General Music Teachers’ Perceptions and Use of Ukulele in North Carolina and Virginia

The purpose of this study was to explore perceived benefits and challenges of implementing ukulele in elementary general music and to identify curricular resources teachers employ in ukulele instruction in North Carolina and Virginia. We utilized an explanatory sequential design in two phases. All participants ( N = 69) completed a 20-item researcher-created survey, and a nested sample ( n = 4) participated in individual follow-up interviews. Benefits of ukulele were affordability, accessibility, and ability to play music students know and love. Respondents described challenges with funding, time, classroom management, tuning, fine motor skills, and differentiation of instruction. Three common themes emerged from the data: (a) the importance of differentiation; (b) a lack of time, knowledge, and resources to effectively implement songwriting into ukulele instruction; and (c) social interaction and community building as factors that contributed to the enjoyment of teaching.