Hi there!
In this post I am going to share tips for introducing note values to young beginner recorder students using the LESSON 2 video from the “Easy Music Workshop Recorder Lessons”.
This is how I have successfully taught simple note values, that is, the quarter note (crotchet), half note (minim) and whole note (semibreve) (eighth notes are coming up in the next post…) to young children for many years. I hope that you may find some of these ideas helpful.
USING THE LESSON 2 YOUTUBE VIDEO IN THE CLASSROOM
As mentioned in the previous post, I still use the videos that I made for my recorder beginners during the pandemic in 2020 in the classroom today. I find them especially helpful for bigger groups!
I start the lesson with the beginning of the video for LESSON 2 with the puppets Miss Piggy and Kasper. When the two of them have floated off to Noteland in the soap bubbles, I pause the video to let the children try out what the puppets have revised from LESSON 1.
So, after watching the introduction, we revise the correct fingering on the recorder and blowing gently to produce a good-sounding music note. This is an opportunity to check if our young students have understood and whether they are actually doing what was demonstrated in the video for LESSON 1 and at the beginning of LESSON 2.
I constantly need to remind my beginner students to use their tongue to “push out” the music notes. The other thing that they usually need to be reminded of is, that the left hand fingers have to close the holes at the top, and the right hand supports the recorder at the bottom, and later will be used to close the last four holes. Do you need to remind your students too?
I have included a poster in the supplementary pack for LESSON 2 to help remind them which is the left hand. This poster can be displayed in a visible place in the teaching area or classroom. Our young learners can then refer back to it whenever they are unsure which hand to place where on the recorder. We have also made a short video of this section to watch again if necessary, available on YouTube here.
They can also revise the breathing exercise “Hoo hoo hoo-oo”, and practise the tonguing again with the “Too too too-oo”, using the “Owl Song”, before continuing with the video.
At this point, we can continue watching the video which now introduces the note values. The whole note, the half note and the quarter note are introduced using movement and words so that the children can experience the duration of the notes.
HOW TO INTRODUCE THE NOTE VALUES USING MOVEMENT
Children always enjoy moving about. So once these note values are introduced I pause the video again and let them move “Hop! Hop! Hop!…” on one leg like the Monopods towards the front of the classroom and then back to their seats. I have a card with the quarter note, or “Hop!”-note, ready to show the children to make them aware of which music note they have been moving to.
Then, on the spot, they can swing sideways to the left and the right (their legs slightly apart to make the shape of a bell) with a “Ding!_ Dong!_ …”, or a “Step-swing! Step-swing!” This time I have a card of the half note, or “Dong!”-note, ready to show the children.
The A4-sized posters or cards with pictures of these notes are now available as part of a supplementary pack for LESSON 2. I can always hold up these posters when discussing and moving to a particular note value. I always demonstrate the movements and my young students copy me.
For the half note, I use a picture of a half note converted into a handbell, as seen in the video for LESSON 2. For the quarter note, I use a picture of hopping quarter note.
The whole note has been converted into an old man who takes very slow steps while holding onto his walking stick and aching crooked back. Each step lasts four counts: “1 – 2 – 3 – 4!”. He appears in Miss Piggy’s imagination towards the beginning of the LESSON 2 video. My music students particularly enjoy acting out or moving like slow grandpas.
After moving to the note values we continue watching the video and see how the rhythms are built with these music notes. The music students are more likely to make the connection after they have actually moved to the notes themselves.
The words “Hop!”, “Dong!” and “One – two – three – four!” are spoken when moving and clapping the rhythms. They help to make sure that the children hold the notes for the correct length of time and to get the rhythms right.
You can read more about this topic in my blog post “Using Words in Music for Note Values and Rhythms”.
NOW FROM MOVING AND SPEAKING THE RHYTHMS TO PLAYING THE RHYTHMS ON THE RECORDER
The owl now helps us to make the connection between the words and how to play the notes on the recorder. The “Hop!” note becomes “Too!”. The “Dong!” note becomes “Too–oo!”, and the “Grandpa” note becomes “Too-oo-oo-oo!”.
The “T” at the beginning of “Too!” should also remind our young recorder beginners to use their tongues each time they blow into the recorder.
(Incidentally, the “words” of the Owl Song” are very similar to the French Time Names, which will help when we change from using the word “Hop!”, or “Too”, to “Taa”, etc.)
When we reach the part in the video where the worksheet “Music Notes” has been explained and demonstrated, I pause and let the recorder students clap and play the rhythms from the screen.
I make sure that everyone knows where we are in a rhythm, exercise or piece, by pointing to the notes on the screen, This helps to keep us together as a group.
After we have finished watching the video each child gets their own copy of the sheet “Music Notes” to practise at home. This sheet is available for free via the link in the description below the YouTube video.
The video with Orlan Charles and Mickey Mouse, which is recommended at the end of LESSON 2, can be used to end the lesson or introduce a follow-up lesson, or both. The children love this video, so I strongly recommend it!
Revision is always good, so it is advisable to have a follow-up lesson after watching the LESSON 2 video. I use such a follow-up lesson to revise what was taught in the video and to check if the young musicians have understood everything:
WHAT TO DO IN A FOLLOW-UP LESSON FOR THE EMW BEGINNER RECORDER LESSON 2
It may be necessary to revise the different note values if this was the first exposure to them. We tend to assume that our young learners get it after seeing something only once, but they usually don’t!
FIRST, as an introduction for the follow-up lesson, I sometimes show them a part of the previous lesson to revise an important new concept. Note values are an important building block in Music. For this reason, we have made a short video of the section in LESSON 2 which introduces the note values for repeat viewing. It is now also available on YouTube here.
SECONDLY, after revising the note values learned, we revise the homework, that is, the exercise or piece from the previous lesson, in this case, the worksheet “Music Notes”.
THIRDLY, I then introduce a similar exercise or song to revise what was learned in a different way. For LESSON 2 it is a sheet called “MORE PATTERNS WITH MUSIC NOTES” which is similar but different to the one they practised as homework. It is part of a supplementary pack for LESSON 2 which is available here.
I display this new worksheet on the screen when I introduce these new rhythms:
First we move the rhythms, preferably on the spot by hopping on one foot for the “Hop!” notes and swinging from one foot to the other for the “Dong!” notes.
For the “Grandpa” note we take one long slow step forward. We hold onto our recorder as if it is the top end of a walking stick. The other hand holds onto our “aching” hip while we count to 4 before taking another step, or stopping if there is only one whole note. One whole note = one step.
For the second step, after we have moved to all the rhythms on the sheet “MORE PATTERNS WITH MUSIC NOTES”, we clap and speak them.
For the third step, we whisper each rhythm as owls with “Too! Too! Too! Too! Too! Too! Too-oo!…”.
We end the exercise by playing the rhythms on the recorder, using first the thumb and one finger, then two fingers, etc.
Also available in the supplementary pack for LESSON 2 are two theory worksheets which introduce the drawing of notes.
HOW TO INTRODUCE THE FIRST MUSIC THEORY WORKSHEETS
The first worksheet, “Can you draw music notes?”, is just an exercise in drawing the notes.
The second worksheet, “Draw, clap and play!”, requires the young recorder player to work out the rhythm of the given words: “Hop! Hop! Dong!_, etc. and then change the oval shapes above the words into the correct note values.
This is a step towards songwriting! I was surprised that most young learners had no problem doing this exercise.
After they have written the rhythm they clap it while saying, for example “Hop! Hop! Dong!”, then whisper with “Too! Too! Too-oo!”, etc. and then play it on the recorder. The quick workers love to perform their written pieces individually for the class while waiting for the slower workers to finish writing their notes.
So there you have two more recorder lessons based on LESSON 2 of the “Easy Music Workshop Recorder Lessons”. I hope that they are helpful and maybe even save you some time!
If you are interested in a brief overview of the first 12 beginner recorder lessons you can find it in my post “The Building Blocks in Music”.
The supplementary pack for LESSON 3 should be out soon. In the meantime, I wish you lots of fun making music with the kids!
Regards
Elisabeth
