<![CDATA[UKULELE FOR TEACHERS - DeKalb Homeschool Ukulele Orchestra]]>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:02:51 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Getting ready for Fall Session - Watch this space, and practice this!]]>Thu, 10 Aug 2017 15:17:43 GMThttp://www.ukuleleforteachers.com/dekalb-homeschool-ukulele-orchestra/getting-ready-for-fall-session-watch-this-space-and-practice-thisTo be ready for our next semester of practice, you should be reviewing the following according to your "level." A level 2 student should be able to do everything a level 1 can, etc. If you are needing help with ANY of this, please contact me ASAP and we can spend a couple of minutes on Skype, or I can record a help video for you.

Level 1 Students (Began this summer):
  • Play "The Walker" with good tone using one finger (or thumb) to pluck the notes
  • Play and name all the notes of the C Major scale in first position (Page 25)
  • Play both "Duke Street" and "Holy Holy Holy" (In book)
  • Identify by sight all of the notes in the C major scale up to the third space (Use the two links below to review & practice). Students should be able to score a 90% or higher on the "Note Name Identification Game."
Level 2 Students (Began last summer):
  • Everything from level 1
  • Play "The Walker" with good tone using thumb for string 4, index for string 3, middle for string 2, ring for string 1
  • Play and name all the notes of the F Major scale in fifth position
  • Play "This Little Light of Mine" from book (part 1)
  • Identify by sight all the notes on the Treble Clef from middle C (C4) to the top line of the staff (F5). Use the "Note Name Review" link above to review, then the game link below. You should be able to score 90% or better:
Level 2 Note Identification Game
Gotta run for now..More to come! Keep an eye on this space!
]]><![CDATA[Fretboard Follow-Along: Like I'm Gonna Lose You]]>Wed, 26 Apr 2017 14:57:01 GMThttp://www.ukuleleforteachers.com/dekalb-homeschool-ukulele-orchestra/fretboard-follow-along-like-im-gonna-lose-youWill get the individual parts up as soon as I figure out where I stored them! Here's the whole group, though, to play along to...
]]><![CDATA[Fretboard Follow-Along: Rondeau]]>Wed, 26 Apr 2017 14:49:39 GMThttp://www.ukuleleforteachers.com/dekalb-homeschool-ukulele-orchestra/fretboard-follow-along-rondeauAs requested - here's each part by itself.  Once you're secure on your part, try playing your part while the video plays the other part!

Part 1

Part 2
]]><![CDATA[Our first Fretboard Follow-Alongs...What Child Is This?]]>Thu, 20 Oct 2016 00:58:57 GMThttp://www.ukuleleforteachers.com/dekalb-homeschool-ukulele-orchestra/our-first-fretboard-follow-alongswhat-child-is-thisThese videos are created for you to use as practice tools.  Play along with your own part, or with a different part than you play, to hear how it sounds together! Remember that you can slow down the video on YouTube - just click on the little "gear" at the bottom of the video and choose "0.5" to slow it down.

Part 1

Part 2

​Part 3

All
]]><![CDATA[Week 2 Review & Practice items]]>Fri, 08 Jul 2016 16:05:33 GMThttp://www.ukuleleforteachers.com/dekalb-homeschool-ukulele-orchestra/week-2-review-practice-items

Okay...this week's review, or what to practice for next week!

1. Finger exercise - every time, listen for a good, "ringing" tone, and train those fingers to always go to the same place!

2. Three new notes, this time on the second string (E string): E (open), F (First Fret), G (third fret). Remember to use your first (index) finger on the first fret, and your third (ring) finger on the third fret.

3. Work on page 8 again, this time adding rhythms. We practiced using the syllable "ta" for quarter notes (see chart below), "too-oo" for half notes, and "ta-dee" for eighth notes. I wrote in the counting for exercise 2 and 4 below so you can see where they belong. 

Exercise 2 (Page 8):
Picture
Exercise 4 (Page 8):
Picture
I'm including here a link to a lesson on reading rhythm in music.  It's a good lesson, and it may help you out as you're practicing this week:  Musictheory.net's Rhythm Lesson
4. Using what you learned on Page 9, play the exercises on page 10 and 11. Page 11 may be a bit tricky because you are going to now use two strings - be patient with yourself, and go slowly! You'll get it!

5. Finally, if you are ready to  play some songs that you might know, look at page 12! Don't forget to figure out your rhythms. "Lightly Row" is all "ta" and "too-oo," with the only exception being the last note in each part - a whole note.  (Hint: "toh-oh-oh-oh": It rhymes with "Whole")

As soon as I can, I will post a video review.  Until then, practice the best  you can, remembering your "Lego Hands" and keeping your thumb in the back of the neck.

And, just so no one will miss having a quiz, here's a little game to work on identifying the notes you should now know on the Treble Clef - C, D, E, F, and G!
Note Name Game
]]><![CDATA[Week 1 Review & Skill Drills]]>Thu, 30 Jun 2016 22:13:33 GMThttp://www.ukuleleforteachers.com/dekalb-homeschool-ukulele-orchestra/week-1-review-skill-drillsSee below for a video that demonstrates the finger exercise we learned today!

I promised a quiz, (and I know you would be disappointed if you didn't get a quiz!) so here it is...well, it's more of an exercise to help you identify the two notes we learned today on String 3: Middle C, and D.  Practice this until you got it down!

Middle C & D Practice - Musical Staff

Middle C & D Practice - Fretboard

Open String Fretboard Identification Practice


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