Resource: Ukulaliens
There are a select number of high quality (and free) online resources out there that don’t just show you music, but invite you to play it. The Ukulaliens – Ukulele Club YouTube channel is exactly that kind of resource for ukulele students and teachers around the world. Created originally by an amazing UK music educator Rachel Webley for her school ukulele club in South Wales, these videos make learning tunes and techniques accessible, fun, and deeply musical. They are the kind of tools that let teachers elevate engagement, reinforce core skills, and foster real student ownership of music-making. With over 220 videos featuring a wide variety of instructional videos and how-to/play-along style videos of some really well known popular songs, this is one of those no-brainer resources that any music teacher who is teaching ukulele to their students should put right at the top of their bookmark list.
One of the first videos every teacher should check out is Ukulele Lesson 1 – Where To Start For Teachers & Beginners. In this play-along, Rachel walks learners through holding the ukulele, strumming, and basic counting before introducing the first chords of C and F. It’s structured like a real lesson, but with the added benefit of consistent visuals and pacing that allows students to learn at their own tempo. In your classroom you might project this video while students tune up, then pause after each section to have students try the skill before the video moves on. This creates a loop of guided instruction followed by active practice that helps solidify early success on the instrument.
Once basic chords are in place, videos like Ukulele Chord Practice Play Along – C F Am – Very Easy provide a rhythmic and visual way for learners to lock in chord changes with sound. The beauty of these play-alongs is that the chord charts are part of the video itself, and students can watch the next change coming while they keep a steady beat. In a classroom setting, set a metronome on the board and have students practice along with the video, then try the same progression without the recording. This helps develop steady pulse, chord shifting accuracy, and ensemble awareness all at once.
For repertoire that’s more motivational and fun, Count On Me – Ukulele Play Along gives your students a chance to play a recognizable pop song with real structure and suggested strum patterns. After you’ve introduced the chords and strumming patterns in smaller segments, have students perform with the video as a formative assessment. Listen for steady rhythm, confident chord changes, and whether dynamics and expression are present in student performances. You might even challenge advanced students to create their own strum pattern before playing along. Of all the videos on Rachel’s channel however, my absolute favorite has to be that she created a play-along video to the song Creep by one of my all-time favorite bands, Radiohead. So cool.
Beyond these examples, the channel’s catalog is rich with easy and medium difficulty play-alongs like Stay With Me, Stand By Me, and The Lion Sleeps Tonight that can be woven into unit plans on styles, groove, and historical context. Because these videos pair visual chord cues with audio play-along, they support a range of learners including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic types. You can project any of these videos onto a Smartboard or screen while students tune their instruments or use them as a quick rhythmic focus at the start of class. These videos help students internalize common patterns that appear across genres. What makes the Ukulaliens channel so powerful for teachers is that it doesn’t ask students to watch music learning; it asks them to learn it along with her. Whether you are working with beginners or more experienced players, there’s a wealth of content here to make learning engaging, structured, and deeply musical – and with a bit of creative planning, you can turn passive viewing into active, joyful music making. Enjoy!