(they should have some standards for the arts, but they don't)

They concentrate fully on English and Math

http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

Among other places.

Ukulele's are cool. Who wouldn't want to learn that?

1. Ukulele is not part of common core, so let's not get that mixed up. (We had to play "tonettes" when I was back in school; I would have loved a ukulele instead).

2. Ukuleles are great.

Not everyone is going to excel or even find careers in math and science. There are plenty of jobs in the arts, too!

Maybe your daughter would benefit from a different instrument if she doesn't like the ukelele?

I had to do neither, thankfully. The other 4th grade classes had to, but not us (we were French immersion so had less time for 'options' like music).

I do wish they would try more relevant instruments, but I think they stick to recorder and ukulele because they are cheap. Reminds me of the time they made us do a cross stitch pin cushion in sewing in Home ec (a requirement at the time). No one even uses pin cushions anymore (magnetic ones are where it's at now), why are they making us sew something totally useless? I think sometimes curriculums have to keep up with the times to be interesting and relevant for the students.

It's a fairly interesting instrument that a lot of people, especially small children, can leran to play quite easily. I have to think that teaching every child to play at least one instrument (even something basic) will help stimulate an interest in the arts and perhaps allow them to move on to the more advanced music like Mozart and Beethoven. After I learned the ukulele I learned how to play three more instruments, although perhaps my family background was more influential on my love for music than my education, I think what I learned in school did play a role.