Looking to build your child's confidence and musicianship? Enroll in Recorder Rookies - a comprehensive introductory course to musical literacy and recorder playing. In this course students will learn the fundamentals of instrumental music at a gradual and accumulative approach.

Learning a musical instrument can often feel OVERWHELMING for young learners because most curriculums will typically throw multiple concepts at learners simultaneously such as trying to introduce instrument fingerings and teach notation reading at the same time. This can lead to frustration for young learners as they attempt to comprehend many instrumental concepts at once. It's no wonder than many become frustrated and give up before they've even given it a chance.

Recorder Rookies is a different program designed for absolute beginners. The curriculum for this course was designed to teach each musical concept independently and cumulatively with each topic building upon itself. You may notice that the first ten weeks of this course are exclusively spent on music theory concepts. This is done intentionally to ensure learners are capable and literate musicians before even playing their first note on the recorder. Don't worry, I make it fun by including games, funny videos and silly learning mnemonics to keep learners entertained every step of the way. Instead of feeling frustrated with an overload of information, learners will feel empowered as they master each new concept and flourish into capable and competent musicians who are capable of sight reading and learning new songs on their own without assistance.

The final week of this course (week 17) is dedicated as a Virtual Recital. Students will prepare for this recital over the length of this course and choose a single song (or multiple songs) to perform for their peers. 

By the end of this 17-week course, learners will not only be competent players but will participate in a virtual recital where they can showcase one (or several) of their favorite recorder songs! Additionally, all learners who complete the course will receive a special certificate certifying their readiness to transition to an intermediate recorder program or another musical instrument.

🍎 What Will Be Taught
-Week 1: Basic Music Elements (beat, rhythm, tempo, pitch, melody, harmony, dynamics and articulation)
-Week 2: Basic Note Values & Rests (eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, whole notes and corresponding rests)
-Week 3: Dotted Note Values (dotted half notes and quarter note)
-Week 4: Understanding Time Signatures (simple and compound meter)
-Week 5: Performing Rhythms in Simple Meter (4/4, 3/4 and 2/4 meter)
-Week 6: Performing Rhythms in Compound Meter (6/8, 9/8 and 12/8)
-Week 7: Understanding Musical Clefs and Staff
-Week 8: Reading Music Notation in Treble Clef
-Week 9: Reading Ledger Line Notes
-Week 10: Introduction to Articulation and Dynamics
-Week 11: Overview and History of the Recorder
-Week 12: Basic Recorder Playing Technique (tone production, hand positioning, reading a fingering chart, first notes)
-Week 13: Learning to Play B-A-G Melodies
-Week 14: New Notes: High C and D
-Week 15: New Notes: E and Low D
-Week 16: New Notes: F# and Low C
-Week 17: Virtual Recital Performance

🎶 Topics Covered
Learners will explore fundamental music elements such as beat, rhythm, melody, and dynamics, gradually moving into more advanced musical concepts such as note values, time signatures, and reading musical notation. Additionally, learners will demonstrate and perform rhythms in simple and compound meters, understand the musical clefs and staff, and understand the recorder's history and correct playing techniques. The course culminates in a virtual recital where your child will showcase their newfound recorder skills. This comprehensive program will provide your young musician with a strong foundation in music theory and recorder playing, setting them on a path towards musical excellence.

🏫 Class Structure
This course employs a step-by-step approach to ensure learners grasp and are able to apply each music concept. In the initial ten weeks, learners will build a strong foundation in music theory. This will not only help them understand music but also develop the literacy to read musical notation. Each class will feature a presentation on the week's topic and includes opportunities for class discussion, interactive games, and/or performance activities. In the recorder sessions, learners may receive brief, supervised practice sessions. They'll typically get 1-2 minutes to practice a song or exercise on their own but remain closely supervised during the class session. This time is meant for rehearsing and asking questions as needed. Learners who feel confident may volunteer to demonstrate for the class!  All learners are urged to join the final week's virtual recital, with guidance on song selection provided by the instructor.

👩🏼‍🏫 Teaching Style
Throughout my teaching career, I've often been described as an "energetic," "passionate," and "detail-oriented" educator. I'm known for my tech-savvy and creative approach when crafting my lessons and curriculum materials. My commitment as an instructor is to ensure that every learner comprehends the material to a point of self-reliance. It's a significant achievement for me when a student can independently continue their musical journey after completing one of my courses. On a personal note, I've loved music my whole life but as a child, I faced struggles in keeping up due to having a learning disability. Some musical concepts were incredibly challenging for me to comprehend. While some of my music teachers were patient and compassionate, others were not. There were even moments when I was told I couldn't succeed. These difficult experiences motivated me to become the kind of music teacher I yearned for as a child. Now, my teaching motto is simple: "If a learner doesn't grasp it this way, we'll find another way!"

🙋🏽 Teacher-Student and Learner Interaction
In this course, I maintain small class sizes, limiting each section to just eight learners. This intimate setting ensures personalized attention from me and ample opportunities for learners to engage in discussions, share, and ask questions.

🧠 Prerequisites
No prior musical experience or instrument playing background is required for this course. It is the perfect starting point for beginners.