I did it! I was able to successfully record both “This Old Man”, and “Bruises”! It did take a few tries, but not much longer than an hour like it did in my last video.
I was able to follow the YouTube video for “This Old Man”, and it was very helpful. I also decided last minute to sing along to it, because I felt that it just needed to be sung along to. Even though my musical growth plan did not indicate I’d be singing it, I think it was a nice touch. I actually felt like I was an elementary school teacher, singing a little nursery rhyme to my students. Cool!
“Bruises” was a bit harder to film because I was nervous about singing the lyrics just right, and making sure I had good pitch. I finally had to tell myself that Anita is not looking for how well you can sing, simply if you have demonstrated growth in your ukulele playing. Which, I think I have! At the beginning of the semester, I didn’t even know how to play a chord, what the notes meant on a music sheet, how to strum, and I definitely couldn’t sing along while playing. It felt like patting my head and rubbing my stomach, I couldn’t focus on playing the chords while singing. But now that I have successfully done all these things (learning chords, reading music, strumming, and singing while playing), I feel like I really have grown a lot in my ukulele learning.
I didn’t really realize it at first, that I was actually getting better. Sometimes I would get caught up in the fact that I couldn’t perfect something, probably because I am a perfectionist. But looking back over the term now, I can actually see just how much better I’ve gotten. I really am proud of myself. If you asked me 6 months ago “would you be able to learn the ukulele?” I would have thought nope! But look at me now! Look at all of us, we have all done so well, and taken such a leap of courage in doing this musical growth assignment. I’m so happy to be a part of this growth. I’m so excited to take what I have learned, and incorporate it into my future classroom, and maybe even some upcoming practicums!
Thank you Anita, for pushing us to do the best we can, and recognizing that learning is a process that doesn’t happen over night. With a little courage and determination, we can do anything we set out minds to!