Our school district serves approximately 671 students. The district is described as a seven square mile area that tends to be rural with an Appalachian culture in southwest Ohio. With a decline in revenue, our school district is the fourth poorest in Ohio's school systems.
Our school district may be small, but it is with purpose and intent that there will be a turn-around with a new focus of administration and staff.
The average median income is $24,930.00. This is a community in which the majority of the residents live below 200% of the federal poverty level. In addition, 96% of the students are economically disadvantaged and are eligible for free or reduced rate lunch.
All elementary students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade come to my classroom to create, listen, and play music together. My students are active, silly, and thrive when given independence. Using a variety of songs, instruments, and musical games, we stretch our brains while building relationships and having fun.
My Project
Teaching upper elementary students, I am always looking for ways to diversify their musical experiences and make their learning relevant to their interests. By fourth grade students will have experienced performing through singing, percussion instruments, barred instruments, and recorders, but have not performed on string instruments. With a small number of ukuleles, I have witnessed students thoughtfully caring for instruments, working through strumming patterns, and thinking about chords in a new way.
With additional ukuleles, students will have the opportunity to independently perform new and diverse musical genres, including popular music they know and love.
Ukuleles are versatile, working equally well as a large group ensemble instrument, and as a solo instrument students can use to accompany themselves. Ukuleles set students' foundation for independent song writing and lifelong music learning.
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