Why do we play the recorder in elementary school?

In 3rd Grade, students make an important transition from learning to read to reading to learn. At this age, we begin making rapid connections between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and reading/playing music is one significant way to reinforce those pathways (which then helps in other areas of learning!). Playing the recorder can:

• Develop fine motor skills. "The brain must decipher the line, space and duration of the note or rest. Simultaneously, the brain must tell the fingers of both hands which combination of fingers to use while adjusting the breath support from the diaphragm to control the airspeed with the tongue to separate the notes or stop the airflow." In short, we're putting our brains to work!

• Reinforce musical concepts we've been working on since Kindergarten, and putting them together for the first time.

• Develop our understanding of math and science in other areas. Patterns, sequences, and even fractions are all a part of reading music. We also discuss scientific concepts like vibration, pitch, and timbre (how the instrument sounds) when referencing the recorder, giving us a better understanding of how instruments (and other objects) work in the world.