Building Confidence One Strum at a Time

Year 4 Navigator Bubbie Rapana’s Ukulele programme has given Tikipuna Primary School Dreamers the opportunity to explore their musical creativity and develop fundamental ukulele skills in a fun and supportive environment.

The journey kicked off in Term 2 of 2025 as an after school programme and has since changed to being taught during class hours once a week.

“It was about growing their confidence in a safe environment, where they could have fun but they also had to commit,“ said Bubbie. “We only do one lesson a week, but they are required to practice on their own time, which is to help them learn how to manage themselves.”

Out of the original crew, nearly the entire group has stuck with it through thick and thin, with only one student leaving to another kura.

As many people know, learning any instrument can feel like a drag at the very beginning. Calluses on fingers, confusing chord charts, and repetitive drills can test anyone’s patience. Bubbie is the first to admit that it wasn’t all glamorous at the start.

“I asked them what they thought about the programme and they said, ‘at the beginning it was boring.’ I was like yeah, you’re not wrong! But now it’s fun because they kind of get it. It was just mainly around their own confidence.”

The class starts with exercises to get their fingers and wrists prepared for the hour ahead. After some basic strumming, Bubbie puts on Ukulele play-along videos from YouTube featuring their favourite tunes.

“Having YouTube to refer to makes it easier for them to keep the tempo and focus on their chord change, which has been the hardest thing for them to grasp.”

Now that she has been working with the group for four terms, the transformation is undeniable. She can instantly tell who has been putting in the work at home, and she can see that a few Dreamers are ready to progress to more complicated techniques.

At the end of last year, the Dreamers were even given their very own ukulele to take home. Bubbie hoped that the group would perform at the end-of-year prizegiving, but they were too nervous. One even asked to drop out of the programme so they didn’t have to do the performance.

“You know what? It’s okay. We’re not going to put the pressure on it.”

However, she is hoping that they will be ready to perform at the end of this year because she would like them to step out of their comfort zone a little bit.

She has noticed that when she pulls out her ukulele, some of them will grab theirs and play in front of other students, which is a sign that they are getting more comfortable in that space.

Most importantly, they have gained a lifelong skill, a strong sense of self-discipline, and a massive boost of confidence they will carry with them forever.