El Rio

Tuesdays (2:30PM - 4:45PM)

Ukulele Chords

Practice the following songs for our Spring Concert!

Mr. Vince's Classes

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

  • The Chicken Wing Song! (E E E – , A A A – , E E E E , A A A , E E E – , A A A – , D D D D , A A A – )
  • Twinkling Violins
  • Super Mario
  • Latin Lullaby

Ukulele 3:15

  • Three Little Birds
  • Eleanor Rigby  
  • Super Mario
  • Latin Lullaby

Ukulele 3:45

  • Through the Fire and the Flames
  • Super Mario
  • Latin Lullaby

Mrs. Lauren's Classes

Beginning Strings 3:15

  • Karate chop
  • Ants
  • Cuckoo
  • Super Mario
  • Latin Lullaby

Returning Strings 3:45

  • Twinkle twinkle little star
  • London bridge
  • Super Mario
  • Latin Lullaby

Returning Strings 3:45

  • Spring theme
  • Super Mario
  • Latin Lullaby

Dragonforce- Through the Fire and the Flames!

All Parts Together
Part 1a
Part 1b
Part 1c

Helpful Videos:

Previous Weeks:

What we practiced this week- January 10th

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

– A string is next to smallest string (E string), D string is next to biggest string (G string)
– keep practicing how to hold the bow the right way
– violin goes on your left side, not the right side, and we pluck or bow the strings with our right hand 
 
Practice:
– Play only on the D string, count “1, 2,” and change the bow on “1.”
 

Ukulele 3:15

– added A minor to practice routine
– C 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, Amin 2 3 4, F 2 3 4, C 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, F 2 3 4, C 2 3 4
 
– practice Three Little Birds from the book/manual
– practice Eleanor Rigby from the book/manual
 
– remember how to count the frets on the ukulele
 
We need to start practicing properly and changing the chords on your own without Mr. Vince having to tell you in order to be successful in performing! Find your book/manual, and make sure to bring it to class every week so we’re not all crowding around one book and not being able to see the instructions! We’ll probably choose one of these songs to perform.
 

Ukulele 3:45

Through The Fire & Flames – Dragonforce (performance song)
 
Josh & Roshni: 
– Focus on practicing the chords, we’re going to have you both be in charge of that part. 
– Memorise the chord names (C minor, Bb, Ab, and G)
 
Ezra, Baylor, Elsa, Emmett: 
– Focus on memorizing the melody. Keep referring to the tabs until you are 110% sure you’re not skipping any notes.
– Your group is going to play the main melody, so make sure you can play it many times over and over without stopping or mistakes!
– Practice is slowly and don’t rush your classmates if you can play it super fast but they’re still finding their footing – it’s important that we all help each other out for the concert to be a success!
 
Teo:
– Try your best to remember the two two-string simple chords that I showed you
– Practice changing between them over and over so that it becomes smooth
 
– see the other parts and example videos in this Google Drive folder
– if you need to refer to the instructions and have lost the papers Mr. Vince gave you, print the pages that you need for yourselves and bring them to class!
– we will start practicing together as an ensemble starting next week with a METRONOME

Beginning Strings 3:15

Summary-
– cuckoo song
– French Folk Song
 

Returning Strings 3:45

Summary – 
– Cuckoo song
– Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (D major)
 

Returning Strings 3:45

-Work on the Star Wars theme I handed out in class!

What we practiced this week- December 6th

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

– A string is next to smallest string (E string), D string is next to biggest string (G string)
– remember to pluck over the black part (fingerboard) of the violin
– keep practicing how to hold the bow the right way
– violin goes on your left side, not the right side, and we pluck or bow the strings with our right hand 
 
Start practicing: 
– G 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, A 2 3 4, E 2 3 4
– E 2 3 4, A 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, G 2 3 4
 
+ D 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, D 2 3 4
+ G 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, D 2 3 4
 

Ukulele 3:15

– added A minor to practice routine
– C 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, Amin 2 3 4, F 2 3 4, C 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, F 2 3 4, C 2 3 4
 
– practice Three Little Birds from the book/manual
– practice the notes from Seven Nation Army (as much as we have learnt/you can remember so far)
 
– remember how to count the frets on the ukulele
 

Ukulele 3:45

Through The Fire & Flames – Dragonforce (performance song)
– on the C string: 0 2 3 0 | 2 3 5 3 | 7 3 5 2 | 3 0 2 ↓3
– keep practicing this melody, and make sure to memorize it (we’re not going to be looking at the music when we perform)
– practice this melody really slowly so you don’t stop in the middle, and repeat it over and over again many many times to build consistency
– once you can do it 5 times perfectly in a row, then try it faster and faster
 
– for those who have the new sheets for chords:
– practice the first chord that we learnt together
– try and figure out the other chords on your own, but if you can’t, don’t worry about it and practice what you already know first! – we will learn the rest together in class 🙂
 
– Baylor: prioritize the 2nd half so you can take it up to speed
– Elsa: prioritize the 1st half so you don’t get lost
– Josh: practice with the pick now
– All: practice with metronome (search on Google) at 50BPM, 2 notes for each click

Beginning Strings 3:15

Rainbow Road Review
– Fabulous Mr Ed
– Ants song: video
– two fingers down
– two or nothing
 

Returning Strings 3:45

– ants song
– Mary had a little lamb: video
– hot cross buns
– karate chop
– French fries
 

Returning Strings 3:45

We worked on our Little Suite in D – fabulous work! Practice at home please!

What we practiced this week- November 29th

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

– A string is next to smallest string (E string), D string is next to biggest string (G string)
– remember to pluck over the black part (fingerboard) of the violin
– keep practicing how to hold the bow the right way
– violin goes on your left side, not the right side, and we pluck or bow the strings with our right hand 
 
Start practicing: 
– G 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, A 2 3 4, E 2 3 4
– E 2 3 4, A 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, G 2 3 4
 
+ D 2, D 2, G 2, D 2 in preparation for playing a song! 🙂
 

Ukulele 3:15

– added A minor to practice routine
– C 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, Amin 2 3 4, F 2 3 4, C 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, F 2 3 4, C 2 3 4
– practice Three Little Birds from the book/manual
 
– remember how to count the frets on the ukulele
 

Ukulele 3:45

Through The Fire & Flames – Dragonforce (performance song)
– on the C string: 0 2 3 0 | 2 3 5 3 | 7 3 5 2 | 3 0 2 ↓3
– keep practicing this melody, and make sure to memorize it (we’re not going to be looking at the music when we perform)
– practice this melody really slowly so you don’t stop in the middle, and repeat it over and over again many many times to build consistency
– once you can do it 5 times perfectly in a row, then try it faster and faster
 
– for those who have the new sheets for chords:
– practice the first chord that we learnt together
– try and figure out the other chords on your own, but if you can’t, don’t worry about it and practice what you already know first! – we will learn the rest together in class 🙂
 

Beginning Strings 3:15

– pillow bow holds: make sure you have soft hands with space between your fingers
– v for violin and c for cello
– 1st finger in D string songs! Play the other songs I gave you!
– songs: Two fingers down, Two or nothing
 

Returning Strings 3:45

– French Fries
Played “who played it” with this song
 

Returning Strings 3:45

– started Suite in D. They did a great job!! 

What we practiced this week- November 15th

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

– A string is next to smallest string (E string), D string is next to biggest string (G string)
– remember to pluck over the black part (fingerboard) of the violin
– keep practicing how to hold the bow the right way
– violin goes on your left side, not the right side, and we pluck or bow the strings with our right hand 
 
Start practicing: 
– G 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, A 2 3 4, E 2 3 4
– E 2 3 4, A 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, G 2 3 4
 

Ukulele 3:15

– added A minor to practice routine
– C 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, Amin 2 3 4, F 2 3 4, C 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, F 2 3 4, C 2 3 4
– if we can play this in class after Thanksgiving, we can learn chords for Super Mario
 

Ukulele 3:45

Through The Fire & Flames – Dragonforce (performance song)
Through The Fire & Flames – Dragonforce (performance song)
– on the C string: 0 2 3 0 | 2 3 5 3 | 7 3 5 2 | 3 0 2 3
– keep practicing this melody, and make sure to memorize it (we’re not going to be looking at the music when we perform)
– practice this melody really slowly so you don’t stop in the middle, and repeat it over and over again many many times to build consistency
– once you can do it 5 times perfectly in a row, then try it faster and faster
– see the other parts and example videos below

Beginning Strings 3:15

– pillow bow holds: make sure you have soft hands with space between your fingers
– v for violin and c for cello
– 1st finger in D string songs! Play the other songs I gave you!
 

Returning Strings 3:45

– pillow bow holds: make sure you have soft hands with space between your fingers
– Mary Had a Little Lamb practice!
– new song: French Fries
 

Returning Strings 3:45

– learned more of Beethoven’s 5th symphony!
-Way to go!

What we practiced this week- November 8th

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

– A string is next to smallest string (E string), D string is next to biggest string (G string)
– remember to pluck over the black part (fingerboard) of the violin
– keep practicing how to hold the bow the right way
– violin goes on your left side, not the right side, and we pluck or bow the strings with our right hand 
 
– bow the G string
– Down 2 3 4, Up 2 3 4, Down 2 3 4, Up 2 3 4
– try out on all other strings
 
– G 2 3 4, G 2 3 4, D 2 3 4, D 2 3 4 if you have time
 

Ukulele 3:15

– review the C, F, and G chords by themselves
– refer to the books for the shapes if you forget them
– need to remember how to play these chords before we learn more chords
 
– think about what you want to be when you grow up/hobbies or things you enjoy doing. Ask yourself how the things we use and learn in ukulele class can help us there?
– eg. coordination is both important in ukulele class and being a professional MLB player; attention to detail is important in ukulele class and being a baker
 

Ukulele 3:45

Through The Fire & Flames – Dragonforce (performance song)
– on the C string: 0 2 3 0 | 2 3 5 3 | 7 3 5 2 | 3 0 2 ↓3
– keep practicing this melody
– see the other parts and example videos below
– try learning the chords on your own if you get the melody down with no mistakes!

Beginning Strings 3:15

SUMMARY:
Reviewed Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Learned a little of Lightly Row by ear
HOMEWORK: Practice Twinkle and the beginning of Lightly Row
 

Returning Strings 3:45

SUMMARY: Reviewed Mary Had a Little Lamb together and practiced each part. 
HOMEWORK: Mary Had a Little Lamb
 

Returning Strings 3:45

SUMMARY: Started Beethoven’s 5th Symphony! Learned some new notes as well like C# (high 3 on the G string for violin, High 4 on G string for cello)
HOMEWORK: practice the first 4 measures of Beethoven’s 5th symphony

What we practiced this week- November 1st

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

– A string is next to smallest string (E string), D string is next to biggest string (G string)
– remember to pluck over the black part (fingerboard) of the violin
– keep practicing how to hold the bow the right way
– violin goes on your left side, not the right side, and we pluck or bow the strings with our right hand 
 
– bow the G string
– Down 2 3 4, Up 2 3 4, Down 2 3 4, Up 2 3 4
 

Ukulele 3:15

– review the C, F, and G chords by themselves
– refer to the books for the shapes if you forget them
– need to remember how to play these chords before we learn more chords
 – think about what you want to be when you grow up/hobbies or things you enjoy doing. Ask yourself how the things we use and learn in ukulele class can help us there?
– eg. coordination is both important in ukulele class and being a professional MLB player; attention to detail is important in ukulele class and being a baker
 

Ukulele 3:45

Through The Fire & Flames – Dragonforce (performance song)
– on the C string: 0 2 3 0 | 2 3 5 3 | 7 3 5 2 | 3 0 2 ↓3
– get the notes down, next week learn chords (and maybe harmony if we have time)

Beginning Strings 3:15

-the Ants song, DAD song, and beginning of Twinkle. 
– played with the fortune teller to tell us what to play next
– stand/ sit game
Homework: beginning of twinkle
 

Returning Strings 3:45

Mary had a little lamb with fortune teller
– “who played it” game
– “stand sit” game
Homework: Mary Had a Little Lamb
 

Returning Strings 3:45

Summary:
Keep working on Ghost of Tom.  It is sounding so great already!
-we will start a new piece next week!

What we practiced this week- October 25th

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

– A string is next to smallest string (E string), D string is next to biggest string (G string)
– remember to pluck over the black part (fingerboard) of the violin
– keep practicing how to hold the bow the right way
– violin goes on your left side, not the right side, and we pluck or bow the strings with our right hand 
 
– pluck E 4 times, A 4 times, D 4 times, then G 4 times
 

Ukulele 3:15

– practice the C, F, and G chords by themselves
– refer to the books for the shapes if you forget them
– practice C (x4), F (x4), C (x4), G (x4) going as slow as you need to in order to catch all the changes
– practice C (x4), F (x4), G (x4), C (x4) going as slow as you need to in order to catch all the changes
– need to remember how to play these chords before we learn more chords
 

Ukulele 3:45

As It Was – Harry Styles
– keep practicing the chords
– practice the new rhythm that I introduced with those chords (long long, short short short short)
– use the right strumming direction (down down, down up down up)
– remember each chord gets this rhythm played twice
– use metronome at 80BPM to practice
 
Through The Fire & Flames – Dragonforce
– on the C string: 0 2 3 0 | 2 3 5 3 | 7 3 5 2 | 3 0 2 3

Beginning Strings 3:15

Halloween rhythms- we made up rhythms to go with each Halloween toy and played the “who played it” game.
– after this, I found out lots of the kids don’t know their string names so we will be working on that next time. 
Homework: play your instrument!
 

Returning Strings 3:45

Summary:
worked on Mary Had a Little Lamb
– played the game “who played it?”
Then did Halloween rhythms working on playing together
Homework: play Mary Had a Little Lamb
 

Returning Strings 3:45

Summary:
Keep working on Ghost of Tom.  It is sounding so great already!

What we practiced this week- October 18th

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

Today we:

– pluck A string 8 times, then D string 8 times
– A string is next to smallest string, D string is next to biggest string
– remember to pluck over the black part (fingerboard) of the violin
– keep practicing how to hold the bow the right way
– violin goes on your left side, not the right side, and we pluck or bow the strings with our right hand
 

Ukulele 3:15

Today we:

– practice the C, F, and G chords by themselves
– refer to the books for the shapes if you forget them
– practice G (x4), C (x4), G (x4), C (x4) going as slow as you need to in order to catch all the changes
 

Ukulele 3:45

Today we:

– keep practicing the chords

– practice the new rhythm that I introduced with those chords (long long, short short short short)
– use the right strumming direction (down down, down up down up)
– remember each chord gets this rhythm played twice

Beginning Strings 3:15

SUMMARY:
Tried the Bow hold fishing game. We attempted to play 7 D’s, D and E song, and reviewed the bow hold lots of times.
HOMEWORK:
Practice the songs we worked on in class
 

Returning Strings 3:45

SUMMARY: Bow hold fishing!
– we started Mary Had a Little Lamb and got through the first four measures as a class.
Homework:
Practice Mary Had a Little Lamb on D string!
 

Returning Strings 3:45

Summary:
We started learning a brand new piece: Ghost of Tom.  
HOMEWORK:
Practice your part up to the A with a square around it – that’s called rehearsal A. Make sure you do the rhythm on the page!

What we practiced this week- October 11th

Kindergarten Violins 2:30

Today we:

– Reviewed taking out the instrument in a safe manner
– Focused on how to hold the violin & bow
– Reviewed the A string and pizzicato (plucking the string)
– Learnt about the Rosin, and how to apply it
 

Ukulele 3:15

Today we:

– Reviewed C and F chords
– Practiced shifting from C to F, and F to C
– Learned a new chord: G
– Tried going from C to G, and G to C
 
Students, we need to be more respectful during class. Ukulele class is not the time for running and jumping around, or mistreating classroom objects.
 

Ukulele 3:45

Today we:

– Allowed time for students absent last week to catch up
– Thank you to students who helped their classmates catch up!
– Finished learning all 4 accompaniment chord for As It Was – Harry Styles
 

Beginning Strings 3:15

Summary:

– put your violins up please song
– rhythms with bow – Mississippi hot dog, Pokémon is fun fun, down pony up pony
– A E F# E (F# is 1 finger on E string)
Homework: practice rhythms with the notes we learned. Try the rest of twinkle twinkle little star. 

Please remember *Rest Position* and listening for the instructor to tell you what is next.
 

Returning Strings 3:45

  • Summary: 
    – hand rhythms (Mississippi hot dog, down pony up pony, strawberry blueberry)
    – bow holds with little buddies
    – finger numbers 
  • We also learned D-E-F# on our violins! Do you remember the two melodies we learned?
  •  
    Homework:
    – practice bow holds on pencils or your bow!
    – practice labeling your finger numbers
 

Returning Strings 3:45

  • Summary:
    – twinkle twinkle little star starting on D
    – rhythms with twinkle twinkle little star
    -Melody vs Harmony. Violins learned how to make a harmony by playing two notes higher. We also discovered that we can embellish the notes to create more textures in music.
    Homework:
    – play twinkle twinkle little star, come up with your own rhythm to share next week

What we practiced this week- October 4th

Ukulele 3:15

Today we became familiar with our instrument, how to care for it and: 
 
  • The names of the open strings
  • The Caterpillar Crawl-0,1,2,3,4 on each string
  • The C Chord!
 
Practice your chords and remember to bring your instruments for every Tuesday! 
 

Ukulele 3:45

  • Reviewed all chords
  • Learned a familiar melody by ear (As it Was) 
 

Beginning Strings 3:15

Summary:

– put your violins up please song
– rhythms with bow – Mississippi hot dog, Pokémon is fun fun, down pony up pony
– A E F# E (F# is 1 finger on E string)
Homework: practice rhythms with the notes we learned. Try the rest of twinkle twinkle little star
 

Returning Strings 3:45

  • Summary: 
    – hand rhythms (Mississippi hot dog, down pony up pony, strawberry blueberry)
    – bow holds with little buddies
    – finger numbers 
    Homework:
    – practice bow holds on pencils or your bow!
    – practice labeling your finger numbers
 

Returning Strings 3:45

  • Summary:
    – twinkle twinkle little star starting on D
    – rhythms with twinkle twinkle little star
    Homework:
    – play twinkle twinkle little star, come up with your own rhythm to share next week