Everyone Can Play Ukulele: teach a room of thirty from scratch
A whole class, on ukulele, from no experience at all
Everyone Can Play – Ukulele is a whole-class instrumental resource built to support large-group performing, composing and improvising through practical music-making. Ukulele was chosen as the starting instrument for a reason: it is physically accessible, and it suits a room of thirty playing at once.
Students learn through playing first, supported by play-along videos, backing tracks, visual cues, graphic scores, tablature and carefully scaffolded material. Skills are reinforced through regular opportunities to recap, practise, improvise and reflect, rather than taught as isolated exercises.
It is used successfully with students from Year 2 upwards, and adapts across a wide range of ages, contexts and curriculum frameworks in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore and beyond.
Three strands, not three terms
The resource is organised into three strands that feed each other: technique, ensemble playing and the musical understanding that comes from both. They are not a sequence. Most teachers dip between all three in the same lesson.
Chords & strumming
Scaffolded chord and strumming content that prioritises sound, feel and ensemble playing over technical perfection. Am, F, C, Em, G, D, E and A first, then F#m, Dm, Bm and Bb, then combinations and progressions. Tablature runs throughout.
Songs & playalongs
Original classroom pieces and popular songs where students apply their chord and strumming skills in a real musical context. The Bullfrog Blues and The Funky Fish, Riptide, Little Talks, Playalong Medleys 1 and 2, plus extended playalongs including Golden and Birds of a Feather.
Playing riffs
Extends students into melodic playing, which is what opens the door to improvisation and composition. Happier, Sunflower, Old Town Road and Girls Like You.
How fast you move is set by what the class can already do, not by what year they are in. A Year 6 group with no instrumental experience and a Year 3 group who have been playing since Term 1 need the same material at different speeds.
What students learn
On the instrument
Make musical and meaningful sounds on the ukulele, play rhythmic patterns from graphic scores, use a range of chords from tablature, and apply strumming patterns and chord changes.
As part of a large ensemble
Play in time with everyone else, copy rhythms by ear, play along with backing tracks, and create, practise and rehearse musical ideas together.
Groove and control
Hear and play the groove at the right time, stay silent when required, recognise and shape accents, and hold the feel while thirty other people are playing.
Musical independence
Arrange music in different styles using voice and instruments, and think and work like musicians rather than following instructions.
What you need to run it
- A class set of ukuleles, one per student
- Guitar picks
- Internet access
- An AV system loud enough to be heard above the ensemble
- One or two ukuleles with pickups plugged into the AV system
- A small number of tenor ukuleles
What's inside
Every activity in the ukulele unit, straight from the course, so it stays current as resources are added. Access is via subscription.
1Chords & Strumming21 chapters · 31 lessons
2Ukulele Songs & Playalongs16 lessons
3Playing Riffs5 lessons
Everyone Can Play Ukulele Teacher Guide. Your role in the room, the key teaching principles, planning a typical lesson, differentiation, and curriculum considerations. Free to read, and downloadable as a PDF.
Where a class goes next
Once a class can hold chords, changes and a groove together, the obvious next step is Playalongs: the same whole-class band idea with 90+ songs and on-screen chords. From there, Just Play widens the room out to keyboard, bass, guitar, drums and vocals, and students stop being a ukulele class and start being a band.
None of that depends on the class producing a polished performance. What it depends on is thirty people playing at the same time, often enough that they stop thinking of themselves as beginners.
Common questions
Can I teach this if I do not play the ukulele?
Yes. Students learn through playing first, supported by play-along videos, backing tracks, visual cues, graphic scores and tablature. Your job is to lead and model rather than to demonstrate expertly, and the resource carries the technical load. The teacher guide covers the "I play, you play" approach in detail.
How many ukuleles do I need?
A class set, one per student, plus guitar picks, internet access and an AV system loud enough to be heard over the ensemble. Two things help a lot without being essential: one or two ukuleles with pickups plugged into the AV system, and a small number of tenor ukuleles.
What age is it for?
It is used successfully from Year 2 upwards, and adapts across a wide range of ages and contexts, in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore and beyond. Progression is guided by musical experience rather than age, so the same material works with older beginners.
Do I have to work through the strands in order?
No. Chords and strumming, songs and playalongs, and riffs are interconnected rather than sequential. Revisit and combine them, and adapt the pacing to your students rather than to a schedule.
Where does a class go after this?
Playalongs is the natural next step: the same whole-class band idea, with 90+ songs and on-screen chords. From there, Just Play widens the instrumentation to keyboard, bass, guitar, drums and vocals.
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Ready to run Everyone Can Play: Ukulele with your classes?
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Everyone Can Play: Ukulele is included in Starter · Band Skills & Full Access.