I have continued to make good progress on my growth plan. I am confident in my ability to play the first song “You and I”. Typically, when practicing I will warm up by playing that song before working on the next one. My main focus has been trying to play “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You”. There is one part in the song that I am finding quite difficult, so I have been trying to practice that specific part the most. The note B7 is very new to me and one of the hardest chords I have ever tried learning. The transition between EM to B7 has been tricky, but I have noticed improvement overtime. I do not feel like I have perfected it yet, but I think if I continue taking a couple minutes each day to practice it I will be able to accomplish it by the time of the midterm evaluation. I am feeling a bit anxious that I will not be able to play all three songs perfectly by the midterm and am wondering if my goal was a bit too ambitious. I have looked at the third song, which is “Quite Miss Home”, and it contains three brand new chords. I have started trying to get the hand position down but am concerned I won’t perfect it in time. I will continue to practice each day and hope for the best.

In class yesterday we were able to meet in small groups and talk about our instrument. When Dr. Prest came into our breakout room she showed us the proper way to hold the ukulele and where to strum. I have had a ukulele for a couples of years, so I developed habits based on the way I taught myself. After seeing this demonstration, I am worried that I am not holding the instrument correctly. I do not know if this has a large effect on the sound quality, but I am finding it hard to break my previous habits. I am going to try practicing the way Dr. Prest showed us, but I am worried this is going to really effect my ability to learn three new hard songs. It feels a bit like a step backwards, but all I can do right now is my best. I am going to keep practicing for the upcoming midterm and display the progress I have made.