Recorder: Objectives: Introduction of the instrument. Hand positions, blowing, tuning BAG fingering Process for learning/teaching the recorder Why the recorder?

1. It is a simple folk instrument that has its own history. 2. It is the closest instrument to the child’s singing voice in both

range and pitch. 3. It is cheap, portable and (initially) easy to learn. 4. It is a link in the process of teaching traditional notation. 5. Its tone can be sustained and blends well with other

instruments. – suitable as an accompaniment instrument. ABC’s of recorder playing: Articulation – Stopping the sound with your tongue Breathing – supporting the sound from deep down. Control – finger control, breath control, self control! Your initial focus with recorder should be tone, accuracy and articulation. Then add notation reading when those skills are secure.

Trouble shooting: Out of tune Pull out the head joint a little to make the sound

flatter. Push it in to sharpen it. Blowing softer will flatten the sound. Blowing harder will sharpen it. Class sets of same instruments will increase the likelihood that they will be in tune.

Squeaks On low notes, this usually means you are either blowing too hard or your fingers are not covering the holes completely. Especially watch that the back thumb hole is completely covered. On high notes, it is usually a combination of air and thumb position. Too much hole open will produce an unwanted sound and not enough breath support will do the same. Squeazing harder and blowing harder may resolve this as long as you don’t over do it. Experiment until you have a more relaxed and consistent tone.

Fuzzies This may mean the recorder is clogged. Give the recorder a quick inhale to draw in cool dry air or (dangerous with kids) cover the whistle hole and give the recorder a quick hard blow to clear it.

Finger warts/ tired arms and wrists

Relax. Your body, arm and wrists should be comfortable and relaxed. Your fingers should be able to cover the holes gently. Take time before you play to relax your shoulders, wrists, arms and fingers. Also, play the recorder directly in front of you in a natural position. Don’t rest your arms on your knees or raise the recorder up from your chin.

Scaffolding with the Recorder - Number system:

1. Giving numbers to corresponding notes/letter names simplifies notation initially, opens up possibilities for playing without adding too many skills that may not come easily to children.

2. Children can then transfer note numbers to letter names to staff notation in a natural sequence – adding skills as they understand them.

3. Your initial focus with recorder should be tone, accuracy and articulation. Then add notation reading when those skills are secure.

4. I give notes numbers or names as follows: D- open C – cross B – 1 A – 2 G – 3 F – 4 or Fork (baroque fingering) E – 5 D – 6 C – 7

Notation: 1. Singing always comes first before playing. 2. Begin notation by playing pieces that travel step-wise. Focus on

the direction of the notes (up or down) from the previous note. 3. There are some excellent resources with accompaniments for

playing recorder. These are very enjoyable for children (they sound good!) They also move the tempo along. Make sure that the piece is very secure before introducing the accompaniment using the same process.

Articulation:

1. The tongue stops and starts the flow of air. Be careful to watch that students are not “Who”- in into their recorders.

2. quarter note = Dood 3. two eighth notes = Dig-ga 4. Stoccato = doot 5. Slurred notes = Doo-oo

Most pieces written for recorder don’t have articulation written in. I keep it simple – don’t slur more than two notes at a time. There is a limited range dynamically available with the recorder due to air flow issues. Therefore, variation in sound must come from articulation rather than dynamics. The tongue is the articulator for the recorder just as it is with the voice. Articulation comes with the control of the start and stopping of air. The three main articulations available to recorder players:

1. Portato - the sound is carried but has a definite beginning and end . We articulate with “dood”.

2. Legato – sounds are sewn together – We articulate with “doo”.

3. Stocatto – Sound is quick and sharp (pointed, not #) We articulate with “doot”.

Where we use these can be a negotiation between the music and the musician. (Often the class and the teacher.) Two rules of thumb with beginners (ergo, elementary school children):

1. use the legato on two or three notes at a time. Finger transitions are not quick enough to have clear notes with legato or slurs.

2. Usually a legato is followed by a stoccato.

Teaching the recorder: Warm-ups:

1. relaxation is the key. Use a soft voice for instructions. Make the students aware of their body position and finger position on the instrument.

2. Blowing – have the students pretend that they are blowing out a birthday candle – using only enough air to bend the flame without blowing it out.

Teaching:

1. I begin the recorder by teaching numbers rather than notes. “7” means all the holes are covered (including the thumb), “1” means that the first hole is covered (including the thumb.) Even though we don’t play much using all seven notes, we learn the C scale first.

2. The first three notes we teach and focus on are B, A and G. I spend a lot of time there. (at least a month)

a. They are simple to play – b. only one hand is involved c. tone quality can be set d. trouble shooting is simple

3. Accept whatever sound comes out initially. There can be no wrong notes while we are learning.

4. Singing and playing go hand in hand. We learn to sing the notes first, then play them on the recorder.

5. Sol-feige and numbered fingering set the foundations for notation.

6. Move to notation when students are completely comfortable with number systems.

Improvisation hints: 1. Keep it simple (BAG only). 2. Set ground rules. 3. Accept anything reasonable. 4. Don’t be concerned with tone or correcting sound quality. This is

a time for experimentation. 5. Do whole class practice before individual performances. 6. Begin with volunteers and then move to turn taking.

Wrap-ups 1. Ear training

a. Teacher plays a simple pattern—students listen and then echo it.

b. Eventually, students take turns playing a pattern, class echoes it.

2. Moving while playing, turning your back while playing, closing eyes will all increase this skill.

Mi –Do – Re Canon Grade Level: 4/5 Curriculum Objectives SKILL: SINGING The student will be able to: 9. Extend the use of sol–fa training with hand signals to include “re” and “do”. � 10. Respond to tone matching with other voices and instruments. � 14. Sing two-part rounds and simple descants. � 21. Sing two- and three-part rounds, and descants. 24. Use sol–fa skills in reading music and sight singing. 25. Sing three- and four-part rounds and two-part soprano, alto (S.A.) songs. SKILL: PLAYING INSTRUMENTS The student will be able to: 13. Recorder — learn to play with good tone, developing ability to read music. Specific Learner Expectations: The student will be able to: Play a simple three note piece securely on the recorder using hand

signs for mi-re-do. (What do I want them to learn?)

Play a simple three note piece in canon on the recorder in two parts. (How will I know if they’ve learned it?)

Process: Teach the song using hand signs by rote. Teach the song using recorder positions by rote. Sing the song as a two part canon. Teach the song on the recorder by rote (imitation.) Divide the class – have one half sing, one half play. Switch parts. Play and sing in canon as above. Play in Canon. (2 part, 3 part, 4 part … finally individual part) Scales:

1. Diatonic: An eight-note scale, which begins and ends on the tonic and has a semi-tone between the third and fourth notes and the seventh and eighth notes.

2. Pentachord: A five-note scale based on the diatonic scale consisting of only the first five notes of the scale.

3. Pentatonic: A five-note scale based on the diatonic scale where the fourth and seventh (fa and ti) are removed (no semi-tones)

do vs. la based pentatonic a. Do-based: A five note scale based on the diatonic scale

(without the fourth and seventh notes) beginning on the tonic

b. La-based: Based on the diatonic scale (without the fourth and seventh notes) but beginning on “la” or the sixth note.

1. Question and answer:

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Mi - do -re Canon&

#

œœ

œ œ œ˙. œ

œœ œ œ

˙. œ

6

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#˙. œ

˙. œœ

œ œ œ˙. œ ˙.

a. On recorder – question has 8 beats and cannot end on tonic. Answer has 7 beats and must end on tonic.

b. Pentatonic lends itself well to Q & A improvisations. c. Written Q & A: Set out specifics d. Begin with 4 bar phrase. Bar1 must start on tonic. Bar 2

must end with a rest and must not end on tonic. Bar 4 must end with tonic on beat 4.

e. Phrase 3 must be a repeat of either bar 1 or 2.

Part II: Reading Notation: Children learn to speak before they learn to read and write. That philosophy also holds true with the language of music. Playing via imitation using visual and audio cues happens first. Then notation becomes a natural extension to the process. Process:

1. Always begin with the voice 2. Read the rhythm. 3. Sing the melody with the rhythm (ta, ti-ti / Dood, dig-ga) 4. Sing the note names (replace ta’s and ti-ti-s with Solfiege,

numbers, letters, etc.) 5. Play the music

Writing notation: The most difficult part of language learning is writing – getting sounds and ideas down into written form. It is no different with music language learning. Writing music is taught alongside reading but the skill is advanced and expectations should reflect that.

Ways to teach notation: 1. Note number (1 = B or one front hole covered) – excellent

starting place for recorder a. Move directly to staff from that (see notes from last day)

2. The two line staff a. Excellent for BAG compositions – good starting place for

notation b. Transfers easily to 5 line staff.

3. The five finger staff

a. Visual representation of the staff b. Keeps focus forward on the teacher

4. The five line staff a. Process:

i. Always begin with Stepwise writing (step drawing is a great visual representation of writing.)

ii. Keep it simple – think direction (up or down) iii. Teacher plays a short piece – students echo and then

write down what was played. iv. Notating Rhythm -- a trading game

1. Begin with the beat/pulse and trade for the number of sounds that you hear

i. Eg. One sound – ta ii. Two sounds – Ti-ti iii. Three sounds – Ti-tik-ka or Tik-ka

-ti iv. Four sounds – Tik-ka Tik-ka

A Note about Programmed Music: Sound Start for Recorders (and others)

1. Pros: a. Develops sight reading skills b. Accompaniments set and keep the pace

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3

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c. Sound good d. High interest e. Whole group involvement f. Develop listening skills

2. Cons:

a. Focus is usually in the dark (overheads) b. Cannot change the pace/speed of the music c. Can be “cheesy” d. Accompaniments are usually computer generated – poorer

quality e. Students listen to the music rather than themselves or

each other f. Individuals can get lost – difficult to troubleshoot.

The answer: Use them with understanding of their limitations and don’t rely wholly on any one approach.

24242424

Pachelbel's Canon

..

..

..

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& ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙

& ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙& ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙& ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

Recorder Competencies Ed. 3871 Name:

Description Comments:

1. Demonstrate proper hand/body position.

2. Play in the range of C to high E easily.

3. Play accidentals – F# and Bb.

4. Play the following Scales: (.5 deducted for incorrect fingerings or notes, 1 full mark deducted for incorrect scale.)

C diatonic C pentatonic do based

G pentatonic do based G pentatonic la based F pentatonic do based F pentatonic la based

5. Play 1 piece – student’s choice.

a)Demonstrate staccato articulation.

b)Demonstrate portato articulation.

c)Demonstrate legato articulation

6. Play 1 piece in ensemble (duet or trio.)

7. Demonstrate tuning of a recorder

TOTAL:

GRAND TOTAL