In Türkiye, music education departments play a crucial role in training future music educators. Undergraduate students receive comprehensive training and are taught various instruments throughout their studies. The ukulele has gained significant popularity worldwide through educational platforms. Despite its growing use in classrooms and communities, fostering meaningful musical engagement across all age groups (Gayretli et al., 2021; Greenberg, 1992), its inclusion in university music education programs in Turkey remains limited.

This study aims to assess the need for ukulele lessons at the undergraduate level in Turkey's music education departments and to explore students' reflections on the ukulele course. The research follows an explanatory sequential design, a type of mixed-methods approach. In the quantitative phase, a needs analysis survey was conducted with 160 students at Bursa Uludağ University, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods. Following this analysis, ukulele courses were introduced in the Fall semester of 2024, and students' perspectives on the course were gathered qualitatively through surveys and analyzed using content analysis.

Additionally, the study examined students' emotional states before and after the ukulele course, utilizing the PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) scale (Gençöz, 2000). The findings indicate that the ukulele course contributed to the development of students' creativity, enhanced their musical expression and rhythm perception, and reinforced their positive emotions as well as their self-confidence throughout the course. Furthermore, the study revealed that the course increased awareness of the ukulele as a viable alternative instrument in music education.

• Εμπειρίες, αξίες και πρακτικές της μουσικής και ηχητικής εκπαίδευσης
• Προγράμματα σπουδών και κριτική προσέγγιση

Irem Avgın is a PhD candidate in the Music Education Department at Bursa Uludağ University, Türkiye, where she also completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Her research focuses on comparative music education approaches and the integration of technology in pedagogy. She has presented at international conferences, including the Annual Batumi Conference (Georgia, 2023) and the 8th Innovation Congress (Azerbaijan, 2024). As an Erasmus scholar, she studied at the Conservatorio di Lorenzo Perosi in Italy. In 2024, she received the “Young Researcher Award” for her Master’s achievements. Her publications include studies on the Carabo-Cone and Kodály methods and their applications in education.

Dr. Sezen Özeke is a professor in the Music Education Department at Bursa Uludağ University. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in music education from Arizona State University. Her research focuses on music teacher training, comparative studies, Kodály and Orff pedagogy, and community music education. She was a visiting professor at Mahidol University (2022–2023) in Thailand and was invited as a guest lecturer at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. Currently, in addition to her role at Bursa Uludağ University, she serves as a board member of the European Association for Music in Schools (EAS).