Ukulele Licence Groove

Overview

Lesson 1 of 2 in Ukulele Community Groove for 25 Year 7–8 students. Students become “newly licensed groove agents” as they explore ukulele care, basic chords, pulse, call-and-response, collaboration and respectful community music-making.

Learning intentions

• WALT care for and identify the main parts of a ukulele.
• WALT explore C, Am, F and G7 chord shapes and steady strumming.
• WALT respond to musical cues and contribute to a group groove.
• WALT connect music-making with identity, whānau and community.
• WALT show respect when engaging with Hawaiian, Māori, Pacific and other cultural musical contexts.

Success criteria

• I can hold, carry and put away a ukulele safely.
• I can keep a steady pulse and stop and start on cue.
• I can attempt at least two chords.
• I can encourage my crew and make space for others.

Curriculum links

• The Arts: Music – developing practical knowledge, composing and performing, and responding to music.
• Exploring how musical ideas communicate identity, belonging and community.
• Participating in collaborative music-making with care, confidence and responsibility.
• Te Mātaiaho: strengthening relationships, agency, cultural understanding and meaningful participation in learning.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min – Welcome and instrument tikanga Open with the mission and welcome slides. Welcome students as “newly licensed groove agents” and say: “Today your mission is not to play perfectly—it is to discover, listen, support one another and unlock our class groove.” Ask what music-making happens in homes, streets, marae, churches, clubs or community groups. Explain that the ukulele is a Hawaiian instrument shaped by movement and cultural exchange; approach it with respect, not as a costume or prop. Model carrying with two hands, pointing the headstock down, keeping fingers away from strings, never placing it on the floor, and asking before touching another person’s instrument.

2. 5–12 min – Instrument safari In pairs, students use the ukulele parts and learning log to identify the body, neck, headstock, tuning pegs, bridge, strings, sound hole and fretboard. Use the slides for silent “show me” prompts: point to the part that changes pitch and show the safe carrying position. Students gently explore high/low, loud/soft and short/long sounds only when invited. Recognise a “Care Captain” for careful handling rather than speed.

3. 12–20 min – Body-percussion warm-up Establish a four-beat pat–pat–clap–rest pulse. Offer stepping, snaps, chest taps or silent movements as accessible choices. Copy teacher call-and-response patterns, then invite students to invent a safe four-beat pattern. Use neutral spoken rhythmic words, such as “Aotearoa groove”, or student-created words. Do not imitate Māori or Pacific chants, actions or gestures without appropriate guidance and permission.

4. 20–33 min – Playful chord challenge Display the chord demonstration and practice slides. Demonstrate thumb behind the neck, relaxed curved fingers and a gentle wrist strum. Students make air chords, then silent shapes, followed by one quiet down-strum. Use the school’s string-numbering convention; if needed, explain that string 1 is closest to the floor and string 4 closest to the player’s face.

• C: third finger on string 1, fret 3
• Am: second finger on string 4, fret 2
• F: first finger on string 2, fret 1, and second finger on string 4, fret 2
• G7: first finger on string 2, fret 1; second on string 3, fret 2; third on string 1, fret 2 Play one down-strum on each count of four through C–Am–F–G7. Students may hum, speak the beat, tap or play open strings while waiting. Prompt: “Build the shape one finger at a time”; “Freeze, release, breathe.”

5. 33–45 min – Rhythm games and team roles Form five teams of five. Assign rotating roles: player, pulse leader, chord caller, encourager and equipment checker. Use the Traffic Lights and Echo Agent instruction slides. Green means four steady down-strums, amber means mute the strings and red means freeze silently. For Echo Agent, the teacher or a student performs a two-beat rhythm for the group to copy. Award team points for pulse, safe handling, listening, inclusive encouragement and problem-solving—not accuracy alone.

6. 45–54 min – Repertoire bridge and response Use the repertoire choice and cultural care slides. Offer a short, school-approved beginner song that fits C–Am–F–G7, or a copyright-cleared classroom song. Before teaching waiata or other cultural material, consult appropriate school, whānau, iwi, hapū, cultural or repertoire advisers. Do not teach pronunciation, actions, karakia or cultural material without guidance. Students may hum, speak the beat, play one chord or use body percussion. Ask: “How can we show care, accuracy and permission when we are guests in cultural repertoire?”

7. 54–60 min – Class groove and exit reflection Each team contributes four beats while the class layers body percussion, one-chord strums or the chord loop. Celebrate “Pulse Pilot”, “Kind Coach”, “Care Captain” and “Brave Beginner”. Finish with the reflection and next-step section: students name a chord or rhythm to practise and explain how their team made space for others. Preview the next lesson: crews become a community gig team and connect music with a valued place or group in Aotearoa.

Resources

• 25 ukuleles, with left-handed options where possible.
• Tuner or tuning app used by the teacher before class.
• Projector and the Ukulele Licence to Groove slide deck.
• Printed the ukulele parts and learning log.
• Chord diagrams and large-print visual beat icons.
• Whiteboard and pens.
• Optional picks, adaptive grips, ear defenders and a quiet practice area.
• Approved, culturally appropriate or copyright-cleared song.
• Space for a circle and five small teams.

Assessment

• Observe safe instrument care, chord attempts, steady pulse, responses to cues and willingness to adapt.
• Note inclusive collaboration: encouragement, turn-taking, listening and making space for others.
• Use the worksheet reflection and a confidence rating of emerging, developing or confident. Give feedback through “notice, next step, celebrate”.

Differentiation

• Provide colour-coded chord cards, large-print diagrams, slowed demonstrations, air-chord practice and open-string or one-finger alternatives.
• Students without instruments can be pulse leaders, chord callers, singers, spoken-word performers, percussionists or coaches; do not identify equipment access as a deficit.
• Offer reversed diagrams or left-handed instruments, adaptive grips, a single repeated downstroke, tapping or reduced-volume playing for motor needs.
• Provide predictable transitions, a quiet station, ear defenders and a no-play observation role for sensory needs. Peer support is by consent and roles rotate so tuakana-teina remains reciprocal.