Recorder31 Day 12 | The Recorder in Education
The recorder has a longstanding association with music education, and for Recorder31 today we're highlighting two fantastic initiatives that are doing excellent work to promote and celebrate recorder teaching in the UK. Read on to the end to find out how to take advantage of our bulk educational discount!
The Big Recorder Project
Having collaborated with The Early Music Shop on a new tutor book, 'Recorder for Beginners: The Tudor Way', Paul Harris takes the chance to update us on his latest project with the recorder, which aims to reinstate the recorder in schools around Manchester.
The Big Recorder Project
Music should be a part of everyone’s education. Sadly, at the moment, some children in primary schools are missing out on this hugely important subject.
And I want to try to do something about it.
Having had a lot of fun recently writing a new tutor for the instrument, ‘Recorder for Beginners: The Tudor Way’ an idea began to form.
In partnership with the Greater Manchester Music Hub, the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and Chetham’s School of Music, we are going to put recorder teaching into a healthy number of schools in the Greater Manchester area starting this September. I shall be supplying the books (‘Recorder for Beginners: The Tudor Way’ obviously!) and the instruments, ABRSM will be subsidising the teaching,, there will be a big Gala event at Chetham’s in May next year for all the pupils to get together to celebrate their work (together with some eminent recorder players) and it will all be coordinated by Carolyn Baxendale, head of the Greater Manchester Music Hub.
In recent years the poor old recorder has, inexplicably fallen into some disfavour. It is however the ideal instrument… the perfect instrument for youngsters to learn. And here are the reasons why:
- It is small and easily portable, requires no setting up and doesn’t break, even if dropped from a great height (hopefully a rare occurrence…)
- It requires little technical expertise to make it work – and even the very first sounds made (within reason) are not that dissimilar from a player of many more years’ experience
- Making that sound is a very natural process – as natural as breathing – which of course is exactly the way the sound is made
- it’s a very logical instrument, being a straight tube on which you place your fingers (in a logical manner) and when you raise one, the sound, as you might expect, is also raised
- It has a long and colourful history and is part of a family that eventually meet up occasionally to play some pretty excellent music
So, around 260 children will be getting some regular instrumental tuition for two terms starting this September. They will, subconsciously, begin to develop all those myriads of qualities that music teaches us. Among them (the complete list is far too long for recording here) are the development of patience, listening, physical control and discipline, concentration, imagination and expression, working together and helping one another, and perhaps most important – it will help to develop confidence and self-belief. All these as well as the sheer joy of learning a musical instrument – a pleasure that can last a lifetime.
I hope many of you might be able to join us for the Gala celebration at Chetham’s on Sunday May 18th 2025. See you there!
© Paul Harris, August 2024
Revisit Paul's video from last year's Recorder21 about his Tudor Way tutor book by clicking below:
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ERTA UK
We're pleased to be able to share an exclusive video from Chris Orton and Heidi Fardell, the chair and vice-chair of ERTA UK.
ERTA (European Recorder Teachers' Association) UK provides a forum for recorder teachers and all educational practitioners interested in the recorder to share best practice and their joy for music making and education. Through conferences, workshops and regular newsletters, the organisation provides a platform for recorder teachers to meet, share ideas, and enhance their practice.
If you're not in the UK, you can find out about other national Recorder Teacher Associations by clicking here.
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Educational Discounts
To celebrate our Recorder in Education day, we're launching a revamped educational discount which applies our bestselling Triebert soprano and alto recorders and Paul Harris tutor books. This discount is perfect for class and group teaching and offers you the chance to purchase class sets for a great price.
When ordering 20 or more recorders or books, a 10% discount will automatically be applied to your cart. Best of all, you can mix and match as much as you like!
Discover all the products you can choose between by clicking here, or on the banner below.
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The Sound of Recorder Music!
As included in our bulk educational discount, today we listen to the Triebert plastic soprano recorder. Available in two finishes, matt black and rosewood effect, this low-cost instrument is an ideal starter recorder and comes with a zip case, fingering chart and cleaning rod. Listen to the clips below or follow this link to find out more about this instrument, exclusive to The Early Music Shop.
Van Eyck Nightingale:
Sammartini Allegro:
Scale:
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