Every kid wants to play guitar in a rock band. Guitars are definitely not in our budget, but ukuleles are reasonably priced and easier for small hands to handle.
I teach approximately 400 students in grades K-5.
This proposal will focus on my fifth grade students.
In the spring of the year, fifth grade students (particularly boys) need extra incentive to stay focused in music class. Ukuleles are just the thing! There is a "cool factor" because of their similarity to the guitar. A ukulele unit will give the students something special to look forward to at the end of their fifth grade year that is unique from any other experience they have had in elementary music.
My Project
I'm requesting enough soprano ukuleles so that students can work in pairs to learn to play them. Cooperative learning will work well for this unit. We will begin by learning some simple songs that can be played using only one chord. As the students gain confidence, we will add two and three chord songs.
As the students become accomplished playing the ukuleles we will record them playing and add the video to our classroom blog. We may even hold a ukulele concert for some younger students!
Ukuleles will last for years with proper care and can be used by fifth graders for many years to come.
My goal as a music teacher is to provide a wide variety of musical experiences for each child.
In doing so, I hope to provide them with knowledge and an eagerness to be life-long learners of some form of music. In our classroom, we already sing, dance, play recorders and a variety of percussion instruments, but we do not have any string instruments. Adding ukuleles to our classroom will provide one more musical experience to their elementary years before they head off to middle school.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Jahn and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
