en:didaktik:repertoire

Make your decisions about classroom repertoire based on what you believe your students can learn from a piece of music, not based on your perception of what they think is "cool."

James Hill1)

Goals of Repertoire

Ideally, ukulele ensemble repertoire should demonstrate both the melodic and harmonic/rhythmic capabilities of the instrument, as well as the ability to sing and play at the same time. Working with more than one style of music—and notation—also helps prepare students for different musical opportunities in the future. Being able to read treble staff notation is useful for its precision and as a transferrable skill that a student can take to any other instrument, but following a chord chart, improvising, and being able to call out chords by the numbers is likewise a practical skill for rhythm section musicians in Jazz and popular settings. No matter the style of notation, the repertoire should give students the tools as well as the desire to learn more.

Philip Tamberino2)

Of course, not only instrumental music is used. There is also a lot of singing. Songs with more difficult harmonies, which then the teacher alone accompanies. Some students then closely observe the teacher's hand, memorizing the chords and trying to play them on their ukulele later. Thus, some students independently expand their repertoire.

Friedhelm Patzelt3)

Choosing Repertoire

A teachable song
uses chords that are easily played on the ukulele, has straightforward rhythms and a melody with a very comfortable range for singing. This allows the teacher to focus on more advanced concepts like harmony singing and suspended chords. …
Be discerning and purposeful in choosing repertoire for your students. The good news: while it may require a little research, it's possible to find songs that a) have rich stories rooted in cultural traditions, b) are enjoyable for the students, c) are enjoyable for the teacher, and d) lend themselves naturally to the ukulele and the classroom teaching context.

James Hill4)

For me, it helps to know the standards because a lot of the standards can be simplified and [the students] don’t know it. You can teach something so beautiful and everybody can grasp it.

Roy Sakuma5)

I have found that audiences will get more enjoyment from a three-chord song played very well than from a ten-chord song played almost as well. They don't know that it took you only one hour to learn the three-chord song compared to a week to learn the more difficult ten-chord piece. Not only do they not know—they don't care. They just want to be entertained.
It's what you do with what you've got that matters. Too many players attempt music that is slightly too far beyond their reach, and so have to put in many extra hours of work for only incremental results. Meanwhile, their ability as an entertainer is not improving because they don't attend to the extra nuances that a good musical performance demands.
By choosing to keep the music simpler, you'll have more time to spend on the presentation of the song. Look at your goals. If they are purely about learning musical skills, then put your time into honing the trickier techniques. But if your desire is to entertain an audience, know that they won't be impressed with how long it took you to learn a difficult piece.

Ralph Shaw6)

Arranging

If I'm writing a song for the students, the first thing I do is create a melody line that I feel that the students are going to enjoy playing. Secondly, I will play it in a way that is simplified—where it's easy to play—and thirdly, I need to be careful not to make it too syncopated or too difficult where it takes time for the students to understand because I want the kids to enjoy the song and to be able to play it. …
The key is first to find a melody that you know the kids are going to like and then arrange it in the key that it's going to be playable.

Roy Sakuma7)


1)
Test of Time: Traditional Songs in the Classroom“. In: Ukulele Yes! 8:9 (2009)
2)
Uke Can Do It! Developing Your School Ukulele Program. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield. 2014, 89
3)
„Unkonventionelle Wege einer Förderschule in der musikalischen Erziehung“, in: LernenFördern 25:3 (2005), 13
4)
What Makes A "Teachable" Song?, in: Ukulele Yes! 1.3.2011
5) , 7)
Ukulele Yes!, 1.9.2008
6)
The Ukulele Entertainer: Powerful Pointers for Players and Performers. BookBaby, 2011