JMUke: A Community Event 

Context Statement:​ Students will explore and learn songs on the ukulele in a club which holds meetings at the
Student Success Center at JMU. This club will mostly involve students that are interested in making music with their
peers and learning the fundamentals of the ukulele. There will be a variety of different skill levels, but most
students interested in a club of this sort will have some experience playing. Less experienced students might need a
ukulele and basic instruction on how to strum, where to place fingers, and how to hold the instrument. After each
of the 3 sessions has concluded, there will be a discussion about music. The discussion will revolve around music
today and its role in society as people see it in their everyday lives. A survey will be given after the final meeting is
over which asks the participants about their thoughts on the discussions and whether their views on music in
society have changed at all.

Stage 1 - Desired Results

Standards: Goals:

HG.3 The student will ● I can play a variety of musical repertoire on the ukulele with the help of
perform a varied lead sheets. (S)
repertoire of music, ● I can form an opinion on the role that music plays in society. (M)
including 1. singing with ● I can improvise over a simple chord progression on the ukulele (S)
increased vocal ● I can identify the chords C, G, Am, and F on the ukulele after playing four
proficiency; 2. songs. (K)
recognizing and ● I can learn new chords and new chord progressions on the ukulele on my
demonstrating proper own in a reasonable amount of time. (T)
instrumental technique; ● I can form and express an opinion on a variety of musical repertoire. (M)
and 3. playing ● I can identify and echo a simple melody. (S)
instrumental music
representative of
diverse styles, forms,
and cultures.

HG.4 The student will

improvise music,
including 1. improvising
melodic and rhythmic
patterns and
accompaniments in a
variety of styles; and 2.
improvising variations
on a simple melody.

HG.5 The student will

investigate
characteristics of
musical sounds by 1.
employing elements of
music, including
melody, rhythm,
harmony, form, and
texture; 2. employing
technology to explore
musical sounds; and 3.
listening to and
describing traditional
and nontraditional
sound sources.

HG.7 The student will

investigate the role of
music in society by 1.
comparing and
contrasting the
development of music
in diverse cultures
throughout history; 2.
examining various
opportunities to
experience music in the
community; and 3.
describing the role of
technology and social
media in the
development of music.

HG.9 The student will

analyze music by 1.
describing music styles
and forms through
listening; 2. defining and
classifying various
musical styles that
represent different
historical periods and
cultures; 3. examining
the importance of
composers’ use of style,
cultural influences, and
historical context for the
interpretation of works
of music; and 4.
describing and
interpreting works of
music, using inquiry
skills and music
terminology.

HG.10 The student will

evaluate and critique
music by 1. examining
and applying accepted
criteria for evaluating
works of music; 2.
comparing musical
performances to similar
exemplary models,
using music
terminology; and 3.
examining and applying
accepted criteria for
critiquing musical
performances of self
and others.

HG.11 The student will

investigate aesthetic
concepts related to
music by 1. explaining
how the context of a
musical work’s creation
may influence its
meaning and value; 2.
analyzing and justifying
personal responses to
works of music; 3.
examining and applying
aesthetic criteria for
determining the quality
of a musical work; and
4. explaining the value
of music to the
community and to
society.

HIB.18 The student will

sight-read music of
varying styles and levels
of difficulty, in
accordance with VBODA
Levels 0–2.
Generative (Essential) Questions:

● How has music played a role in society historically and what is its role today?
● What makes a person a “musician?”
● What does music as a social commentary tell us about society?
● What resources are available to allow people to learn instruments on their own?

Stage 2 - Evidence 

In order to assess the students growth, the students will perform a concert for their peers at a time and location
that will be dependent on availability. During this performance, students will be asked to play a set of basic chords
(C, Am, G, Bm, Em, F, etc.) on the ukulele using lead sheets. Students participating will also be asked to improvise a
basic melody over a chord progression crafted from the basic chords they have learned through the club meetings.
Afterward, students will then be asked to participate in a group discussion in which they reflect on their growth as
students. This will include specific skill sets such as being able to play a basic strumming pattern and being able to
play and sing at the same time. This will also include questions that address the role of music in society and
expressing their opinions about the repertoire.

Note: This checklist is not intended to be a “do all these or you fail” type of guideline. Rather, it is a means of
showing learners their growth over the course of their participation in the club. Certain participants will already
have several of these checked off; others will have none. This is fine, as each learner can grow at their own pace
and check off these “checkpoints” as they progress on the instrument.

Checklist:
The student is able to hold the ukulele
The student is able to properly strum the ukulele
The student is able to play basic strumming patterns
The student is able to use the left hand to press down on the strings properly
The student is able to use the correct left hand positions to play basic chords
The student is able to strum and finger chords at the same time
The student is able to switch their left hand position to change chords properly and smoothly
The student is able to quickly shift hand positioning to play different chords
The student is able to understand that a chord symbol represents the different hand positions in the left hand
The student is able to identify chords and switch between the chords in a smooth manner
The student is able to change chords in time
The student is able to change chords in time while also strumming with the right hand
The student is able to change chords in time while keeping maintaining a steady tempo
The student is able to sing a basic melody (one of the songs to be performed)
The student is able to play the ukulele and sing at the same time

Stage 3 – Learning Plan 

Discuss the specific process by which learners will make progress toward the goals. Specifically address the ways
you, as a teacher, will support, challenge, and wind for the learners. What “workshops,” “lessons,” or “experiences”
will you guide learners in to help them develop tools needed to grow? How will you support individual learning and
growth? Identify when and how assessments occur throughout the unit. Your unit should be at least 6
days/meetings long (for 30-minute class periods in class settings) and/or 3 days/meetings long (for 1 hour-long
community settings). These will be sketches, not complete experience designs.

You may choose to sketch this out in a number of ways, including:

- A series of days (maybe this is a 10 day project) with the day noted along with the
- A vignette that tells what students and teacher are doing each day of the unit. These would be narratively
dense.

Day 1 of Uke Club: Procedures and Expectations

- Instructors will introduce themselves and the objectives of the course (i.e. help each learner progress in
their knowledge of the ukulele, learn to read chord symbols, perform several strum patterns, etc.)
- Instructors will separate the club into groups based on skill with the instrument (ex. beginner,
intermediate, and advanced). This is done so that the various teachers can work with students of all
different levels of skill in isolated environments first so that skilled students are not bored/disengaged and
beginners are not left behind/disengaged
- Instructors will teach beginner students basic chords/open strings, the fundamentals of reading chord
symbols, and basic strum patterns
- Instructors will teach intermediate students more advanced chords (that require more fingers/are less
conventional harmonically i.e. 7th chords), and some more advanced strum patterns (more liberal use of
the downstrum)
- Instructors will lead advanced students (who have a solid knowledge of tablature and can play several
chords proficiently with varied strum patterns/rhythms that involve both up strums and down strums )
through the performance of some songs that apply these skills in a real-world context (this is a step that
the less experienced students will be approaching on days 2 and 3)
- Students are expected to come in with open minds and ideas for songs they would like to perform and
goals they would like to reach at the end of the 3 meetings (these goals will be the building blocks upon
which we craft the lessons for the following days, as the objective of the club we lead will be largely based
on the growth the students want to see in their own musicianship)

Day 2 of Uke Club: Procedures and Expectations

- Instructors will do a brief review of the material covered at the first meeting (This will be fairly general and
done with the entire class so that everyone is one the same/a similar page as we move toward large group
work)
- Instructors will separate the club into groups based on skill with the instrument (same as the first day but
some may be challenged or moved based on how they have improved on the first day). Another review of
the material more specific to the small groups may be necessary.
- Instructors will introduce new material to each of the groups. The beginner group will begin to get into
more detail about chords and start to learn about left hand placement and where to put the fingers in
order to get different chords. The students should be able to play C major, G major, a minor, and F major
chords by the end of the second day.
- Instructors will lead the intermediate group in learning some songs that they would like to play as a group.
 Instructors will have songs prepared to teach that can be chosen from if needed and instructors will lead
the intermediate group on how to play the songs given lead sheets.
- Instructors will lead the advanced group on the songs they worked on during day one and maybe work on a
new song or two if they are working quickly.
- We will come together as a group and practice some songs that utilize progressions that contain the basic
chords the beginners now know (ex. “I’m Yours - Jason Mraz)
- The students are held to the same expectations as they were on the first day and are also asked to
challenge themselves and try to learn new things that they may not be as comfortable with.

Day 3 of Uke Club: Procedures and Expectations

- Note: Day 3 of the curriculum is the final day of learning before the final concert that will take place on a
later date to showcase the learning that has taken place as a part of the club meetings
- Instructors will break the students into their groups and build on the learning that took place during the
past 2 sessions
- Instructors will lead the beginner group through some more songs that utilize the fundamental chords they
know (Cmaj, Gmaj, Amin, and Fmaj) and elaborate on strums patterns that will prepare them for their
individual group performance at the concert
- Instructors will lead the intermediate group through songs that utilize the more advanced chords that they
have learned (7th chords, introduces functional progressions that use dominant -> tonic relationships i.e.
G7 -> Cmaj) and continue to work on strengthening the downstrum to create more rhythmically interesting
and complex strum patterns. This will prepare this group for their individual group performance at the final
concert.
- Instructors will lead the advanced group through songs of their choosing, all of which may involve complex
chord progressions and strum patterns. (Because this group came in with a relatively strong knowledge of
the ukulele, day 3 with this group is based more on what their desires are and what they would like to
glean from the experience). This group will, like the others, be prepared at the end of the session to give
their individual group performance at the final concert.
- Students in all groups will discuss what they have learned, how close they have come to achieving the goals
they set out before the 3 day curriculum, and make suggestions as to what we can perform at the final
concert/ what will showcase their learning best
- Instructors will bring the group together and work on the repertoire that the entire club group will be
playing at the final concert. This will be repertoire that challenges the beginners and keeps even the most
advanced students engaged. The chords featured will be those that the beginners have been taught and
can play (outside of a couple that may be added to the rep in order to test the students’ knowledge and
understanding of chord charts without having extensively practiced the chords beforehand).
- At the conclusion of the meeting, everyone will have a discussion about music learning, how the ukulele
can be used as a vehicle for bringing people together, music and its role in society, and each learner’s
goals.

Final Assessment Rubric 

Goal/Quality No  Minimal  Meet  Exceeds 

Evidence  Evidence  Expectations  Expectations 
1. I can play a  The student  The student can  The student can  The student can 
variety of  is unable to  play some of the  play the chords  play the provided 
musical  play the  repertoire  using a lead  repertoire making 
provided  provided with  sheet provided  little to no mistakes 
repertoire 
repertoire.  some mistakes.  with minimal  with informed 
on the  The student  The student  mistakes. The  stylistic 
ukulele with  lacks  lacks  student is able to  interpretation 
the help of  appropriate  appropriate style  play with style  without the use of 
lead sheets.  style for the  for the selection.  appropriate to  lead sheets. 
selection.  The student  the selection. 
The student  relies heavily on  The student can 
is unable to  lead sheets.  identify the 
read the  chords and hand 
provided  positions needed 
lead sheets.  when given the 
lead sheets. 

2. I can form  The student  The student can  The student can  The student is able 
an opinion  cannot  express an  express to their  to hold a vastly 
on the role  express  opinion that is  peers a clear  intimate and deep 
not always clear  opinion that  musical 
that music  their 
on how society is  suggests they  debate/discussion/
plays in  opinion on  impacted by  have knowledge  dialogue on how 
society.  how society  music.   on how society is  music and society 
is impacted  impacted by  impact each other.  
by music.  music.  
 

3. I can  The student  The student  The student  The student can 
improvise  is unable to  can play a  can play a  play a melody 
over a  play a  melody that  melody over a  over a simple 
simple  melody over  involves only  simple chord  chord progression 
chord  a simple  chord tones  progression  without the 
progression  chord  over a simple  with the  assistance of lead 
on the  progression  chord  assistance of  sheets. 
ukulele.  with the  progression  lead sheets. 
assistance  with the 
of lead  assistance of 
sheets.  lead sheets. 
 

4. I can  The student  The student  The student  The student can 
identify the  cannot  can name and  can name and  name and play 
chords C, G,  name or  play the four  play the four  the four chords in 
Am, and F  play the  chords in order  chords in any  any order when 
on the  four chords  (C, G, Am, F)  order when  prompted after 
ukulele after  after  after playing  prompted after  playing three 
playing four  playing four  four songs that  playing four  songs that involve 
songs.  songs that  involve those  songs that  those chords with 
involve  chords with  involve those  the group. 
 those  the group.  chords with the 
chords with  group. 
the group. 

5. I can learn  The student  The student  The student  The student has 
new chords  has not  has learned a  has learned a  learned multiple 
and new  learned a  new chord  new chord  new chord 
chord  new chord  progression  progression  progressions 
progression progression  involving no  involving at  involving at least 
s on the  or new  new chords on  least one new  one new chord on 
ukulele on  chord on  the ukulele  chord on the  the ukulele after 
my own in a  the ukulele  after working  ukulele after  working for three 
reasonable  after  for three days.  working for  days. 
amount of  working for  three days. 
time.  three days. 

6. I can form  The student  The student  The student  The student has 
and express  has not  has formed and  has formed and  formed and 
an opinion  formed any  expressed their  expressed their  expressed their 
on a variety  opinion on  opinion on  opinion on  opinion on songs 
of musical  songs in  songs in similar  songs in at  in at least three 
repertoire.  any style,  or the same  least three  different styles, 
and cannot  styles and can  different styles,  and can describe 
describe  describe what  and can  what they like 
what they  they like OR  describe what  AND dislike about 
like or  dislike about  they like AND  each of them, and 
dislike  them.   don’t like about  can also describe 
about the  each of them.  the validity of 
music.  other opinions on 
the music they’ve 
described. 

7. I can  The student  The student  The student  The student can 
identify and  cannot  can clearly  can clearly  clearly identify 
echo a  identify or  identify a  identify and  and play a simple 
simple  hum and  simple melody  hum a simple  melody on the 
melody.  simple  after hearing it  melody after  ukulele after 
melody  four times, but  hearing it four  hearing it four 
after  has difficulty  times.  times. 
hearing it  humming it. 
four times.