As third and fourth graders are getting ready to play recorders in music class, check out this interesting article about the tradition of students learning this instrument in elementary music class. The recorder is an instrument with a very long history and a lot of wonderful repertoire. Although the recorder has a bad reputation with some people who had negative early experiences with it, for most students, playing recorder is very fun and exciting. Through learning a simple wind instrument like this, students learn to read music, play in an ensemble, coordinate a variety of fine motor skills, and many more skills that lay the foundation for success with any other instrument they might try in the future.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-every-kid-in-america-learns-to-play-the-recorder
0 Comments
Third and fourth graders are getting ready to begin playing recorders in music class! Recorder forms went home last week. Please return them by this Wednesday, January 24th. There are three instrument options available to all students:
In honor of the third and fourth graders beginning to play the recorder, this week's "Mysterment" (Mystery Instrument) was the recorder. Most classes guessed that the recording they heard was of a flute or piccolo instead of a recorder. Both are great guesses, being in the same instrument family as the recorder and producing sound in a similar way. We watched a portion of the Vivaldi video and the Justin Bieber video below and discussed the long history of the recorder and its musical versatility.
4th Grade & 3rd Grade: Recorders The recorders finally arrived! This week was very exciting as students got their recorders and jumped right into learning their first notes, B and A. They've already learned two songs: "Walk Like a Mummy" and "AAA". Playing an instrument takes a lot of self-control, and I've been very impressed by how well the students have been following directions and learning. Students are welcome to take their recorders home on the weekends to play and practice, but I encourage them to always store their recorders in their backpacks when they're at home so they won't forget to bring them back on Monday. It's a lot harder to follow along, learn, and have fun in music class if they don't have an instrument to play! During the week, students will leave their recorders in the music room. 2nd Grade: Note Duration Second graders have started a new unit on duration, or the length of notes. They've been learning about whole notes (4 beats), half notes (2 beats), quarter notes (1 beat), and eighth notes (half beat). They learned a new, fun song called "Quaver's Candy-Making Machine" that is great for comparing these different note durations. We've also been talking about accents, musical markings that make a note stronger than it would otherwise be, even if it falls on a weak beat. We tried adding accents on weak beats in "Quaver's Candy-Making Machine" to add a little extra interest to the song. 1st Grade: Percussion Family First graders have continued their study of the musical instrument families, focusing on the percussion family. They have learned that the definition of percussion is an instrument that can be hit (like drums), shaken (like maracas), or scraped (like a guiro). Kindergarten: Dynamics (Loud and Soft) Kindergartners have been learning about loud and soft in music. We began this unit by reviewing what they already know about opposites, and then finding opposites in music. They learned a song called "The Mouse's House" in which they came up with their own actions and percussion sounds to demonstrate parts of the house construction that are loud, like sawing and hammering, and parts that are quiet, like painting. We ended the week by learning the song, "The Land of Lowdnsoff," about two people in a land where everyone is either very loud or very soft. They students have had fun with these songs, but the biggest hit this week was listening to the second movement of Haydn's "Surprise Symphony," which uses musical opposites of loud and soft to wake up the audience! Students love pretending they're asleep for the quiet and slow part at the beginning, then jumping up at the surprise! I've received a few late recorder order forms, so I will be putting in a second order tomorrow (Thursday). If you would still like to order one for your third or fourth grade student, please send $4.99 with the form (or at least a note indicating which color your child would like) to school tomorrow! This will be the last opportunity to order a recorder through the school! Reminder: You are not required to buy a recorder. Your child may borrow one from the school at no cost. What is a recorder?
A recorder is a simple, open-holed woodwind instrument that is commonly taught in elementary schools, but also has a long and rich history from the Middle Ages on. This instrument is a great educational tool because it is easy to produce sound on a recorder while students learn about breath control, fingering, tonguing, coordination, and music reading. Recorder is a great first wind instrument to prepare students to participate in band. Recorders come in a variety of sizes and tunings. In music class, we will be playing standard soprano recorders, which are just over one foot long. Aren't recorders and flutophones the same thing? Nope! These instruments are similar, but not the same. Please make sure if you're bringing your own instrument that it is a recorder, not a flutophone. The easiest ways to tell the difference between the two is to look at the end and at the finger holes. The end of a flutophone is flared, like the end of a trumpet. Also, a flutophone has raised finger holes, while a recorder simply has holes drilled into the straight cylinder of the instrument's body. When will we get the recorders we ordered? I expect the recorder shipment to arrive around Tuesday, January 24th. What do the recorder colors look like? You can check out the five color options at the Musician's Friend website: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/classroom-kids/canto-one-piece-translucent-soprano-recorder-with-baroque-fingering When will we start playing recorders in class? As soon as the recorder shipment arrives, we will begin our recorder units. I'm using my own recorder from home. When should I bring it to school? Make sure to bring your recorder to school by Tuesday, January 24th (or Wednesday, January 25th if you don't have music class on Tuesday). You can bring it earlier and store it at school, if you'd like. I have my own recorder from home, but I'm not sure if it's the right kind of recorder. If you have any doubts about your instrument, please bring it by the music room and I will check it out to make sure it is a standard soprano recorder. (Please note, there is a difference between recorders and the flutophones!) |
Archives
September 2022
Categories
All
|