Blog by Mrs. Klare Fielding, Music Teacher

I want to be a Recorder Karate Sensei!

This term the Grade 3 and Grade 4 children have been participating in 'Recorder Karate' with our dedicated Music Teacher Mrs. Klare Fielding.

I think music and performing arts are a fantastic way for children to be able to express themselves and show their natural creativity.

We are very excited to introduce this exciting and innovative way for pupils to learn and discover the recorder and give them the basic understating of how to read music.  

What is Recorder Karate?

Recorder Karate is a self-paced recorder instruction method that teaches basic techniques used in wind instruments through nine folk songs. In addition, students learn to be musically literate and what it means to be a contributing member of an instrumental ensemble.

  At the heart of this method is a positive reward system in which students receive coloured "karate belts" to hang from their recorders for each progressively more difficult tune.  

    This week our Grade 3 and 4 pupils started with the same manuscript and as they progressed were graded individually, receiving their 'belts'.   When the student demonstrates that he or she is able to play a song, he or she receives the belt and ties it to the end of the recorder and starts working on the next song in line. Acquiring these belts normally motivates the students to work hard in order to get more belts.

Sources: summitmusic.wikispaces.com

Our pupils will aim to progress through the various grading levels to become a Recorder Karate Sensei. They receive their Black Belt by being finally able to play "Ode To Joy" using notes D G A B C D.     Blog by Mrs. Klare Fielding, Music Teacher