Recorders at St Johns
The children are introduced to the recorder in Year 2. Recorders have been around for many years and are an ideal first instrument for children to learn.
The children begin by learning how to hold the recorder properly and produce a nice sound. As well as learning how to play the instrument the children learn how to read standard notation. The fundamentals of music are very important when learning an instrument and these are reinforced through every lesson. There are visuals to help the children know where to put their fingers and often backing tracks to play along to making their learning more enjoyable.
Children are encouraged to develop their playing by working towards different awards, which are given out as karate belts for their recorders. They achieve these by playing a set piece correctly.
At the end of the year, the children from both classes put on a concert for their parents to show what they had been learning all year. The parents were very impressed and thoroughly enjoyed the concert. One boy even performed a solo on the recorder that he had taught himself how to play at home.