Recorder Notation

While I do have my recorder students always mark their music with the note letter names, just so I can get a quick informal assessment of whether they understand the lines and spaces or not; I also have them mark their music with the recorder hole numbers.

I took a song from the 2nd grade curriculum (Making Music, Silver/Burdett), a Puerto Rico song (which is great cross-curricular and can tie in with the Spanish teacher's lessons) and decided to use it on the recorder. My first group to attempt the little diddy was my most advanced group. They loved it, and the students who forgot their recorders (there are always a few) sang along with them. I accompanied on the ukulele and it was a really fun class.

The was a great break from Recorder Karate and individual testing. It gave them a sense of "band practice" which is what I'm trying to get them excited about-leading into middle school.

The next group I tried was my lowest group. They were...challenged to say the least. They just don't practice or really care about improving so they kinda got stuck because they realized they can't play together as a "band" if they never work on it individually. It was a rude awakening for some of the kids. But, even with these challenges they found a way to have fun.

Here are some pictures of the song and markings.

This is our "recorder cheat sheet" where I have labeled all the recorder hole markings.
This way they can identify and label both numbers and letters in their music. 

We really worked on rests and counting on this piece. The meter is 3/4 which is different for them, so it proved to be a little challenging. I have them highlight all rests and notes they will have to "hold out" like half notes etc.

Just close ups of the piece above. I inserted these pictures into a slide show and used that on my large TV screen because I don't have a projector or an elmo. It proved to be quite successful.

Dancers In School: #proudmotherhen

The Carolina Ballet Company sent two of their members to our school today. It was fabulous to experience the strength and beauty of ballet, up front and personal. The two dancers demonstrated their daily stretches, partner work, choreography, discussed how to stay fit and flexible, and gave tips for the students in their daily life (eat well, sleep, exercise, etc..) The kids enjoyed the jumps and spins, and the fancy "couple work" they did (as one 5th grader put it.)

Being "choreographers" for the selected 5th graders

Teaching the 3rd graders "floor work" and "jumps"



Demonstrating bar work for the students

The stage set-up with portable bars, something I would LOVE to purchase for my classroom and for the after school ballet club I'd love to teach one day. Note the BEAUTIFUL costumes in the corner of the stage.

It was interactive too, while I would have changed the layout a bit myself, for the first time out I thought they did a fine educational job. I tend to be picky when it comes to assemblies, so I won't post anything negative.

They even taught the fifth graders choreography!

Before the assembly I gave one third grade class a pre-test and it asked questions like, " What is Ballet?" and "Name a few famous ballet pieces..." I was incredibly pleased that all my students named the Swan Lake, Peter and the Wolf, and the Nutcracker! I felt like a proud mama when I knew my kids were listening to me in class all those months back :)

While some of the answers are, obviously, incorrect (i.e. boys don't wear pointe shoes) I'm SO excited that they were MOSTLY correct on all the PRE test knowledge. #proudmotherhen

Why Do We Practice?

Kids keep asking me why it's important to practice their recorders.

I tell them, "it's teaching you responsibility." But, the truth is, it's so much more than that.

        By learning to get into the pattern of practicing every day, you are building a routine in your life. Building routine helps you establish good habits. While the recorder might be a silly instrument to "practice at home" it's like riding a bike with the training wheels. If you learn to do that first, when you take the training wheels off you have a far better chance at successfully riding the bike!
         If you learn to practice, read musical notation and rhythms, and perform something from start to finish on the recorder FIRST, then you have a HUGE head start when you decide to play a band instrument in middle school.

I did a little video of me playing a piece on my harp to demonstrate what I'm talking about...

HERE

So get on that practicing!!