After church on Sunday, a homeschool mom, Carol, told me about her 8-yr. old daughter’s request: “Mommy, I want to express myself through music.” Carol, like many other moms, didn’t know where to start. I suggested group recorder lessons. “That’s how I got started, I said.”
Starting with a recorder or a flutophone are both good options. A flutophone is actually easier to learn than a recorder because it has a slimmer body and the key holes are smaller and elevated for easier coverage with small hands.
The recorder, however, can play many more notes than the flutophone, has a better tone, and can play better in tune. It is a better instrument all-around. A young child can progress from a flutophone to a recorder with no trouble at all, so it is fine to begin on a one-octave instrument if the child is in 2nd or 3rd grade. A student in 3rd grade or above may prefer a more legitimate instrument than the flutophone.
As a 3rd grader in recorder class, I learned that playing music was fun and easy. Within a week, my entire class was playing a recognizable tune in unison! This is where I first learned to read music and count rhythms. It prepared me for playing an instrument in band the next year and provided the foundation for a lifelong enjoyment and career in music.
If there are no recorder classes available in your community, then perhaps you know someone musical who would be willing to teach a beginning music class. You can provide the incentive by volunteering to organize the class. There are few things more encouraging and inspiring to a music teacher than eager moms willing to organize a class in order to provide their children with some basic music skills. I love to teach, but organizing and recruiting students for a recorder class takes a lot of time.
If your child is going to sign up for a recorder class, it is important for all the children in the class to have the same brand recorder (or flutophone) because different brands don’t play in tune with each other. Yamaha and Suzuki both make popular student recorders.
I highly recommend The Recorder Fun Book by Larry Newman. I would also recommend the LMI Recorder Method by Joe Reposo. If you’re beginning with a flutophone, a wonderful curriculum used by many homeschoolers is God Made Music 3 Packet (the number 3 indicates a third-grade level). The packet includes a flutophone, student workbook, teacher’s manual, and three CD’s. I believe it is thorough enough for any homeschool mom to teach from and learn along side her child.
Carol cheerfully volunteered to recruit the students and and host the class weekly at her house if I would come and teach it. I was delighted that someone wanted the class enough to organize it for me! So I’m looking forward to beginning weekly lessons soon with a group of ten or so children who want to express themselves through music.
Jamie,
I never would have thought of that! I think most people assume that signing up for private piano lessons and buying a piano is the way to go. I’m going to suggest this to my homeschool group. Thanks for the book suggestions, too!