3rd Grade General Music Class - Including Recorder!

In this ongoing class, learners will meet once a week to sing and practice canons, play ear training games, identify and read rhythms and pitches on the traditional musical staff. 

**I'll also be teaching beginner recorder in this class STARTING IN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, so students will need to own a recorder and have it ready to bring to class.** (timing is subject to change)

They do not need any prior experience on the instrument as I will teach--and constantly reinforce--the fundamentals of technique. However, I will keep the class open for 4-5 weeks, allowing newly enrolled students. After that time, I will close enrollment so that committed students can continue to advance. We will focus on different styles of music every month, related to the style of music our Musician of the Month is involved in. 
I assume that students are motivated enough to follow simple directions to play and practice their instrument when prompted to do so in class. 


In each class I have a learning objective that provide students with the focus of that week's class. Singing is a fundamental skill that helps us play instruments. We will start by performing some kind of vocal or physical warmup, followed by singing. Next, we will practice our recorders. We may play a game after recorders, or we may go right to our study of the Musician of the Month, which typically involves listening/watching them perform and sharing observations. Themes are subject to change:

October: Folk/Americana
November: Spiritual/Protest 
December: Musical Theater
January: Chinese Traditional
February: Western Classical
March: Afro-Caribbean
April: Jazz/Blues
May: Pop/Rock
June: Student Choice


The Musician of the Month aims to break down euro-centrism in education by incorporating musicians and styles from diverse backgrounds and abilities. I have successfully used this model in my classroom for 5 years.  Sometimes it takes the form of simply watching and listening to a short clip at the end of class, and other times we may use the Musician of the Month to do something with our recorders as well!

 I look forward to learning with you!