Ukulele Celebration

Overview

This is lesson 8 of 8 in the Beginner Ukulele Unit. Students will perform a familiar class song in small groups, listen respectfully to others, and reflect on the challenges, progress and enjoyment of learning ukulele.

Learning intentions

• WALT demonstrate our learning through a small-group performance.
• WALT use basic ukulele skills to support a steady musical performance.
• WALT perform confidently and respectfully with others.
• WALT reflect on what helped us learn and what we could improve next.

Success criteria

• I can take part in a small-group performance.
• I can keep a steady beat and use appropriate chords, strumming or singing.
• I can listen respectfully while other groups perform.
• I can share a specific success and challenge from my learning.

Curriculum links

• Music – Developing Practical Knowledge: use musical elements, instruments and performance techniques to communicate and present music.
• Music – Developing Ideas: select and combine learned musical ideas to prepare and perform a song.
• Music – Communicating and Interpreting: perform music for an audience and respond to performances using musical language.
• Key competencies: managing self, participating and contributing, relating to others, and thinking.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Welcome and performance focus Seat students in a semicircle with space for performers. Open with the opening performance question and ask: “What makes a group performance successful?” Gather ideas such as steady beat, listening, preparation, confidence and teamwork. Remind students that the goal is to share their learning, not to be perfect.

2. 5–10 minutes – Warm-up and rehearsal check Students quietly tune or check their ukuleles, then practise the song’s chord changes and strumming pattern together. Display the chord and rehearsal reminder. Revisit safe instrument handling, starting and stopping together, and watching the group leader or teacher for cues.

3. 10–17 minutes – Final group rehearsal Place students in five groups of three, balancing confidence and support. Each group chooses or is assigned roles such as chord player, strummer, singer or musical leader; students may share roles. Distribute the performance and reflection sheet and ask each group to record its starting cue, ending cue and one focus for improvement. Circulate, helping groups solve one practical problem at a time.

4. 17–35 minutes – Small-group performances Invite groups to perform one at a time, allowing approximately three minutes per group including movement into position and applause. Use the performance order and audience expectations to remind the audience to watch, listen, encourage and remain quiet while music is being made. After each performance, lead a brief positive response: one musical strength noticed and one example of effective teamwork.

5. 35–40 minutes – Individual reflection Students complete the reflection section of the performance and reflection sheet independently. Prompt them to explain: “One thing I can do now that I could not do at the beginning is…”, “A challenge was…”, and “Our group succeeded because…”. Students who need support may discuss their ideas with a partner before writing.

6. 40–45 minutes – Share and celebrate learning Display the final reflection prompts. Invite several students to share a success, challenge or next step. Finish with a class performance of the chorus, if time allows, then collect instruments carefully and celebrate the class’s persistence, cooperation and musical growth.

Resources

• Ukuleles, one per student or shared within groups
• Tuners or a reference tuning sound
• Song sheets with lyrics and chord diagrams
• the complete lesson slide deck
• the performance and reflection sheet
• Whiteboard and markers
• Chairs arranged for an audience and performance space
• the reflection prompts poster
• Optional phone, tablet or camera for teacher recording, subject to school and whānau permissions

Assessment

• Observe each student during rehearsal and performance: participation, safe instrument use, steady beat, chord or strumming technique, singing and ability to follow group cues.
• Use the group performance to assess whether students can combine learned musical skills and contribute to a shared presentation.
• Review the reflection sheet for a specific success, challenge and explanation of how learning developed. Note students needing further support with technique, confidence or collaboration.

Differentiation

• Provide chord diagrams with colour coding, slow-count rehearsal and a simplified one- or two-chord part for students who need support.
• Allow students to sing, play one repeated chord, strum open strings, keep the beat or lead the group; every role is a valid contribution.
• Pair students strategically and provide sentence starters orally or on the worksheet for EAL learners and students who find writing difficult.
• Extend confident students by asking them to introduce the group, lead the start and finish, maintain an independent strumming pattern, or explain how their group improved during rehearsal.