This Old Man (from The Daily Ukulele) (arr. Liz and Jim Beloff): Ukulele

This arrangement strips the nursery rhyme to its essential charm while keeping it genuinely fun to play. A single page means students can learn it quickly and perform it confidently, making it ideal for building repertoire early in their ukulele journey without overwhelming them.

Warm and lighthearted, with the familiar melody anchoring players as they learn to coordinate their hands. There's a gentle humor in the song's repetition that invites playfulness rather than demanding technical perfection.

Early elementary students discovering ukulele for the first time, or young ensemble players building foundational reading and chord skills. Teachers working with mixed-age ukulele classes will find it a reliable choice for quick wins and confidence building.

• Keep the tempo bouncy and conversational; this song thrives on a light touch rather than precision timing
• Shape each phrase with a natural lift at the end, letting younger players feel how call-and-response phrasing works
• Experiment with fingerpicking patterns once the basic strumming feels secure; it rewards students who want to add texture without complexity

Open a school assembly with this as an icebreaker, or use it as a closing encore when featuring your beginning ukulele students. It pairs well alongside other traditional material in a folk or world music unit, and works beautifully as a confidence builder before introducing more complex arrangements.

• Basic chord transitions (likely C and F or similar beginner voicings)
• Reading melody and chord symbols together
• Consistent rhythm and steady pulse maintenance
• Phrase shaping and breath awareness for singing while playing