My ukulele progression has been going pretty well so far. I recently got my midterm feedback, and I did better than I was expecting. The notes to focus on were the positioning of my thumb as well as using my ring finger to strum the ā€œcā€ chord rather than my middle finger. I have been practicing this way ever since, however I am finding old habits die hard. I think if I continue practicing every day as I have been, by the time of my final I will be able to show improvement. I find that it is hard to focus on strumming and reading lyrics, so focusing on one at a time may be a strategy that will help me.

My composition is coming alone quite nicely. I woke up one morning and inspiration hit me, so I quickly tried to jot down my ideas. I decided to stick with my original theme of home and making it a tribute to my loved ones. I have almost finished the lyrics but am still missing a couple lines. My goal is to complete the song by next Saturday so I have lots of time to practice, tweak, and perfect my piece. In the song, I use the house as a symbolism for myself, and my loved ones are helping fix it. This song is quite personal and vulnerable, which makes me very anxious to share it. I am very proud of how it is sounding so far, and am hoping this sense of pride will overpower the nerves when it is time to present.

As for the chords, I think I have completed the sequence for my song. The form is looking to be ABCABCBC. The bridge repeats as well as the chorus, with another bridge at the end with different lyrics. I am using chords I feel comfortable with, such as G, C, Am, and F, but as part of my progression I have also included Bm and Em. I did include a progression from Bm to F which I think sounds really nice. The music fits well with the lyrics and it fits nicely with my voice, so I am really liking how it is coming along. I am trying to practice the strumming with the critiques from my midterm in mind. Due to their being three different note progressions, I am practicing with the intention of eventually memorizing the sequence. The presentation of my song will be much more successful if I can memorize the chords and lyrics rather than looking at a piece of paper. I think I am on track and will have a nicely put together composition in time for the final!