The holidays are almost over, and the second half of the school year is upon us. For many excited 3rd and 4th grade music students, that means it’s recorder time! Whether this is your first or thirty-first year teaching recorder, take time to investigate some new resources. Use these to supplement your current method, or try something entirely new!
Does your district’s band and/or orchestra staff use the popular “Essential Elements” series? If so, they will thank you for using this great method for your recorder instruction. The Essential Elements Classroom Method for Recorder is designed for today’s classroom, including easy-to-use technology features that enhance the learning experience for any teaching situation. Essential Elements for Recorder can be an effective tool for introducing or reinforcing general music concepts, as an introduction to ensemble performance (band, orchestra, and choir), or individual or small group instruction. Also available is the Essential Elements For Recorder Kit, with 10 books, 10 recorders and 1 classroom accompaniment CD for just $69.99!
In the B-A-G by Janet Day
Keep recorder interest high with this crafty collection of eight reproducible songs that will reinforce the first three notes taught in most recorder methods. Your young performers will also be exposed to a variety of musical styles from swing,salsa and reggae to rock and roll, Latin and rap. Put together your own ensemble with the reproducible accompanying parts included for Orff and percussion instruments and piano. An enhanced CD is included with hip recordings, with and without the recorder part, to accompany the simpler, age-appropriate recorder parts, plus PDFs of the printed recorder parts for overhead projection.
Ready, Set, Play: Recorder Rock by Timothy Adams
Rev up your recorder lessons and repertoire with this collection of fifteen pieces for beginning and intermediate recorder students. Building on the “Ready, Set, Play” formula, Tim Adams will guide you and your students through his classroom-tested teaching process, beginning with engaging pre-teaching activities, progressing to score study, and finally moving to performance. Each piece features reproducible scores, performance and accompaniment tracks, and teaching suggestions.
Have you ever thought that there should be a more interesting way to assess your recorder players? Want to take away all of the stress and anxiety of playing solo? “Recorder Rumble” is the answer! This interactive resource includes six levels–complete with 24 four-beat examples in each–with two playing options: choose the collaborative game of chance that encourages students to work together to prepare the examples; or have them sight-read melodic patterns in the Lightning Round. Levels range from beginning pitches and rhythms to more advanced combinations, and printable practice guides are available. Simply let the software take the lead, and your students will have so much fun that they won’t even know that they’re being assessed! Multi-use and site licenses are available.