Jump like a Flea

School Radio > Music > Join in with Music

A fun opportunity for beginner ukulele players to pluck their open strings in time with other instruments.

The video

Jump like a Flea

A fun opportunity for beginner ukulele players to pluck their open strings in time with other instruments and to clearly hear the notes to tune to: G, C, E and A.

In its early days the ukulele was known as a jumping flea because of the players’ fingers dancing about quickly!

There are three verses with the same words to say and play each time, but singing is optional.

As a background accompaniment, percussion and body percussion can pat and tap gentle ‘shuffly’ rhythms throughout. The video suggests hand drums, castanets and claves but you can vary to suit what’s available in your classroom.

There is some notation to help the ukulele players. This shows the 6/8 word rhythms above ‘Tab’ (‘tablature’) signs, indicating which ukulele string to play when (starting with the one nearest your nose).

In Verses 2 and 3, melody instruments such as xylophone, glockenspiel and keyboards are encouraged to join in with notes G, C, E and A, to fit with the ukuleles’ open strings. There are arrows showing how the tune goes down, then up and up etc.

Can some pupils make up a dance to bring to life the jumping of a flea?

Ukuleles could also play the following chords and strum them with a Hawaiian lilt:

C F | C F | C F | C C |F Dm | F Dm | F Dm | F F |C F | C F | C F | C C ||

Resources

School Radio > Music > Join in with Music