Teaching Recorders

I received an email from a friend-of-a-friend yesterday. She had been referred to me as someone who could be a resource for teaching recorders. Since I love teaching recorders I was happy to be of assistance. This morning I set out my basic set-up method, including a first lesson. I typed it out since I think that I could possibly be sharing this information in the future. Then it occurred to me that I could post my thoughts on this blog to have as an easy reference.

So here goes!

Teaching Recorders

Setting Up

Have a classroom set of recorders that STAYS AT SCHOOL. If you let students take home their recorders to practice, they will invariably forget them on music day.

I have written a blog post about this here:

http://musicmotifs.blogspot.com/2013/06/nuts-and-bolts-of-recorder-class.html

Getting Started

The first day is so much fun, but it sounds terrible. Here is my lesson plan for Day One.

Review quarter and eighth notes. I have flashcards with four beat rhythms. We look at each one, say the rhythm (tas and titis) and then clap the rhythm.

Review Mi-Re-Do with hand signs and flashcards. We did this in second grade, and I start with BAG.

* Note * Some brilliant educators start with G E, and some with A C. You will find what works best for you.

Have students hold old their hand in front of their mouth. With lips pursed, blow onto the palm as though you are blowing out a candle. Ask what it feels like. They will say several things, but you are looking for “It feels cool or cold.”

Next have the students breathe onto their palm as though they are going to fog up a window. It should feel warm. Our mantra “Warm, soft air, good sound we care.”

Practice du, du, du (gentle air tonguing) with rhythms.

Learn the chant “Left hand on top, forget me not.”

Have students pinch their left index finger and thumb together.

NOW you can pass out the recorders! Hang them around their necks.

Hold up the recorder in the right hand like the Statue of Liberty to see the thumb hole on the back of the recorder. Thumbprints not tips! Cover the holes completely! Have students place their left finger and thumb on the B.

Now, have them blow (Warm, soft air…. Warm, soft air) and copy your rhythms.

It will sound like chaos. Yuck! But they will love it, and they will improve very fast.

Resources

I have used these resources and others I find on the internet. These have CDs with backtracks.

Denise Gagne – The Complete Recorder Resource Kit (Book 1) with CD.

http://www.westmusic.com/p/complete-recorder-resource-kit-1-student-book-and-cd-805001

Recorder Classroom – a Publication by Music K8

    http://www.recorderclassroom.com

Recorder Routes by Carol King

            http://www.amazon.com/Recorder-Routes-Introducing-Soprano-Classes/dp/0934017204

This is an Orff-Based approach, if you are familiar with Orff-Schulwerk.

If you do Pinterest – there is a wealth of info there. Type in recorder classroom in the search box and see what you come up with.

Recorder Karate

This is the best thing I can think of to motivate kids to practice. After the kids can mostly play their first easy song like Hot Cross Buns, they take a test on it. They play for you individually. If they can play it, they get their white belt.

For belts, I have devised this system. I get a little hair band (the little clear ones that are about ½ diameter) and put it around the bottom of their recorder. Then I take a skein of embroidery thread, cut the loops at each end, then pull out one “piece” (about 6-8 strands together) and tie it to the hair band.

I am amazed at what they will do for a piece of embroidery thread. I think it is for bragging rights.

Each song gets progressively harder. Yellow belt, then orange, green, purple, blue, red, brown, black.  This can mean adding a new note, a harder rhythm, etc. If you google recorder karate, you can see various people’s lists for recorder karate. You can tailor this to your students.

I do not take up class time with testing. The kids come to me during some recess once a week. They stand in line and wait their turn and cheer on their classmates.