All Request Week

Today was our final class with the singers at Stonegate. It was request week! I asked the singers to recommend a song that they like. Before we listened to each song I asked "Why do you like it?", "How does it make you feel?", and "What do you do when you listen to the song?" Today's song suggestions were; Old Town Road by Lil Nas X (clean version), Music from the Luca movie trailer, and Wicked Whip from Ninjago. After this song we all chose a different instrument in the Rock Band and formed a new hypothetical group. I was assigned the task of songwriting! Something I have never done but for these students I'll give it a try! I will definitely miss singing with this group.

Having Fun!

For our last session we played our favourite game, Guess The Instrument, in which a person turns their camera off and plays an instrument or makes some sounds with objects, while the other participants guess the sound source. We also talked about how far we came through the whole session, and how fun it has been learning to play the ukulele.

Practice Time

This week we practiced a lot with interactive online activities. We introduced a new chord, C7, and practiced strumming, reading and some songs to put it in musical context. One of the participants during the second session didn’t have their ukulele, as they were doing the lesson while on a car ride, so we adapted the activity for them to participate. To do so, we played the strumming patterns clapping and saying the chord names.

Reading Notes One at a Time

This week we introduced a new way to read music. Represented by numbers, this method shows what string and fret should be played. 23, for example, means you play the second string on the third fret. It was a lot of fun discovering the notes that way.

Strumming and Reading Music

In the first session this week, we practiced our reading and strumming skills with some interactive exercises and songs. We also played one student's favourite game, Guess The Instrument. In the second session Zeca played another student's favourite song, Un Poco Loco. We learned the D7 chord in order to be able to learn the song in the next sessions.

In the Groove

I am so happy with how the music classes at Stonegate have developed. Logging on for classes is like visiting with friends! The classes feel relaxed and fun. Each musician is making progress in their own way and it is such a pleasure to watch them grow.

Turn Your Frown Upside Down!

I "walked" into my classes at Stonegate this week with a dark grey cloud hanging over my head. These past few weeks teaching solo from my home has started to feel monotonous and lonely. This Wednesday it was especially challenging to convince myself to turn on my computer and find the energy I need to teach a music class. However, the moment I "step into the room" that grey cloud starts to slowly fade into the background and is replaced with the rainbow that is the spirit of my students. One particular moment that filled my heart with joy was listening to my most monotone student work their way carefully up the scale, finding notes in their voice they had never sung before, saying "I can't...," but then continuing to try and succeed! When I am able to help students progress in moments like this it reminds me why I love to do what I do, even on days when I feel like I can't do it.

Three Little Birds

During this week's session our challenge was a classic Bob Marley song. We strummed and practiced chord changing to the pleasant and uplifting Three Little Birds. We also reviewed all the chords we have learned so far. Lots of fun!

Sing Hi, Sing Low

This week the students at Stonegate experimented with high and low notes. We discovered that if an object that makes a sound, like the strings on a guitar or piano, or the chimes on a xylophone, is large, the sound will be low, and if it is small the sound will be high! Together we hang the high and low notes in an octave! We also started learning Hakuna Matata. What a wonderful phrase!

What's That Sound!?

During this week's session we played "Guess The Instrument," adding a little twist. This time we focused on the concept of low and high pitch, while experimenting with all sorts of instruments and sounds. Another twist was the participants challenging me to guess what instrument was being played, as they played them with their cameras off.