​The Ukulele Kids Teaching Approach

Ukulele Kids teaches the ukulele primarily as an instrument to accompany singing, although we do some melody work as well. We teach chords from the very beginning and build on the students' knowledge of and facility with them as we progress through song material. Apart from the numbers in the included songbook, we hand out additional song sheets for educational purposes which increase the range of music we can offer - folk, pop, Disney and other musicals, standards, etc. Our goal is to have students playing and singing virtually from the start - by the end of the first class. While we are serious about teaching, we also want their experience with the ukulele to be fun and confidence-building.

Whenever possible we try to form classes by age group. Typical divisions are Primary, Grades 1-3 and Junior, Grades 4-6. At schools covering Grades 1-8 we tend to split the classes based on what makes sense according to the registration levels for each grade. With very large registrations we will tend to have more classes with narrower grade range for each. 

The choice of song material and pace of learning expectations are geared to the ages of the students in a particular class. School concerts are opportunities we embrace as they give the parents a chance to see what we've been teaching to their children as well as a venue in which the students can strut their stuff! At the end of each 8, 9 or 10 week term in collaboration with the school staff we organize a recital.
Progams during the Fall term usually lead to a holiday concert before the winter break. Students generally approach these events with great excitement and pride.