Tuesday, November 1, 2016

BIG IDEAS


*

A little story. 

(Cue cheesy background music…)  

Once upon a time, an enthusiastic music teacher named Mrs. Laura Landes had a dream.  Her vision involved the delightful tones of a classroom filled with 5th grade students- their eager hands strumming in perfect time on tiny composite ukuleles.


Last year for her birthday, Mrs. Landes bought herself a gift.  Most women would purchase something traditionally lovely…but not our Mrs. Landes.  




(Really, if you are going to buy yourself a present, you go for chocolate or jewelry, no?)  

Apparently not.  
Instead, she decided to "treat" herself to a ukulele.


Mrs. Landes is apparently a quick study because within an hour of getting her hands on that birthday gift, she was through the entire beginner methods book and playing some simple songs.  It was so easy and SO much fun, she started brainstorming about ways to use it in the classroom. She tells me, “Ukes are especially great for little hands because the four strings are so close together!” Nylon strings make learning less uncomfortable than the metal strings on a guitar.

In the spring, Mrs. Landes went to the annual Pennsylvania Music Educator’s Association Conference in Hershey.  She was able to attend some clinics and her interest in pursuing classroom ukulele instruction grew.  After collaborating with Mrs. Berg and Mrs. Litzenberger in the music department, the team decided that Mrs. Landes would pursue writing a grant to purchase a classroom set of thirty instruments.
 
Before any of that could happen, an interesting post arose on Facebook.  Even social media has occasional benefits! Mrs. Litzenberger found a notice publicizing that the first 80 schools on the eastern half of the US who “liked”, “shared,” and sent an email in response to the posting would be rewarded with 40 ukuleles.



You can imagine what a woman who buys herself a birthday ukulele would do with THAT information. Mrs. Landes was on that opportunity like white on rice!  Two days later she received an affirmative response from the company. Thanks to Mrs. Landes and her big idea (where big idea means itty bitty stringed instrument), our school was the lucky recipient of Kala Brand Music Company’s September instrument giveaway.


Ukuleles have recently made a comeback in popularity.  They were “born” in Hawaii, way back in the 19th century…lutes constructed of wood, playing in time with island breezes on the Big Island.  


*

During a trip to the 1939 World’s Fair, a man named Mario Maccaferri became inspired by the notion of an all-weather plastic instrument.  Soon after, he invented his water-resistant version of the Hawaiian product.  His tiny instruments sold like hotcakes for two decades. 

In the same spirit of outdoor fun, a company in Petaluma, California continues to make high-grade, durable instruments.  One such product is the Waterman ukulele. 



What does your mind recall when you hear the plinking strains of a ukulele?  Images of grass skirts and the falsetto crooning of an eccentric musician singing “Tiptoe through the Tulips” come to mind for me.  

At least that is what came to mind prior to our school's awesome aquisition!


Visit Kala Brand Music's Facebook page
or check  their website for 
more information.


Just before October, there was a small celebratory party in the main office when some large cardboard boxes arrived.  


The boxes contained an abundant supply of Waterman soprano ukuleles, complete with gig bags (you know…just in case we want to take our show on the road….)




Soon, Mrs. Landes was fashioning uke picks from old credit cards and painstakingly tuning the plethora of new instruments until her well-trained ear and key-twisting fingers were utterly and thoroughly spent.

It was no small feat to have all those nylgut strings singing the same fabulous tones!


If you like Where's Waldo, you might enjoy
searching for Mrs. Landes on one of the newly
clipped ukulele picks above. 


Why is this so exciting?  Let me just tell you.  

Research shows that brains of children are actually changed when they learn to make music on an instrument.  As children begin to hear and process sounds, they develop neurophysiological distinctions between different resonances.  This is a fancy way of saying that children who learn to PLAY music will have increased success in literacy.  This translates into improved academics overall. This does not occur when someone just listens to music. These amazing biological changes require actually playing music. 


*


This is a very musical bunch.  Ukulele aside, a full 50% of our current fifth grade students play some kind of instrument!     

That's a really remarkable statistic.



*
Attempting the fingering on that very first chord.

Some palm trees and surfboards would be nice....
I stopped by the other day when some of the students were working on strumming and chord identification. With ukulele in hand, the teacher instructed the class.  "Show me the fingering for the F chord!" Little by little, the fifth grade students identified and landed on that F chord, strumming like an insistent chorus of tenacious bumble bees, all humming in the same determined key.

  
The students are having a great time tickling those strings. In the photo here, Kaiya is focused companionably on Will's great string work during "partner practice."

*


Great progress is happening!  Click on 
the short video clip below to see the 
students of 5SH play a tune! 
Thank you, Mrs. Landes, for your big ideas! 

Lefties Club!
I’ve already begun to rationalize a birthday ukulele of my own. In fact, I might decide to spring for a grass skirt too.... 


*Photo credit: Courtney Reynolds