Teaching Ukulele After COVID! The International Ukulele Teaching Symposium

Over the past 10 months of COVID teaching has looked very different. Teachers, students, and employers, employees around the world have had to work/learn from home. At the same time, ukulele sales have increased significantly and many have found satisfaction in learning to play a musical instrument while being secluded at home. As educators, what benefits have we seen from the online experience? How will our approach to teaching change as we return to the possibility of in-person meetings? What will ukulele instruction look like in the future as we reflect on the attributes of the virtual and in-person teaching formats? Presented by The NAMM Foundation in collaboration with, Kala Brand Music Co., Aquila USA, Inc, and Kamaka Hawaii, Inc. The Ukulele Symposium brought together individuals who are renowned for their practical, theoretical, and pedagogical ukulele teaching backgrounds, hosting discussions for ukulele teachers and students alike. The three-part symposium examined best practices in ukulele teaching, the move to online learning, and a look at learning in a post-COVID world. Symposium panel members included practicing educators whose collective expertise and experience extend to teaching all age groups in the context of elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educational schools, as well as community groups, clubs, and recreational learners. The discussion included the historical perspective of teaching the ukulele in the Hawaiian culture and examine teaching and learning as is offered at festivals throughout the world. Presented by The NAMM Foundation in collaboration with, Kala Brand Music Co., Aquila USA, Inc, and Kamaka Hawaii, Inc.