3rd graders and recorders - How To Practice With A Purpose

Students must bring their recorders and books with them to every class and since they have music two times a week, it might be helpful to mark on a calendar which days you need to pack up the instrument. 

Books and recorders will be distributed in class, beginning the full week of classes. Students may decorate their cases as they wish, but they must have their name and room number on it. Replacements come with a fee, $7.50 per recorder replacement. Please do not place anything on the recorder itself, for every hole, even if partially covered, is a different pitch.

We will be using the newly redesigned East Meadow Music Department Recorder curriculum. There will be a concert in the Spring where parents and guests can hear our students perform the repertoire studied throughout the year.

There will be spit involved, since it is a wind instrument. Now more than ever, many students wish to clean their recorders. It can be put in the top rack of the dishwasher or cleaned with hot, soapy water, then rinsed. Do not place anything solid in the recorder, for every hole, when partially covered, is a different pitch. You should disassemble the recorder and put it in the utensil rack or top rack of the dishwasher when it needs an ultra-sanitizing clean. 

TL:DR - The only way to achieve success with this instrument is consistent practice. No excuses. See tips below.

For many students, learning to play a recorder will be their first experience with an instrument. My yearly goal always includes instilling a sense of pride from creating music alone, with others, and in an environment that encourages both success and failure. Students will obtain the skills, musicality, and sense of responsibility that will make their participation in future ensembles rewarding and fun.

The foundation for home practice is established in the classroom setting. Age appropriate and sequential literature energizes a student’s desire to succeed. Using a varied repertoire of American and Global folk music, Classical, and Pop music keeps students motivated. You would be surprised to learn how many pop songs can be played on a recorder. My students play, “Another One Bites The Dust” for their spring recital every year. 

Establish a routine of definitive practice times.  This allows for your child to become accustomed to the normalcy of practicing an instrument. Have your child practice in front of a mirror to ensure correct finger placement and total covering of the holes.

Simple melodies that move by step lead to melodies with skips. Establishing muscle memory is crucial and will stay with students long after they’ve finished the year. When students return to visit and talk about their experience with the recorder in my class, they almost always recall “Ode To Joy” by either using their hands to “air finger” the notes or by singing the note names and moving their fingers. They are surprised when they start singing B-B-C-D-D-C-B-A, G-G-A-A-B.-A-A! This is a result of my “Sing-N-Fing” technique.

Sing-N-Fing helps to shape pitch matching, identification of the tonal center, and encourages comfortable singing with others. It starts at the very beginning of the year with the first notes, B-A-G. To start, students are fingering the notes without using the breath. Students sing the pitches while covering the appropriate holes. For example, “Hot Cross Buns” would be sung while fingering: B-A-G, B-A-G, G-G-G-G-A-A-A-A, B-A-G. This eventually leads to successful audiation while fingering the recorder and developing an ability to recognize incorrect pitches. Audiation is the comprehension and internal realization of music, or the sensation of an individual hearing or feeling sound when it is not physically present, a technique developed by Ed Gordon in 1975.

So now, how do you encourage practice with purpose? Children often find it aimless and a chore to fulfill a time quota or scribble in a practice log. Alternatively, you can inspire your child to create a routine with easy to incorporate sequences. 

In a world of instant gratification, remember to be patient with making progress. Our brains place a high value on things that take a lot of effort or a lot of time to acquire or complete, so when you practice music at a slow tempo, you’re telling your brain, “This is important. Remember this.”