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October 21, 2011
Though the ranks were a little sparce today due to a myriad of things like a new baby (the new sister of nearly 1/4 of our ensemble) and probably some early season sniffles, we had a great rehearsal! We got all of the way through Lesson II and even half-way through Lesson III.
I am so impressed with everyones' ability to keep a steady beat by tapping your toes. And for those of you who mentioned that you printed and used the practice log--it really showed. All of that practicing made a huge difference in your playing and confidence!
I am excited about the possibilities for our recorder class. I would love to see several of you become so accomplished that you are able to perform a solo piece at the concert. And I may ask one or two people to play drums now and then as we strive for that renaissance feel in our music. Practice often and and I'll see you next time!
This week's assignment:
[] Practice all of Lesson III
[] Review the tips from October 7th, below
[] Print and fill in the new practice log
Though the ranks were a little sparce today due to a myriad of things like a new baby (the new sister of nearly 1/4 of our ensemble) and probably some early season sniffles, we had a great rehearsal! We got all of the way through Lesson II and even half-way through Lesson III.
I am so impressed with everyones' ability to keep a steady beat by tapping your toes. And for those of you who mentioned that you printed and used the practice log--it really showed. All of that practicing made a huge difference in your playing and confidence!
I am excited about the possibilities for our recorder class. I would love to see several of you become so accomplished that you are able to perform a solo piece at the concert. And I may ask one or two people to play drums now and then as we strive for that renaissance feel in our music. Practice often and and I'll see you next time!
This week's assignment:
[] Practice all of Lesson III
[] Review the tips from October 7th, below
[] Print and fill in the new practice log
October 7, 2011
Welcome back recordists! Great class today. We reviewed a lot of the material from last time such as recognizing B, A and G on the staff, identifying quarter notes, half notes and whole notes and getting our fingers on the right holes. A few reminders until next class:
Practicing:
[] Make sure you are practicing about 20 minutes most days of the week. Practicing is especially vital in our situation since we only meet twice per month. It will be easy to forget what you have learned unless you are regularly reviewing it at home. The more you practice, the better we will sound--and the more beautiful and challenging songs we can play!! Sometimes you might not know what to practice so to help you I have created a practice log you can print off on the "printable lessons" page.
Fingers:
[] Left hand on top, right hand on bottom!! (LH Thumb covers back hole, LH 1 2 3 on the top holes, RH 1 2 3 4 cover bottom holes)
[] When blowing into the recorder, you should only be covering the round finger holes, not the rectangle-shaped hole on the head-joint.
[] When you cover the holes, use the flat part of your finger opposite the finger nail, not the tip of your finger. The holes must be covered completely for the note to sound correctly.
Sound:
[] If you have difficulty making a pure sound on the recorder check to see that you are
a) covering the right holes
b) fully covering the holes
c) blowing a nice speed, not too fast or too slow (think about blowing on hot cocoa to cool it off)
Your assignment this week is
--to practice songs 5-12 (this includes some of Lesson 1 and all of Lesson 2)
--print off the music from the link above
--print and fill in your recorder practice log as you go and bring it with you next time you come
If you have any questions--post them on the forum or use the contact form to ask me directly. Happy Practicing!
A little inspiration for your practicing!!.......................................................
Welcome back recordists! Great class today. We reviewed a lot of the material from last time such as recognizing B, A and G on the staff, identifying quarter notes, half notes and whole notes and getting our fingers on the right holes. A few reminders until next class:
Practicing:
[] Make sure you are practicing about 20 minutes most days of the week. Practicing is especially vital in our situation since we only meet twice per month. It will be easy to forget what you have learned unless you are regularly reviewing it at home. The more you practice, the better we will sound--and the more beautiful and challenging songs we can play!! Sometimes you might not know what to practice so to help you I have created a practice log you can print off on the "printable lessons" page.
Fingers:
[] Left hand on top, right hand on bottom!! (LH Thumb covers back hole, LH 1 2 3 on the top holes, RH 1 2 3 4 cover bottom holes)
[] When blowing into the recorder, you should only be covering the round finger holes, not the rectangle-shaped hole on the head-joint.
[] When you cover the holes, use the flat part of your finger opposite the finger nail, not the tip of your finger. The holes must be covered completely for the note to sound correctly.
Sound:
[] If you have difficulty making a pure sound on the recorder check to see that you are
a) covering the right holes
b) fully covering the holes
c) blowing a nice speed, not too fast or too slow (think about blowing on hot cocoa to cool it off)
Your assignment this week is
--to practice songs 5-12 (this includes some of Lesson 1 and all of Lesson 2)
--print off the music from the link above
--print and fill in your recorder practice log as you go and bring it with you next time you come
If you have any questions--post them on the forum or use the contact form to ask me directly. Happy Practicing!
A little inspiration for your practicing!!.......................................................
Calvary Chapel Homeschoolers, great first class! We learned the fingerings for B, A and G and how to read them on the musical staff. We learned about Quarter notes, Half notes and Whole notes, and we played them in our first song. For next time, your assignment is to practice the first four songs on Lesson 1 (remember to only practice the top line). Try to set aside 20 minutes every day to practice your music and ALWAYS swab out your recorder after playing!
Go here for Lessons 1-10 plus a fingering chart. Also I have included two sheets that go with our first class: Lesson 1 student sheet and Basic Music Reading. Check back after every class and I'll upload class materials, recap our lesson, share announcements and add youtube videos of awesome recorder sounds I find! Happy practicing!
OH! I almost forgot, under current students, I set up a forum just for you! Go Here and click on Off-Topic to find it. I'll be checking it often so post your questions any time! (With parents' permission, of course.)
Go here for Lessons 1-10 plus a fingering chart. Also I have included two sheets that go with our first class: Lesson 1 student sheet and Basic Music Reading. Check back after every class and I'll upload class materials, recap our lesson, share announcements and add youtube videos of awesome recorder sounds I find! Happy practicing!
OH! I almost forgot, under current students, I set up a forum just for you! Go Here and click on Off-Topic to find it. I'll be checking it often so post your questions any time! (With parents' permission, of course.)