument from an earlier age but I feel that pupils need some other mature skills, such as concentration, determination, embedded growth mindset, self-analysis and good humour to learn an instrument with longer lasting benefits.

Reggie Lawrence is a specialist ukulele (and guitar) teacher from Kent Music. He teaches a weekly one hour music lesson per class. Together, we have grown this as an inclusive, workable, meaningful and enjoyable music programme that our Year 6 pupils really look forward to. This is largely down to a good partnership and good communication. We discuss the pupils needs and classroom management strategies. Realistically, you can’t always convince every single pupil that it is their jam but the huge majority of pupils are engaged and excited to learn the ukulele. Reggie has devoted much time thinking up fun age-related activities, games and tasks that keep the pupils challenged and feeling happy that they have achieved something new each lesson. Pupils willingly put themselves forward to demonstrate skills throughout the lesson. This is because they are in an environment where they feel safe to fail and the learning format is predictable and comfortable. Reggie’s skills and expert knowledge of the intended progression map, together with his patience and understanding of all the components of what it takes to learn an instrument (for an extended amount of time), means that our pupils get the best experience of learning an instrument. Reggie is currently creating his own interactive ukulele scheme of work so is continually researching new methods of music teaching and luckily for us brings this enthusiasm into the classroom. The ukulele has proved to be a satisfying, playable musical instrument that provides an immediate pleasant sound (and totally bearable even when 30 pupils are practicing a task at the same time.) It is an instrument that is easy to hold and manipulate. Also, the ukulele is reasonably cheap (unlike a violin or trumpet which are also common WCET instruments) and a keen pupil can buy one to play at home quite easily which suit pupils from low-income families, who will not be able to afford 1:1 music lessons.

I feel pupils who have had this initial experience of learning an instrument will be more likely to go on to learn other instruments in their lifetime, knowing they can do it, it is for them and it is in their skill set. I did hear a secondary music teacher voice concerns of why we choose the ukulele as a beginners instrument as apparently they have no use for ukuleles in their Year 7 junior band, which unfortunately for them wasn’t my main objective. Hopefully it might make a bit more sense now why primary music teachers love them and maybe Secondary schools could start up some more Year 7 ukulele ensembles as I’ve got several pupils who would like to join and that is why I am keeping the ukulele on our music curriculum.