L to R: Khloe McClellan (clarinet and percussion), Kathy Smith (ukulele and vocals) Kylie McClellan (ukulele)
Image via AS Phillips
As part of BTW’s Music Therapy series, I’m excited to introduce you to some wonderful folks, participating in their community music program, hosted by Maumee General Baptist Church.
Kathy Smith and Kylie McClellan, are beginner ukulele students. Khloe McClellan is a second-year clarinet student and member of the Owensville Middle School Band. At Maumee she’s a percussionist, playing the box drum and smaller percussion instruments, in the Maumee Generations Jam sessions, an aspect of the community music program.
Kathy is a long-time member of Maumee, and one of the first vocalists (a soprano) to participate in the weekly Generations Jam sessions, which I introduced here on BTW a little while ago.
A few months into the GenJam sessions, we knew we wanted to include free lessons for participants who wanted to learn to play an instrument. Kathy was the first student and continues to in her dedication to both aspects of the GenJam sessions.
The stringers method
Kathy and Kylie are learning to play by ear and memory. The lessons are very short with a larger amount of time spent on rehearsing what they’ve learned in previous lessons. That knowledge is applied by integrating new notes and chords they just learned into the current lesson.
The system keeps things easy and fun for both the students and the teacher(s) and no music sheets are required.
The music students receive a lot of encouragement from the GenerationsJam crew, and making mistakes is never frowned on. It’s all part of the process as they grow in expertise.
Why ukuleles are a frequent fav for beginner musicians
Ukuleles can be an inexpensive investment and they’re easily portable. If a student (or their family) purchases one, and the student decides they don’t want to continue playing it, it can easily be gifted or resold.
Image via AS Phillips
Upgrading an inexpensive uke is also very affordable. High quality strings can be purchased online. My fav uke strings are Aquila’s Lava series. Here’s a little info about them...
Aquila Lava series ukulele strings are inspired by volcanoes, a Hawaiian symbol of new life. They are a grey-black color with a touch of mother-of-pearl. They have the same mechanical and sound properties as Aquila's white-pearl Supernylgut ukulele strings.
I’ve been using them for several years. I love their sound and they’re comfortable on my fingertips even during long play sessions. Also, they last a good long, while. Other accessories, such as guitar straps, strap buttons and gig bags are also available for very reasonable prices
Amazon, eBay and Walmart all offer them online for under $15 USD (as of today’s date). They also offer great prices on quality guitar straps, strap buttons (if the uke didn’t come with them already installed) and gig bags.
What do the music sessions do for them?
Khloe
Image via AS Phillips
Khloe
- Knew early on in school, around fourth grade, that she wanted to play in the school band. Her first instrument was an Orff xylophone. She and Kylie are twins and both girls played the same starter instrument in fourth grade
- She chose to learn the clarinet because it was an instrument presented during the beginner band tryouts and she wanted to explore woodwinds. For now, she’s not considering learning other instruments, other than the percussion instruments she plays during the Generation Jams
- Would like to perform for beginner students, to let them know what an instrument would sound like after a few years of learning to play it. Playing music makes her happy and accomplished
- Enjoys playing percussion during the Generations Jam sessions
- Advice to others who are considering learning an instrument to experiment and pick one they like. If they don’t like it as much later, they can switch to a different instrument.
Below is a vid of other fourth-graders playing similar Orff instruments.
Kylie
- Says the ukulele was interesting and decided she wanted to learn to play it.
- Says it’s an easy instrument to play, and since her second lesson, she’s written a little song to play on it when practicing
- Says she loves all kinds of music except the Gummy Bear song
- Shared same advice as Khloe regarding advice to new musicians
Kathy
- Says she’s learning to play the ukulele because I made her (true ‘nuff). The next instrument she wants to learn is a six-string guitar
- Would enjoy playing at senior centers and while Christmas caroling because it’d provide an opportunity to share some music and joy to folks who would sincerely appreciate it
- Expressed that playing music makes her sometimes happy, sometimes thoughtful and sometimes sad, depending on the song. Says she’s always loved all kinds of music with exception of opera
- Lately, her fav genre is Bluegrass, especially Bluegrass Gospel
- Says she would encourage new musicians to practice a lot to gain confidence and expertise
All three expressed their desire to continue playing and improving their musical abilities.
All agreed that community music programs provide a great opportunity to enjoy fellowship with other music lovers.
The wrap!
My thanks to everyone involved in the interview and especially to Kathy, Khloe and Kylie for participating!
If you love music and your area doesn’t have a community jam, maybe check alternative communities near you, or get with a couple friends and start one of your own. Once done, you’ll continue finding ways it’ll bless your life and the lives of others!
38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you.§ For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 (World Messianic Bible Translation)
Thank you for your visit today, and until next time...
Shalom
