Recorder Karate

On this page you will find instructions, as well as some videos and links to help you practice.

In case you don't have all the Karate songs in your binder, you can find them on this page.

Student Instructions

This is how Recorder Karate works: Practice a song until you're ready to try a test. When you play the test, you'll either earn the belt or Mr. LQ will help you understand what you can do to improve for next time. You can try a test as many times as you need to.

To earn a belt, you need to play all the notes and rhythms correctly, without any squeaks, and with your left hand on top. You can play at any tempo (fast or slow), but the beat must be steady.

If you feel like you're stuck and need some help, you could play the song for me, including mistakes, so that I can help you figure out how to improve.

You can play a test for me in person at school, or ask a parent to send me a recording. Here are some instructions for them to read:

Parent Instructions

You can record a recorder test as a video file using a phone, iPad, or other device. Or, you can record an audio file using a Voice Memo app or similar. The advantage of an audio file is that it is smaller and easier to email, but the disadvantage is that I might not be able to provide exact feedback without seeing the student play.

If a file is too big to send by email (usually 25 MB), you can try sending an iCloud link, Dropbox, Drive, Google Photos, or uploading as an unlisted YouTube video. I'm flexible, and if you have any trouble I'll do my best to help find a solution.

Students are more than welcome to perform their test while playing along to the audio track or YouTube video. Please just ensure that the student's playing can be heard above the sound of the recording.