Suncoast Credit Union

To have all 4th grade students at Everglades City School experience and have success playing the Ukulele.

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Ukuleles for 4th Graders

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School:
Everglades City School 
Subject:
Music 
Teacher:
John Stein 
Students Impacted:
16 
Grade:
4 
Date:
September 10, 2023

Investor

Thank you to the following investor for funding this grant.

 

A Champion For Learning - $1,391.00

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Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 34

Originally this grant was to allow 4th graders at Everglades City School an opportunity to learn to play the ukulele.  This turned out to be so successful that the 5th grade students also got the chance to experience playing it.  Our 3rd grade students were exposed to the ukulele for a couple of weeks just to see what they will get to play next year.  The main focus was on the 4th grade students.  Class instruction started by learning the names of the different parts of the instrument, followed next by learning the proper way to hold the instrumment.  To get our hands used to playing the instrument, we "plucked" three note melodies on each string.  This allowed us to learn the spacing of our left hand and where to push a string down next to the fret.  By doing it this way, the students also learned about the correct left hand and thumb positions.  This prepared them for the next step which was to learn to play chords and strum.  The students especially liked this as it laid the groundwork for them to actually play songs.  We eventually tried to sing and play at the same time.  This made their minds do about six things at one time.  They had to read the chord progression, move their hand position, strum the strings, count how long they are playing a chord, sing, and analyze and make adjustments if something was not correct.  The final part of the students' instruction was to be able to read chord symbols.  When this was accomplished, they agreed that with a little help, the students could start to help each other and teach themselves when they come across something new.  The ukulele experience turned out to be great for all!

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4th Grade Ukulele Performers

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Strumming the C chord

 

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Finding the Frets

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5th Grade Ukulele Performers

 

Original Grant Overview

Goal

To have all 4th grade students at Everglades City School experience and have success playing the Ukulele. 

 

What will be done with my students

In the beginning the students will learn to hold the instrument correctly. They will learn the appropriate way to handle and treat the ukulele. The students will learn terminology appropriate to playing the instrument. Initial teaching will be done by rote. As we develop proper finger technique, the students will learn simple one string melodies. After becoming comfortable with the instrument, the students will advance to playing chords, reading chord charts, and then playing songs as a class. They will then progress to singing and playing the instrument together. 

 

Benefits to my students

Once a student learns the basics of playing a fretted string instrument, not only can they play that instrument, they can also apply some of these concepts to playing other types of fretted instruments such as the guitar or bass guitar. The students' brains will be in full operation as they read something on a page, physically position their hands, strum or pick the strings, and then listen and make adjustments as they go. Their ukulele experience will benefit them greatly when they start the guitar in the 5th grade. They will be able to take what they learn and use it in their musical experiences throughout their lifetime. 

 

Budget Narrative

The Kala student ukulele is a budget friendly instrument that when treated correctly will last for many years. It is not a toy compared to one's half its price, but yet a fine instrument to begin instruction with. 

 

Items

# Item Cost
1 20 Kala Ukuleles $1,300.00
2 Tax $91.00
  Total: $1,391.00

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Special Thanks to Our Presenting Partners

Suncoast Credit Union