In this month's From the Vault, we throw back to a post from Michael Conway exploring the joy of medleys, a sequence of songs "glued together" by musical transitions and united by a common theme or style. They are fun to play and offer a great way for the novice arranger/composer to test new creative waters.

THE "IZ FACTOR"

Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful Worl...

Has one particular version of a song really resonated with you while others don't even come close? I experienced this with Jeff Buckley’s interpretation of the Leonard Cohen song, "Hallelujah." Though I like many versions of it, to me, nothing compares to Buckley's. So, why can listening to many versions of the same song be such a powerful exercise in the classroom?

“Interpretation is the ultimat...

In music, we’re taught a lot of rules and told we must follow them. But creativity is a critical part of all music-making; exploring the creative aspect of music can build confidence, expand understanding, and lead to new realms of expression. And spring is the perfect time to awaken your students’ creativity!

Improvisation. Where to begin as a teacher? How do we guide our students as they explor...

Why is it so important to teach intervals in music and how can we do it? Cynthia Kinnunen gives us some ideas on teaching music intervals with games and exercises to engage our students, both children and adults.

Intervals are the building blocks of music. We create music either by harmonizing two or more notes (chords) or by connecting a series of pitches one after another (melody). In both c...

Back in 1812, Beethoven completed his seventh symphony. His works are powerful and this theme from the second movement of the piece is no exception; a mix of hope and tragedy, elation and despair. Beethoven himself considered it one of his best works. We hope you enjoy exploring this two-part arrangement of it on your own or with your students. 

Download free scores (Print-friendly PDF format): 
...

The most engaging musical activities are those that add wind to our sails. Canons offer numerous pedagogical benefits but they’re not only useful classroom teaching tools, they can also be a whole lot of fun! Raise those sails and get ready! 

We’ve sung the praises of canons many times here at Uketropolis. Lorna MacPhee’s article Canons as Reading Weaponry post has long been a useful read on thes...

As ukulele teachers and leaders, we get asked a lot of questions, many of which are common across our classes and groups. This month we’ll offer some ideas for a few frequently asked questions you might hear in your classroom or group. 

1. How do you know what strumming pattern to use ukulele?

I’m sure you’ve heard this one about strumming patterns A LOT! We certainly have. There are a number of...

This From the Vault throwback feels just right for this time of year—in the northern hemisphere, at least! Enjoy James' student-friendly blues tune, Snow Shovel Blues. 

Download the free score in PDF format: 

• C6 tuning
• D6 tuning

Snow Shovel Blues is a fun, open-ended blues tune. With the idea of engaging both left- and right-brain learners in this fun song, James has included a number o...

Despite the obvious challenges, there are some good things that have come from this push to online teaching during the pandemic, as well. Let’s kick off the new year acknowledging some of key advantages of online teaching as ukulele teachers during this time with our countdown of the Top Ten Reasons To Love Online Teaching!

10. Convenience. No more driving in nasty weather! ‘Nuff said.

9. Ac...