Better: Ukulele

Rock arrangements for ukulele are rare enough to be genuinely valuable, and this one captures the raw energy of the original without pretending the ukulele is something it's not. Students get to experience a legitimate rock song on their instrument, which opens up genre possibilities beyond the typical island and folk repertoire.

Driving and confident, with the kind of momentum that makes you want to move. The arrangement translates the Jets' signature energy into something manageable for the ukulele while keeping the bones of what made the original compelling.

Intermediate ukulele players who want to move beyond traditional acoustic territory and explore contemporary popular music. This works especially well for students who play in rock or pop ensembles and want to expand their skills on a secondary instrument.

• Lean into the rhythmic drive of the strumming pattern rather than playing it delicately; this song demands percussive attack from the left hand.
• Balance clarity in the chord voicings with forward momentum; resist the urge to let it become too polished or carefully executed.
• Work the dynamic arc across all four pages so the song builds rather than plateaus.

Include this in a concert that celebrates rock and pop across different instrumentation, or use it as part of a unit on genre crossover and how songs adapt across instruments. It works as an energetic solo feature or as part of a set that shows students what contemporary music can look like on the ukulele.

• Strumming patterns with percussive articulation and dynamic control
• Playing in rock and pop styles on a traditionally acoustic instrument
• Reading chord charts and managing rhythmic notation across a contemporary arrangement
• Building stamina and consistency in repetitive rhythmic figures