1. By Mrs. Gilcrease
Recorder Countdown
PPT 1

2. Bring
Buy
Borrow

3. Ready for Recorder! Learn how to: Take care of your recorder
Clean your recorder
Hold your recorder…. and…
Play!

4. Class Recorder Rules
Bring your recorder with you to every music class!
In music class, “resting position” = around your neck, in your lap, or on the table in front of you.
If you play when you’re not supposed to, you will finger a headless recorder for 5 minutes.

5. Take Care of Your Recorder!
This is a musical instrument, not a toy!
Don’t let anyone else play your recorder!
Walk carefully with your recorder.

6. Clean Your Recorder! The cleaning rod is not necessary.
After playing in class, we cover the window and blow.
If you play a long time or it smells bad, put the recorder in the top rack of the dishwasher – OR…

7. Clean Your Recorder!
Wash with soap and water in the sink, rinse and leave standing upright to dry.

8. Parts of the
Recorder

9. About the Recorder
The recorder is an old instrument, which used to be made of wood. It was first named a “recorder” in the thirteenth century, though it became most popular in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Later, it was replaced by the flute, which was louder and had more notes. Now, recorders, mostly made of plastic, are more popular than ever! They are made to resemble the recorders from the Baroque period hundreds of years ago.

10. Hold Your Recorder
Sit near the edge of your seat with your feet flat on the floor.
Hold the bottom of the recorder with your right hand.
Put your left hand on the top of the recorder with the thumb hole covered in the back.

11. Hold Your Recorder Notice how your pointer, middle & ring fingers of
your left hand
cover the holes.

12. Hold Your Recorder As you get more comfortable, you can rest the
recorder on your
right thumb.

13. Hold Your Recorder
Eventually your
fingers can
cover all of the
holes.

14. Hold Your Recorder
Your LEFT hand
always fingers
the top holes.

15. Hold Your Recorder
Your LEFT hand
always fingers
the top holes.

16. Play! Left hand cover the thumb hole and top hole with pointer finger.
Blow soft warm air
Whisper “DUH” = tonguing!

17. Play – and NOT Squeak! Blow soft hot air Cover the holes
“Hole check!” Do
your fingers have
hole marks?

18. The Beginning! Now you’re ready to begin playing. Remember:
We play in Position #2 (back straight, edge of seat)
We play TOGETHER.
We play to the best of our ability, and demonstrate our Learner Profile traits.
We only play when instructed to play.