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Cak’s Corner #3

ROUTES TO RECORDER SUCCESS

Why Teach Recorder?

It has been our experience that children comprehend note reading on the staff and note duration much more thoroughly by making music on a musical instrument.  For example, a child can memorize the fact that a dotted half note usually is played for three beats or counts, but s/he knows what that fact means if s/he can actually play it for the full duration of three beats.  We have also found that recorder helps our “shaky” singers with accurate pitch development.  Recorder is also a lovely accompaniment to singing and Orff instruments.  It’s enjoyable and relatively inexpensive.

How Do I Begin?

We have had great success beginning in the third grade; however, it is important to know that in the school district where I taught we had music twice a week for a total of eighty minutes of instructional time.  I’m not convinced that third grade is the best place to begin if you do not have music twice each week.  We also taught recorder for recorder’s sake – NOT as a pre-band instrument!  The recorder is a wonderful instrument which has a long history.  We recommend beginning with a soprano recorder because the eight year old child’s finger stretch is not easily accomplished on an alto recorder.  Our Peripole Angel Halo Soprano Recorder is our recorder of choice, and as a recorderist in a mixed consort, I personally prefer Baroque fingering.

What Book Should I Use?

There are zillions of possibilities.  Most books begin with “B-A-G” as the first notes.  Here at Peripole, we are currently featuring Denise Gagné’s book entitled The Complete Recorder Resource Kit. 

There are also a couple of really cool sites for recorder fingerings: 

www.musick8kids.com/html/recorder_training.php (kid oriented)

and

www.hrs.hampshire.org.uk/finger/cfinger.html (adult oriented)

I prefer to begin with “A” then move to high “C.”  We used many Kodály songs in the primary grades, so it was so easy to have the students play C-A songs immediately.  Our sequence was:  A-C’-D’-B-G-low D-low E-F#-E’-F natural, and finally low C.

Another reason for the “C-A” sequence is to strengthen the second “A” finger.  Too many times students have problems with the “G.”  There is really a very logical reason for the “squeaky leaky” G.   Tuck your middle finger under the palm of your hand on a flat surface.  Pick up the pinky and put it down, then the thumb and put it back down, the pointer finger, and then try to pick up the fourth (ring) finger.  Good luck, eh!  The connective tissues between the middle and the next finger make this pretty difficult.  Soooo, when a child puts down the “G” finger right away, the tendency is for the “A” finger to rise up a little bit causing less of a seal.  If you have the child play “C” and “A” for a few weeks the “A” finger is strengthened.  We used a book by Edward Gifford entitled My First Recorder Book.  It is a Kodály based recorder book with use of solfege and absolute names and includes 40 songs which make the transfer from singing to playing easy for the Kodály-trained class.  It is an Australian publication.

For adults, there are two really excellent books:

The Recorder Guide by Kulbach/Nitka shows how to play both soprano (C) and alto (F) fingerings side-by-side.

The Recorder Book by Kenneth Wollitz

Helpful Hints!

Several of these hints are attributed to my dear colleague of many years, Mr. Shawn Funk, who teaches in my “old” room at O’Hara School in the Fox Chapel Area School District.   Shawn is a fantastic music educator and a dear, dear friend.

1. Think about the seal on your refrigerator at home.  What is the purpose of that seal?  What happens if that seal is broken?  “Food is spoiled!”  Your finger is the recorder seal and if the seal is broken the sound will be “spoiled.”

1. F# is “Fido” and he is a “sharp” dog.  The only way to play “Fido” is to place six fingers down and the thumb, of course.  Now raise the right hand pointer finger.  The pointer finger and pinky of the right hand become “Fido’s ears” and the two fingers on the bottom holes are “Fido’s nose.”  You MUST play F# this way or you will “deform the dog!”

(Later in alto recorder, “Fido” has a best friend.  His best friend is “Bingo” as the same finger position on an alto recorder is the note “B.”)

1. High D becomes “Heidi from the Alps!  ‘Unplug’ her nose and let her breathe!”

1. In the beginning press “warts” or “donut holes” into your fingers.  As you learn to play you will be able to hardly press at all but at first it helps to see if you have a complete circle on your fingers.

1. Make sure the fat part of the finger is on the recorder hole.  No “pointe shoes” allowed in recorder playing.  Keep fingers fat and flat.

1. The left hand MUST be on the top of the recorder.  Two ways to remind children:  make a sign language “L” with both hands, thumbs together.  Which “L” is backwards?  That is your right hand. 

1. Have students wear little elastic hair “scrunchies” on their RIGHT hand.  Why right hand?  It’s a lot easier to see one misplaced hair scrunchy than it is to see an entire “sea” of “scrunchies” in a classroom.  (You can purchase these at Dollar Stores.)

Another former colleague and wonderful teacher, Mrs. Mary Ann DeBonis had an 8-step recorder procedure that we think is worth noting:

1. After discussing time signature, treble clef, etc. the class will point to each note and say the rhythm names (ta, ti ti; doo doo-day, etc.)

1. Class will pat the beat and speak the rhythm names.

1. Class will point to each note and say the note names (letter names.)

1. Teacher will sing note names and class will point to each note and sing the letter names.

1. Class will place recorders on chins and finger notes with correct rhythm while singing letter names.  (Teacher may play piano and sing.)  Kodály Syllable names may also be sung at this time.

1. Class will place recorders on chins and finger the notes while singing the melody on “doo” for each note.  The melody may then be articulated with “doo” in a whisper.

1. Class will finger the notes while the teacher plays.

1. Class will play each note, articulated with “doo.  Children will play in groups of two or three.  

You will always have superstar students who you just can’t challenge enough!  You will also have students who will do the minimum required.  A dynamite program is RECORDER KARATÉ by Barb Philapak.  Most children love to earn “recorder belts” through this program. 

Also, our classes really enjoyed the challenge of learning alto recorder.  We allowed the “hot shots” the privilege of playing the alto recorder in fourth grade, but only after they had learned all the music required.

We had one child who could play just about anything we gave her.  In fact, her class was filled with very talented children.  She came in one day and played Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring by Bach – not the chorale part but the moving part.  She’d memorized it the night before.  Soooo, we showed her the alto recorder and explained the difference in the fingering, and gave her harmony parts we’d written to accompany her class which was already playing two part songs.  We should have known that the class would want to learn alto just as much as she did, and before long we had three part harmony in the fourth grade classes.   That resulted in the “birth” of TOOTLES and TOOTLES 2, which are both books of original music designed for beginning recorder ensembles.  The alto line is kept fairly simple and usually is deliberately voiced with the fifth of the chord in the lowest voice because the keys most easily played require this.  To add the bass to the music a teacher may choose to accompany the trio on the piano or even add a bass part on the Orff bass bars.  Published by GIA, both of these books are available through Peripole.

Many of you don't know this, but our company founders, Sylvia and Mack Perry, were the first people in the United States to import Orff Instruments for sale in America.  In fact, they are responsible for launching all three of the acknowledged major brands of Orff Instruments into the US Educational Market.

Although it seems like a long ago now, the Perry's partnership with the Bergerault family, began in 1974 with an international search to find Orff Instruments that could match the quality and merit the guarantee the Perry's placed on the instruments they, themselves, manufactured.  The beginning of their partnership with the Bergerault family marked the achievement of this goal.

As a world-renowned manufacturer of the finest professional keyboard mallet percussion instruments - marimbas, xylophones, vibraphones, orchestra bells and concert chimes - Bergerault was, and continues to be, and uniquely suited to make Orff Instruments of unsurpassed quality.  They incorporate many of the same world class standards employed in the manufacture of their professional instruments into their Orff products.

Here are some of the reasons that Peripole-Bergerault® Orff Instruments are of unparallelled quality:

Cak’s Corner #2-March 21, 2011

WHO IS SHE?

Creative writing is encouraged throughout all the areas of education, and when one can combine creative writing with an activity in music, music-across-the-curriculum is once more achieved.  The following project worked so well with our second graders who were learning to think creatively.

The children were taught the traditional American folk song “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain.† We already know a lot about “her†from the lyrics, but there is sooooo much more that we do NOT know.  Brainstorming together, we came up with the following questions:

                Is “she†a relative or just a good friend?

                What does “she†do for a living or is “she†independently wealthy?

Is “she†someone that the children love to pieces or would they rather she would stay away?  Why?

Where does “she†live?

Is “she†a career gal?

Does “she†have children?  Does “she†like children?

“Grandma†snores – does “she?â€

In 2011 , why does “she†choose to drive six white horses instead of a car?

Could a car go where “they†live?

Of course, there was no “right†or “wrong†answer for each question.  And, the children could add other questions to the equation of “Who Is She?â€

Hi  All Y’all,

Wow!  Cak’s Corner is finally a reality!!  Totally cool!  Now, what should be the FIRST entry????  Should we talk about recorders????  Or Orff instruments????  Or classroom management????  Or evaluation???? 
Or . . . . . . . WOW!  I feel like a kid in a candy store!

Okay, let’s begin with the barred instruments!  You’ve just received a grant or money from somewhere, and all these beautiful Peripole-Bergerault barred Instruments and you are not sure where to begin.  (Obviously this article is for our friends who are not too familiar with the Orff process using barred instruments.)

 Well, first of all you need to check out AOSA.org.  Then look at the left side (turquoise) and click on to Membership and Local Chapters.  The US map should appear.  Click your state, and search for your nearest local chapter.  Mark down the next chapter workshop and make it a plan to be there!  (Yes, Saturdays are precious . . . .but these workshops are really, really beneficial to you as a music educator!)

 Next, click onto Professional Development.  You should see AOSA Approved Courses for 2011.  Yes, a two week commitment is expensive in both time and dollars, BUT, it’s also the start of the rest of your professional life!  Yep, I feel THAT strongly about getting your Orff levels!

But, in the meantime, you have all those beautiful instruments and you are not sure just how to begin!  

Soooooo, “let’s start at the very beginning!† The bordun is about as basic as one can get.

National Organizations

American Orff Schulwerk Association
PO Box 391089
Cleveland, OH 44139
Phone:  440-543-5366
http://www.aosa.org

American Recorder Association
1129 Ruth Drive
Saint Louis, MO 63122
Phone:  314-966-4649
http://www.americanrecorder.org

Dalcroze Society of America
http://www.dalcrozeusa.org

Music Educators National Conference (MENC - the National Association for Music Education)
1806 Robert Fulton Drive
Reston, VA 20191
Phone:   800-336-3768
http://www.menc.org

National Association for the Study and Performance of African American Music (NASPAAM)
http://www.naspaam.org

Organization of Kodály Educators
OAKE National Office
1612-29^th Avenue South
Moorhead, MN 56560
Phone: 218-227-6253
https://www.oake.org

Individual Websites: