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I'm trying to find a way to not laugh at my daughter's final report card from a charter school her mother sends her to in New Hampshire.
We're constantly reminded that STEM jobs are the most desired and required here in the US but my daughter's music instructor had this to say:
"Jane doesn't bring her ukulele to class and has told me that the ukulele is a waste of time. She does have the opportunity to use a loaner in class on several occasions but makes minimal effort to participate. I was disappointed she was not able to be at the End of the Year Concert."
Yes I understand Mozart, Beethoven, and the masters, but ukulele? All I can think of is Tiny Tim and Don Ho!
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)(they should have some standards for the arts, but they don't)
They concentrate fully on English and Math
http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/
Among other places.
abelenkpe
(9,933 posts)Ukulele's are cool. Who wouldn't want to learn that?
frazzled
(18,402 posts)1. Ukulele is not part of common core, so let's not get that mixed up. (We had to play "tonettes" when I was back in school; I would have loved a ukulele instead).
2. Ukuleles are great.
femmocrat
(28,394 posts)Not everyone is going to excel or even find careers in math and science. There are plenty of jobs in the arts, too!
Maybe your daughter would benefit from a different instrument if she doesn't like the ukelele?
dilby
(2,273 posts)laundry_queen
(8,646 posts)I had to do neither, thankfully. The other 4th grade classes had to, but not us (we were French immersion so had less time for 'options' like music).
I do wish they would try more relevant instruments, but I think they stick to recorder and ukulele because they are cheap. Reminds me of the time they made us do a cross stitch pin cushion in sewing in Home ec (a requirement at the time). No one even uses pin cushions anymore (magnetic ones are where it's at now), why are they making us sew something totally useless? I think sometimes curriculums have to keep up with the times to be interesting and relevant for the students.
DemocraticWing
(1,290 posts)It's a fairly interesting instrument that a lot of people, especially small children, can leran to play quite easily. I have to think that teaching every child to play at least one instrument (even something basic) will help stimulate an interest in the arts and perhaps allow them to move on to the more advanced music like Mozart and Beethoven. After I learned the ukulele I learned how to play three more instruments, although perhaps my family background was more influential on my love for music than my education, I think what I learned in school did play a role.