Orff Arranging With An App

I love to use the Acapella app to help create Orff arrangements. You can record videos and hear multiple parts simultaneously. There is a free version and paid version available in the Apple Store and Google Play.

With the free version of the app, you can record up to one minute in length.  Since most of the Orff arrangements use repeated ostinatos, I have never needed a video longer than one minute. The paid upgrade offers longer videos and more options for formatting the video windows. 

I have used the Acapella app to create videos to share Orff arrangements with other teachers. I have also posted videos on my classroom webpage for students to watch and practice at home. A few examples can be found below. 

I have recently explored the social features of the app and would love to collaborate with other music teachers. If you download the app, you can click the “Discover” tab at the bottom of the screen and search for song titles, artists, tags, or people. I have added the tag #orff or #recorder to my videos.. If you would like to follow me, search for “mrsdennis” under people. If you follow me, I will follow you back. I look forward to building a community of music educators sharing Orff arrangements with each other!

Friday Reflection: Never Stop Learning

Three years ago, my student teacher sparked my interest in the ukulele and I began teaching myself how to play. During these years, I have fallen in love with this tiny instrument. Since then, I acquired a class set of ukuleles and began adjusting my curriculum. I even began teaching private lessons on the ukulele and now have a private studio which is growing steadily. Not only has the ukulele changed my teaching, it has also changed my life as a musician.



I have never been a confident singer, but last month I attended my first ukulele open mic night at a coffee shop. I've played for my students countless times with no problems, but I definitely felt nervous as I stepped on stage for an audience of strangers. It had been years since I had felt those performance jitters. It was a great experience to remind me of how my students may feel when I ask them to sing solo in class.

Last Friday, I went to the ukulele open mic for a second time. I felt more confident and my daughter even joined me on stage for one song. She was a little nervous but she is excited to go back next month and try a new song.

Three years ago, I would have never imagined that I would perform at an open mic. I am so grateful for this tiny instrument which has completely changed my life. The ukulele has reminded me of why I fell in love with music. It made me go through the process of learning again which has also made me a better teacher. Great teachers never stop learning. So, stretch beyond your comfort zone and become a beginner again. You're never too old to try something new.

Coda:
I hope to post more tips on teaching ukulele in the classroom and learning ukulele as an adult.
Click this link to see more  Ukulele Posts.

Click this link if you would like to see videos of me performing on ukulele.

Rebecca Dennis-Ukulele

Ukulele Cabinet Update

I have 40 Kala Waterman Ukuleles which I store in a plastic double-door cabinet. If you would like to learn more about how I created this custom storage, click on this link to a previous blog post.

All last year, I stared at this circular handle on my ukulele cabinet and I imagined a sound hole. I just KNEW this bland cabinet NEEDED a ukulele on the front doors. But, there is never enough time during the school year to tackle a project like this. This summer, I finally made my vision a reality.

I have several teacher friends with Cricut cutting machines who would have graciously helped me create my design with vinyl. But, the front of the cabinet is textured and also slightly bowed, so I knew the vinyl would not stick. I was going to have to paint it. 

I first sketched the ukulele with a crayon and used a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser when I had to adjust my lines and make it symmetrical. I used Painters brand opaque paint pens to paint inside the design. The most pain-staking part was shading the teal body. 

The music notes surrounding the ukulele were inspired by my classroom door. These were re-positional wall stickers and they have lasted 4 years now. They are not peeling or scratched at all. My door is on a corner and gets high traffic through that hallway. I'm very pleased with how long they have lasted. I love the whimsical combination of the music notes and swirls, so I used this design to inspire my ukulele mural.

I didn't update much in my music room this summer, but this cabinet is definitely eye-catching. All the students this week have been ooh-ing and aah-ing over the cabinet. It took about 3-4 hours to complete this project, but it was well-worth it to see all their smiling faces!

40 New Ukuleles!!!

Thank you, Kala Brand Music!!

In December, we were very fortunate to be selected to receive 40 new Waterman ukuleles from Kala Music! The giveaway was announced on Kala's Facebook page. We were one of 125 schools across the country to receive this generous donation.

The shipment arrived just in time to surprise the students at our Christmas concert. I placed the ukuleles in their boxes on an old TV cart with a few unopened on the top level. I wrapped the cart with bulletin board paper to make it look like a present.

During the concert, the present was revealed and the entire school was screaming with excitement! I began learning ukulele last February after a student teacher introduced it to me. I've fallen in love with the instrument and play it often for the kids. They knew immediately what was in those boxes. On the video, you can hear one student screaming ,"Ukuleles! Ukuleles! Ukuleles!".

Storage

My first task was to find storage so I could access them quickly for distribution and tuning. Keeping them in their cardboard boxes was not going to be convenient. My librarian had an extra cabinet in her closet with a broken door. She offered it to me and, with help of the custodian, we repaired the door.

The ukuleles were too long to lay horizontal in the cabinet, so I experimented with tension rods to support the ukuleles at an angle. Due to the plastic walls of the cabinet, the tension rods would slip and fall from the weight of just a few ukes.

I searched Pinterest and google for ukulele storage ideas but didn't have funds to invest in wood and materials. Instead, I decided to utilize the cardboard boxes the ukuleles were shipped in.

I cut each box in half and then made one side shorter (about 5" tall).

There are 4 shelves in my cabinet so I planned to have 10 ukuleles on each shelf. I measured and divided to determine the spacing needed and cut notches in the back for the neck to rest.

I cut some tabs in the front which fold down and keep the ukuleles from bumping into each other.

Here is a final pic with all the ukuleles nestled into their new home!

Tuning

Now that I can access the ukuleles easily, I have began the long process of tuning. It is taking quite a long time to get the strings stretched to hold their pitch. The students keep begging to play them, but I told them to be patient. If they sound bad, I want it to be the students' fault and not the instruments' fault. 

Since tuning is taking such a long time by myself, I have started a Donors Choose project requesting funding for some clip-on tuners. The project is titled, "Tune Our Ukuleles". Hopefully our project will get funded soon so we can begin making some beautiful music with these new instruments!

Stay tuned!

I'm sure I will post more about the ukuleles in the future!

Click here to view all my posts about ukuleles!

Happy Summer!

Yesterday was our closing day! I enjoyed my first evening practicing my ukulele in the backyard, listening to the birds chirp, and watching my children swing. To all my teacher friends, I hope you have a wonderful summer!!!

Please, no judgement on my uke skills. I just started learning in January and at the end of March I had wrist surgery after falling down the stairs. On a side note, the ukulele seems to be great physical therapy to improve my wrist flexibility!