How do I teach a group of uke players all at various levels of skill?

I've been asked to help out at church with a group of about 8 kids who want to learn the ukulele. Some of the kids have been playing for a few months and can play basic chords and learn different strumming patterns.

Others literally just picked up a uke the other week and have no clue what they are doing. So basically it will be impossible to try to get the new ones caught up to the others for a while and in the mean time we can't learn any of the songs they want to learn.

I personally have never been taught in a group or taken lessons ever. I only have about an hour with them each week. Last week I taught them 4 chords and how to strum their ukulele. Can anyone offer me some tips or suggestions as to how best teach this group of kids? Thanks!

Start with easy songs and try to encourage the more advanced kids to help the others. Even if it is an easy song, the better players can try more complicated strumming.

Check out this website:

http://www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/index.htm

and also:

http://www.ukuleleyes.com/issues/vol8/no4/index.htm

There are a lot of songs that require 3 or 4 easy chords that anyone would have fun learning. learning them would keep the "vets" busy, and help teach the new people. I always enjoy learning a new song no matter how easy it is.

hoosierhiver said:

Start with easy songs and try to encourage the more advanced kids to help the others. Even if it is an easy song, the better players can try more complicated strumming.

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Thanks, That's what I've been trying to do. The older, more advanced kids have been doing a pretty good job of helping the beginners.

HoldinCoffee said:

Check out this website:
http://www.ukuleleintheclassroom.com/index.htm
and also:
http://www.ukuleleyes.com/issues/vol8/no4/index.htm

Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll check out James' stuff!

Hi, I would encourage you to help all of your students recognize and form chords. I realize this is WORK and Drudgery but it will pay rich dividends. Just consider your own ukulele playing. What are you doing? Aren't you looking at a song sheet with chord names and playing the song by moving from chord to chord in time with the melody? And what's keeping your students from following along with you? Isn't it that they don't yet know how to form the chords - that is, they don't recognize the chords by name, and that they are struggling to switch from chord to chord in time with the melody of the song?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for learning songs, but consider what you're asking someone new to the ukulele to do. They must recognize the chord and form it properly on the fly as well as change chords at a regular pace. Not only that, but they must also remember or learn the lyrics to the song and sing and strum at the same time. I think that's just too much for a beginner to have to do all at once.

Help them learn to form chords by simply looking at the names of the chords - just like you can do, now that you know the chord names and finger positions.

Then help them practice changing from chord to chord at a regular, if slow, pace - maybe just one or two changes. No songs yet, just 4 strums for each chord, back and forth. Ideally, you will have picked out chords they'll be using to play a real song later. But for now it's just chord A to chord B and back and forth.

Finally, introduce them to the song for which they already know the chords and in the proper order. That is, they will have been practicing the proper chord changes but at 4 strums per chord so it doesn't sound like a song. When they are ready to learn the song some chord changes will take place after 4 strums, but others will only have 2 strums then the change because that's how the melody goes.

Here's a link to something I made available in the Beginner's section:

http://www.4shared.com/file/123858410/4f4615dc/Free_Songbook_Master.html

I hope it helps.

I appreciate the helpful tips Uncle Rod! And thanks for your Songbook Master. I'm definitely going to try this method.

I'm kind of going along those lines. We actually had an idea for a song they would learn so I chose to teach them 4 chords: C,G,Em, D. First we learned how to form those chords training those fingers. Then I drilled them on going back and forth between the chords very slowly. They'd play one chord for four counts and then change. At first I drill between two chords, then three, then I finally added the fourth.

I'd say about 75% of them were able to keep up and change chords after about 30 minutes of doing similar drills.

For the strumming I had them doing all down strum at first then by the end we were doing down-up on each count. Anyone have any tips on teaching strumming?

Also, what do you suppose should be given out to the students in terms of practice homework? We've handed out chord charts and 1 song sheet. Any ideas? Thanks for the help!

Kids are fast learners. They already know songs watching there favorite shows on TV or videos. You may want to start there. Ask them what songs they know or love to sing. They may all be familiar with the same songs.They would also be more attentive. But that means you need to spend the time to put chords to it. Keep it simple, 3 chords. That will make it a lot easier I think, then having to teach them to play 3 chords to a song that they are not familiar with.

dhkane said:

Kids are fast learners. They already know songs watching there favorite shows on TV or videos. You may want to start there. Ask them what songs they know or love to sing. They may all be familiar with the same songs.They would also be more attentive. But that means you need to spend the time to put chords to it. Keep it simple, 3 chords. That will make it a lot easier I think, then having to teach them to play 3 chords to a song that they are not familiar with.

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Ah thanks for the tip. That's definitely true.

One thing I noticed about the group is that some of the kids don't really care to be there, but they just are because their parents are making them come to the uke class. Maybe if I can teach stuff they can get really pumped up about, I can jumpstart them to practice!