Today on the podcast we have Jennifer Bailey talking about ukulele in the elementary mean, Jennifer Bailey is an elementary music educator with 28 years of classroom experience. She holds a Bachelor of Music in flute performance from Michigan State University teacher certification from the University of Houston, and Master's in music education from Temple University. Jennifer serves in the faculty of the Gordon Institute for music learning, where she teaches Elementary and early childhood music professional development certification levels. She served on the general music Council for the National Association for Music Education, and was named the 2018 Music Educator of the Year by the Michigan Music Educators Association. Jennifer is author of the sink sink to kids blog and has authored several books with GE patients. Jennifer is a frequent presenter at state and regional music education conferences, and will be presenting inside that music teacher community in December. I am so excited for this conversation with Jennifer Bailey. So let's go ahead and jump right into it.
You're listening to that music podcast with Bryson Tarbet, the curriculum designer and educational consultant behind that music teacher at the elementary music summit each week, Bryson and his guests will dive into the reality of being an elementary music teacher, and how music can truly be transformative in the lives of the students you serve. Show Notes and resources mentioned in this episode can be found at that music teacher.com.
Welcome back to that music podcast. I am super excited to have a guest on the podcast. It's been a while since we've had a guest. And we're gonna be talking about something that's really important and a lot of fun. So I'm really excited to have Jennifer Bailey. Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us on that music teacher podcast.
Thank you for so much for having me. Before we
get started, can you do us a favor? And can you introduce yourself a little bit, share a little bit about your background in music, education, and really what got you into using ukulele in the classroom?
Sure. Well, I'm in my 28th year of teaching elementary music teacher in Farmington, Michigan. Although I've taught both in Houston, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and have only ever taught elementary music. I started teaching ukulele in my classroom about 10 years ago, at a good friend of mine who had shared that she was using it in the middle school and I thought what a lovely instrument and just how accessible it was for young children to be able to learn and play. Play music in the classroom. And so I began working and learning the instrument for myself first, because it's all things I want to make sure that I can play it, and then begin introducing it to my students as well. Yeah,
I did the same thing. I started playing the ukulele when I was in college, and fell in love, especially for a spring instrument how accessible it was and how easy it was too, to get started. And that's why when Long story short, I was thinking like, Alright, do I want to do guitars? Or do I want to ukuleles? Well, I think it's gonna be especially my fifth and sixth graders to be able to grab ukuleles instead. And that's where we are. So you mentioned a little bit about how, how kind of what why what you saw success in it, they're a little bit into some of the benefits that you've seen when you're using the ukulele in your classroom.
But I think the biggest thing for my students is they see themselves as musicians, the minute they pick up the instrument, they are transformed. They see their favorite musicians, whether they're country singers, or rock performers, or whatever, and they're all playing an instrument. And so to pick up that ukulele and feel like they're holding the string instrument and able to play it right away, and have success feeds into the thing that I'm constantly trying to build in them, which is that they are musicians, and that no matter how they choose to express music in their life, or enjoy music in their life, that there is music in them all the time. And so that was the first thing that I noticed is that when I would give them this instrument, and there would be this instant connection, and they would want to play right away. And so that's where I thought, Okay, let's take this and let's run with it and get them excited. And then I'm going to like every good parent or teacher does. I'm going to just throw in as many musical concepts and skills in there in that instrument unit that we're doing to make sure that they are learning everything they can about music as well as playing an instrument and getting joy from that. I
love that I love how you brought in like your rail. They're the people that they're kind of looking forward to look it up to humans tend to play an instruments This is a great way to to get started in that. I want to take a step back real quick How long have you been using the ukulele in your classroom and what grade are grades used.
So I have been using the instrument for about 10 years, I would begin ukulele with my third graders. And we just do some basic strumming patterns. They learn a C seven chord, and and they do a couple play alongs with me. In fourth grade, we set we kind of go back and review that again, what we've learned in previous the previous year. And we learned the C chord, this F chord, we learned a bunch of little folk tunes that are just one five chord songs. And really like third grade and fourth grade, I just want to get their interest going and get them excited about the instrument. We don't spend a lot of time it's usually my my last unit that I do in May with my kiddos just before the end of the school year, because I want them to end the year on a high note, and to feel good about what they're doing. And then in fifth grade, we dig deep into ukulele we play for about three and a half months, the kids learn about six to eight chords, they learn how to play tap, so they can play melodies as well as play chords. And then they end our units with that students form small groups, and they pick a piece of music that they want to learn. And so the wonderful thing about that is they get to work in small groups and collaborate with friends, we get to talk about why a piece of music is a great choice versus maybe not a great choice to play. We can talk about transposition, because they'll pick a piece that maybe isn't in the right key. Or maybe the chords are too hard. So we can talk about chord substitution. And then they work to learn that piece over the course of about three weeks and perform it for their classmates. And it's such a neat thing because it brings in student choice and student voice. And they are more excited than they have ever been to play. Think
of a better way to bring in Student A allows students to have that agency and that collaboration that exactly what you just described, I think that's a great, a great way to not only give them choice and to let them work together, but to I mean, let's be honest, if they're going to do music outside of the classroom, it's probably going to look like that they're going to have people that come together and saying, Hey, let's see if we can figure this song out. You know, that's, and I think that's a really, really natural way to bridge that connect. That's happening in the classroom and outside of the classroom. And I have to say I love the way that you're kind of starting, when they're building up those those those prerequisite skills, and so that when you get into fifth grade, you can really dive deep into that. Also, me doing it in May brilliant, great way to keep them engaged to keep everything going that I think that's so many gems in what you just said that I I just I can't get over. Well, thank you. So we've talked a little bit about some of the things that we've seen, because I echo a lot of what you said, I've only had ukuleles since the beginning of the year, but I've loved what I've been seeing it and what my students have been able to do with them. But what are some of the common obstacles that you've seen or that teachers might face when they're getting started with using the instrument in the classes? And what are some ways that we can get over that and overcome it so that they can set their kids up?
Well, I mean, I think there are two sets of obstacles we face as teachers. One is just the like management of those instruments and making sure that they are ready for use. So when you get new ukuleles, they takes a long time to get those strings stretched to get them in tune, to have a system where kids always get the same instruments so that there is some accountability for the student if the instrument is suddenly tuned in a key that has never been used before. And so I think having systems in place as a teacher to be organized and to be able to keep track of all of those instruments, and make sure everything is in tune. The other thing I think is really important is just predicting and being aware of how you're going to handle student challenges when they arise. So when I first started, I did not put any markers and the ukuleles for chords. I really wanted students to know where their fingers go and be able to learn and memorize, you know, kind of at that muscle memory as to how the courts will go. That took me about a year before I realized you know what, not every kid is ready for that. And so, some of the things I do to help students just to avoid those challenges. I mark the first three chords we learned on the instrument so we've learned we've marked the C chord, the F chord and the G chord so that they have a visual for them because you have students that need it. And what I found is that the students who don't need that visual anymore Don't use it. And so it's just there for the kids that need it. And that they're, you're gonna get a lot of pushback from kiddos about fingers hurting. And so you're going to learn how to pace your instruction to give them breaks frequently. I don't like to start my kids with pics unnecessarily. Because I want him to build a little callus and a little strength in those fingers. But I also don't want blisters. So we talk about how we pace our instruction and make sure that when we are going to be playing for extended periods of times we make picks available for students, we talk about how to strum and make sure that they can handle it without playing too strongly. And then the last thing just with any instrument is the perseverance because there comes a point where the excitement about playing the instrument and the reality of playing that instrument merge. And you have some kids that will give up very easily. And so we talk a lot about perseverance, and really helping kids to see that they can push through hard things, they can do hard things, even in music. And oftentimes we boost kids competence by having them work with friends, and, and get support from one another versus the teacher because I find more than anything, my students really learn best when they're working collaboratively with their friends.
I'm over here smiling and nodding my head. Because basically everything you just described is things that I've been experiencing these past few months. I was actually just this morning was recording things I wish I would have done differently. And one of them was I numbered all the ukuleles but then didn't assign them to anyone. And I'm like, Why did I did half of the work. But then now I get you know, things here, you're like, Oh, it went out of tune. This is not out of tune. This is very, very, someone was messing with this. So that's definitely something that I wish I would have done differently. Just to get have that, again, that ownership over, you know, are we doing what we're supposed to be doing with them. And you brought up a route a lot of really good gems about just how we can keep the kids engaged, how we can make sure it's accessible, because while I do think the ukulele is an incredibly accessible stringed instrument, the reality is, is that doesn't mean we don't have to differentiate, we still have to make those make those those accommodations and modifications. And my favorite part about what you just said, is the thing that I will scream from wherever about differentiation is the student need that accommodation will just they'll just not use it. And it's, it's again, removing that barrier. It's no barriers anywhere else. I don't know how I don't know what else to say about how awesome their response was.
And I think the lovely thing about ukuleles that you can differentiate at so many different levels, I may have a student who has never played before, and all they can do is play that C chord. And you know what, that's what you do through the entire song. And then I have some kids that we move to a new court we learn you know, right now my fifth graders are reviewing the F chord. And and all I can do is hang on to that chord for dear life. And so I have those new kids on the C chord, I have those kids that are hanging on for dear life and the F chord and then I have those high fliers that want that extra challenge. And then they can facilitate and move between those two chords or a third chord. And so the lovely thing is you can build layers of instruction for anyone. And one of my favorite things to do is have kids turn to one another and I have them certify each other that they can play a certain chord. So they don't come up and play necessarily for me. But they have to be certified certified by if by a classmate that they can play that chord. And so again, that goes that ownership of I have to show somebody I have to show up here that I can do this and they take it so much more seriously. And they're so much more kind to one another if there is a need for correction that I find that just goes so lovely. But there's so many ways you can differentiate instruction on ukulele.
Before we continue, I wanted to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by the study beat Survival Guide in this free ebook will dive into my top 20 songs chants and activities for study beat, so that you can truly build the strong foundation of mutual understanding that is just so incredibly important when we're talking about concepts. So core, like study beat to grab your free copy of this ebook, head on over to that music teacher.com/study beat or you can check out the description wherever you're listening. Now let's dive back into the episode. So you talked a little bit about kind of the types of music or what kind of songs and things that you've used in the past, but where do you get your repertoire? And I guess kind of off of that, how do you weave a ukulele curriculum into your overall scope and sequence?
Well, the funny thing is the truth is about fourth grade my students learned that I have been leaving this evil Plan of instruction over a year. So, we do a lot of folk songs in K through two, obviously, I mean, I do K prep folk music all through my K five curriculum. But about third grade, we do a little piano unit in, in the winter. And every student we do class piano, and every student learns to play four to six tunes, and simple tunes, hot cross buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb, things like that, then fourth grader quarter comes by, and guess what all those tunes reappear in recorder. And by the time they get to ukulele, they're like, Oh, I already know what tunes we're learning to. So the lovely thing is I try to mix both folk songs that they are familiar with, and pop music that they love, so that they get a mix of, they're playing things that are going to build skills within their playing, and songs that are familiar. And then also layer in things where they feel like they're playing music that they love to listen to in the radio, because that's where the connection comes. And the joy comes with the folk music, one of the things I found really successful for my kids, because every once went out, I'll get a group of fifth graders like, oh, I don't want to play this baby song anymore. And I'm like, wait a minute. First of all, that's not what we call folk music. But second of all, we have buddy groups in our school where they are paired with lower elementary classes. And so I always present it as you're going to learn this song. And then you can come in and play it for your buddy class. So that then they have a day where like, if my fifth graders are paired with their first or second grade class, they get to come into that first or second grade class and they play their ukulele, they play the songs those students know and love. So that's a really lovely way to get some buy in for the folk music. So that they are playing songs, and they know they're going to be presenting them to their lower out buddies. And the other lovely thing is that they also let those students strum the instrument, they'll play the courts, and they let them strum. So it kind of builds that excitement, like, Oh, this is something coming down the way. So I find that finding that nice mix of giving them folk music that's going to build their capacity to play and then I always we end every class with one pop sound play along, so that they have something where they feel like they're struggling and playing like their their little ukulele rockstars
I absolutely love that I, I have a very similar approach to recorder in the same way. But I love I also how you're always ending on this high note always ending on this big, you know, pop songs are something that are able to have experience. In general, I think some things that sometimes we as music teachers get wrong is we worked so hard on the skills and we worked in the fundamentals that we don't give them that win. And that's where the engagements lost. You know, we you can do scales all day, any day. But if you're able to let the kids play a song, especially on the first day, like that is that is huge. So I think you're bringing up so many good points.
Well, and that's for me, like, I teach chords right off the bat, because I want them to feel like they're playing and they're strumming. And I know that there are others who really want students to learn tab and to be able to play pitches and play songs. There is no wrong way for me, I just want that Win Win where they want to come back and play the next day. And I can always go back and embed all of that instruction later on and get them excited about the other. But I what I want them is to always leave wanting to come back and see what's going to happen next.
I love that. So you're going to be leading a masterclass inside of that music teacher community called struction for elementary music. Can you talk a little bit about what was attained in that workshop? And kind of how how you plan to kind of take take the masterclass and and make it applicable to classrooms around the world.
Yeah. So my goal for you is just to share my sequence of instruction and to give you ideas to be able to go back into your classroom and use that with your students. I'm going to walk you through my sequence, I'm going to share from my many, many mistakes as well as my successes, so that you hopefully can use it in and do the best with your students as you possibly can and make new mistakes. And I only say that because I think we learn most and learn best from the things that we do wrong instead of the things we do well so so I'm going to be walking you through my sequence of instruction, and how to get students situated so that you can teach 30 kids how to play piccalilli all at once, and and maximize your time with your students so that you can get them Most and the best out of them.
And for those of you that are listening that are not part of that visit teacher community, you can join us for the live workshop next week, or is already added to the alive professional development library inside the communities if you're listening to this a little bit after it came out. So Jennifer, if you could summarize your key takeaways, from your attendance, of experience with Ukulele into some key takeaways, what are some things that you would, you would make sure that teachers are starting with to make sure that they're making the best of what they have?
I think the first thing I'm going to tell you is to just enjoy your students and to find ways to make it fun and joyful. All the instruction can be I hate the word rigorous, but you can you can do all of the hard things you can you can teach all of the technique. But if it's not joyful, the students aren't going to buy into it. So that is my first takeaway is that you have to be joyful with this and make it fun with your kids. Second, is, don't be afraid to be a stickler to teach the technique. And I really work with my students to make sure that they're holding the instrument correctly, that they're strumming correctly, that they are strumming gently, I think sometimes they get so excited to play and I'm like, back off, guys. We're not going to break a string today. So getting them to play musically, I think is the other thing I really want them to be mindful of. So that they're always making music. Because there's a difference between making sound and making music. And so I really want to make sure that they are learning how to play the instrument of way that it sounds musical and it's enjoyable to them. And and then I just, I want to empower them to continue on in the instrument. So that if it's something that it brings them again, and brings them that personal joy that they'll continue to practice my students can check out because that isn't take them home and have them for personal practice, we have a set for school and then I have some extra ones they can check out and take home stuff, it's something that really speaks to them, that they can continue to to practice and play. I make a digital notebook available to every student. So if they do have an instrument they can play at home. And it has embedded all of our play alongs all of our technique videos, all of our, our sheet music, so they have access to that wherever they are. And my goal is just for them again to find their voice in music. And this is one of the ways I hope for me that we'll call it a it could be the instrument that they continue to play. But it could also be that starting point for taking another instrument as they move into middle school. So whether they choose to play in band or choose to play an orchestra or continuing choir, to me, this is a great way for them to get some practice of what this what it entails to learn and play an instrument. And so those are my goals for my students is to give them opportunities to find joy with it and give them a little taste of what's to come if they choose to pursue an instrument in their lives.
I couldn't agree with that anymore if I tried. So Jennifer, where can our listeners find out more about you and the work that you do for music education online?
Well, everything I do is sing to kids. I have a blog at Sing to kids.com You can find me on Facebook, Instagram tic tac, YouTube and again, if you just Google sing to kids, your phones me
Alrighty, well, we will be sure to put those links in the show notes as well as the link to join that music teacher community so they can check out your masterclass which I am really excited for. I am super excited. Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us. And thank you listeners for joining us for another episode of that music podcast.
