JMUke Event plan (draft) Andrew Foote

For the JMUke event, I will be leading a teaching experience to patrons in a local

brewery. Myself, along with a group of my peers, will provide some background and

basic info for the players, allowing them to explore and inquire about the ukuleles and

the chords we will teach. After the instructional time, we will walk around and answer

questions, while other students run an informal jam session.

I think this method of presenting information will be best for this age group.

Nobody wants to feel like they are back at work or school when they are trying to chill at

a bar in the evening, so I feel that the more informal the instruction, the more successful

it will be. I hope to guide them toward music they are interested in, and not to bore them

with childrens songs or nursery rhymes.

By the end of the experience, students will be able to play 5-7 basic chords, and

change successfully between chords in a song (following along with what they see or

hear). The participants will also be able to explore more on the instrument in their free

time, knowing the names of the strings as well as the chords.

National Core Arts Anchor Standards 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 will all be addressed in

this lesson experience, as the learners are going to be focusing on basic information

and connecting it with personal experience.

In terms of visual aids, I think it will be helpful to make some slides with chord

diagrams and lyrics, allowing the players to connect what they see, feel and hear. Aside

from slides, I do not think I will need much visual aid.

 I will be working with a crowd of (presumably) young adults, at the Pale Fire

Brewery on a Monday Night. My plan is to start off with some basic information about

the instrument, maybe some well-known players or songs, then introduce the pitches of

each string. Next, using a projector, I will show the first chord-C- and play along with the

learners. I will repeat the process till we have a collection of chords and can play along

with some songs. The basic group should consist of C, G, F, a min, G7, maybe C7 and

D too. After introducing the chords, I will walk around to help those who feel like they

are lost, while leaving all chords and diagrams up on the projector. This will enable

learners to ask questions individually, as well as in small groups.

Learning will be primarily self-assessed, as this is a voluntary activity that is

supposed to be fun. Some of the participants may be drawn to excelling beyond

expectations, and others may choose to simplify their experience. I will be walking

around during the latter portion of the session, to help those who need additional

assistance.

Along with visual aids, a P.A. system will be used to help those who are hard of

hearing. Alternate chords or substitutions will be presented, allowing for individual

learning speed to continue. If one player feels too overwhelmed they will be able to slow

down and use a simpler chord progression.