The hallway to the music room in the upper floor of the sports hall is very colorful right now. Why, you ask? It’s because Grades 3, 4 and 5 started Recorder Karate this week! As students learn, practice and master specific songs, they are able to test and earn a Recorder Karate Belt. Each student colored a Recorder Kararte character and gets to move the character along the Level Belts as s/he progresses. This is a fun way to encourage students to practice their recorders.
Parents, your child set a goal for which belt s/he wants to achieve by the middle of May, including how many minutes a day s/he will practice! Talk with your child about the goal.
Here are 5 tips to help your child achieve the goal:
- Practice every day – Ms. Camp says 5-10 minutes a day is a great place to start. As you earn more belts and start working on more challenging songs, more time might be needed.
- Keep a steady beat – tap your foot to help keep the steady beat. Hold the notes for the appropriate amount of beats.
- Practice reading music – challenge yourself to identify the notes and use the correct fingers right away. You may write in the letter name of each note, but try not to write each letter. Get used to knowing what the note in the staff is immediately.
- Make a video – this is a great tool to help you play better. Watch and listen – are you keeping a steady beat? Are you playing with a pleasant tone? Are you making squeaks? Are there some places where you have trouble with the notes? Listen critically, and don’t be too hard on yourself!
- Play with a pleasant tone – find just the right amount of air – not too hard/fast and not too gentle/slow.
Grade 4 students will test each week on Wednesdays, and Grades 3 and 5 students will test on Thursdays. During the week, if a student is certain he/she has mastered a particular song, s/he may make a video of the song and email it to Ms. Camp: a.camp@abisoman.com. Please give me 24 hours to listen/watch the video.
Happy practicing!
