Santa brought me a very special gift last year - a ukulele. I've always envied those talented librarians that could "wow" a storytime crowd by casually strumming along during storytime. After hours of sore fingers and mounting frustration I realized that the guitar and I were not meant to be, but then I discovered the ukulele.
The ukulele is the perfect storytime instrument because it's small, portable, and easy to learn. And thanks to Eddie Vedder, ukulele phenom Jake Shimbakuro, even doe-eyed Zoey Deschanel, the ukulele is growing in popularity. Why play the ukulele in storytime? We know how important music is to a child's development. Singing familiar songs and rhymes reinforces emergent literacy skills, develops rhythym, and music can be both energizing and soothing. In my experience I've found that many young children have not been exposed to instruments, especially up close, and are fascinated by them.
Tips to getting started on the ukulele:
1. Learn your basic chords first. Many popular songs contain only a few chords. Here's a basic chord chart to get started.
2. Start with 1 or 2 songs. Expand your repertoire as you become more comfortable.
3. When you make a mistake, simply smile and keep going.
4. Have fun!
