Mini-Stipendium: Julianna Gylseth, Ukulelen und die universelle Sprache der Musik

25. April 2024 /
Spencer Tuinei /
Stiftung, Nachrichten, Spring Creek, Lehren und Lernen

Die Lehrer und Fachkräfte im Provo City School District sind unsere Innovatoren. Sie sind Innovatoren, Wegbegleiter und Betreuer. Die Provo City School District Foundation möchte ihre Bemühungen anerkennen und unterstützen, unsere Schulen zu einem besseren Ort zu machen.

In diesem Jahr sprechen wir mit einigen Mini-Zuschussempfängern aus dem Distrikt, um sie nach ihrem wahrgenommenen Bedarf, ihrem Mini-Zuschussprodukt, den Auswirkungen ihres Mini-Zuschusses und schließlich nach Ratschlägen für neue und angeschlagene Fachkräfte zu fragen, wie sie das Lernen in unseren Schulen differenzieren und erweitern können.

We spoke with Spring Creek Music Teacher Julianna Gylseth about her mini-grant for new ukuleles, shared how the ukuleles are effective inroads for SpEd and multilingual students who have experience with stringed instruments, and how families can develop music literacy in their home, no matter the music level. Read our conversation below to learn more!

F: Was war das Thema der Klasse, oder wo sahen Sie einen Bedarf?

For my sixth graders, we have a “Sound Factory ” class for the kids that aren’t in Band or Orchestra. Ukuleles are part of this class, and the ukuleles give them a great chance to teach basic music literacy—they can read notes on the music staff and learn chords. We’re working on many two-part pieces this year: half of the students are learning chords, and the other half will play melodies.

Our old ukuleles are well-used. We must replace several of them and provide better instruments for these kids.

Interestingly, I have many students who’ve recently moved into the country, and many of them know how to play string instruments. Many of the students from South America have experience playing a string instrument, or even ukuleles, in many cases. The ukuleles have become a way for these students to slide in, find their space, and see success quickly.

Q: How can new music teachers try to extend learning or differentiate in their classrooms?

I have several kids who are special education students and many multilingual learners. The nice thing about music is that it is a universal language. They can all tap into it at some level.

For our special education students, I use stickers to help them find locations on the ukulele, and I create modified parts for students who need to catch up.

But there are a lot of access points in music. If you can’t play chords, we have melodies they can read from the note staff.

Q: How can families experience or incorporate music in their house and family?

Music is in our community. Whether it’s a concert at the park or a local university, it’s all over, and you can and should take advantage of these free activities.

But I believe most families have a music culture their parents or grandparents passed down. For parents, just sharing that with their kids allows them to grow and continue extending those family traditions.

And we encourage you to sign up your child to join the school choir. We have bands, choirs, orchestras, and more. Encourage your kids to take advantage of these opportunities.

Sometimes, we think that music needs to be expensive, with costly instruments and fancy lessons, but our voices are at the heart of music. I encourage families to sing together and share their families’ songs. Everything else flows from there.