Song Index

Read the Bizarro comic strip from August 15, 2015, and check out other Bizarro comics by Wayno & Piraro.

It's my favorite time of year!! Recorder time!! The students love this unit so much that it really energizes me! There is just something about putting a recorder in a student's hand that makes music come alive for them. It is such a great way to synthesize all of the information that they have been learning throughout their elementary music career: rhythms, notes, vocabulary, score-reading, musicianship, and much more! Fourth graders begin learning about the history of the recorder, parts, basic technique, and the first 3 notes: B, A, and G. We use the Rockin' Recorder Method Book (created by Allison Friedman) as our main curriculum. The students love this book because of the up-beat tracks that go along with each song. We also supplement with lots of fun recorder warm-ups and games! The classes have really enjoyed playing the game, "B-A-G Roll and Play." It is a very simple concept but really engages them and allows them to practice their note-reading and technique individually. Each group member takes turns rolling the dice and playing that numbered example on their card. I asked the partners to take on the role of "Recorder Doctor," an idea I got from "The Sweetest Melody" music blog. As their partner plays the example, they "diagnose" any problems they hear: As they play, this is also a great time for me to walk around and assess the students. I can note which students are having trouble with fingerings, sound quality, or note-reading and which students are excelling in those areas. It provides the students time to help one another with their weaknesses and allows me to work one-on-one with students if they need it. Another recorder game that 4th graders have really enjoyed is Recorder Rumble. The students divide up into two teams (they usually prefer boys vs. girls) and compete to earn the most points by correctly playing the 4-beat patterns provided. This gives the students sight-reading practice and also a chance to play individually. It's a great assessment tool and the students enjoy the game format. I have each student take a turn to play a pattern and then, if they need to, they can consult with their team for help. It has been so neat to watch them encourage each other and compliment each other's performances! They've learned that good sportsmanship has its place in music as well!

Loch Lomond

Song Index

The new musical The Book of Mormon — from Emmy Award-winning "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q Tony Award winner Robert Lopez — plays Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre.

This is a follow-up to my earlier post, Recorders Rock! I thought I would add a couple more quick ideas that you might find useful. Creative Cases We use Yamaha recorders that are available in three colors. The students love the bright colors, and they have a nice tone quality. However, the plastic recorder cases are not very durable. Some students replace their torn cases with creative things ranging from socks to fabric or hand-knit cases. After I warned my fourth graders this year about the need to be careful with the cases to help them last as long as possible, a few students decided to take a proactive role. I have seen creative cases this year, and some look more difficult than others to make. I spotted these duct tape reinforced cases in class this week, and thought they were an ingenious way to make the cases cute and durable. Recorder Rewards We use Artie Almeida's Recorder Express as the main source in our recorder curriculum, and belts (colored yarn) are awarded as students achieve new levels with recorders. We enhance the curriculum with music from Don Muro's Give Me Five, and Easy 8, as well as recorder songs found in Music K-8 issues. Check out B A Superhero (by M.C. Handel/arr. by Paul Jennings, Music K-8, Vol. 16, No. 1). This song is always a favorite with our beginning recorder players. You may like to follow a set curriculum for rewards, such as Barb Philipak's Recorder Karate. However, don't be afraid to customize rewards to fit your students' needs. We select the songs for belts from Recorder Express, since the students have their own books at home to use for practice. The following is a chart of song choices we currently use for each reward level: Check out my latest post for information about visuals for these songs that have improved my students' progress: Kicking it with Recorder Recorder Roll I created a chart to keep up with recorder belt levels. You can download the Word document using the link below. Recorder Roll Chart Download I hope your new year is off to a great start!