Learning to play the recorder is a very rewarding experience. For many students this is the first instrument you can call your very own.

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2 Learning to play the recorder is a very rewarding experience. For many students this is the first instrument you can call your very own. Once you understand the basics and learn some strategies, you can teach yourself almost any song! Think of the possibilities!

3 Learning to play the recorder takes a lot of hard work and determination. For some students, learning to play the recorder is easy. For most students, however, it takes quite a bit of practice. Don t be upset if your recorder squeaks a lot especially at the beginning. If you want to get better, take your recorder home and practice, practice, practice!

4 Learning to play the recorder requires a ton of self control. Many students are soooooo excited to play their recorder that they forget they are still at school and have rules and expectations set out for them. Play only when you re asked to play this makes it possible for all students to learn.

5 Getting Your Recorder Out Forgetting Your Recorder Rest Position Ready Position Playing Position Putting Your Recorder Away

6 Getting Your Recorder Out Take your recorder out of it s case. Put the case under your chair. Put your recorder into REST POSITION.

7 Forgetting Your Recorder Get a school recorder out of the clean bucket. Tell me that you forgot your recorder. If you forget your recorder 2 music classes within the unit, your music grade will be affected.

8 Rest Position Around your neck if you have a neck strap. In your lap if you do not have a neck strap. DO NOT play your recorder. ***Rest position is for listening to directions.

9 Ready Position Mouthpiece of the recorder rests on your chin. Both hands support the recorder with fingers covering the correct holes. Unused fingers are floating above the holes. ***Ready position is for practicing skills before playing the recorder.

10 Playing Position Mouthpiece of the recorder rests on your bottom lip. Top lip just barely covers tip of the mouthpiece. Your teeth NEVER touch the recorder. Both hands support the recorder with fingers covering the correct holes. Unused fingers are floating above the holes.

11 Playing Position Your body is sitting or standing tall. If sitting, the end of your recorder is aiming at your crossed legs your recorder is not a trumpet! Watch me to know when to start playing. Always watch me for the cut-off cue (that means to stop playing).

12 Putting Your Recorder Away At the end of class, put your recorder back in its case. You are responsible for bringing your recorder back for the next music class. If you borrowed a recorder today, put it into the need to clean box.

13 Activate Your Tongue Barely Blow Cover Holes Completely (We re going to go through them in reverse.)

14 Cover Holes Completely One of the reasons your recorder squeaks is that you re not covering the holes completely. When you don t cover the holes completely, air escapes through the holes making your recorder squeak.

15 Cover Holes Completely An easy way to check whether you re covering the holes completely is to press your fingers down harder than normal and then let go. Check for where your recorder warts form. They should be in the middle of the tips of your fingers not too close to the top or the sides.

16 Make sure your thumb (T) is covering the back hole! The fingering for E is: T, 1, 2, 3 (left hand), 1, 2 (right hand).

17 Barely Blow The number one reason your recorder squeaks is because you are blowing too hard. Think of how soft a whisper sounds. That is how soft you need to blow into your recorder.

18 Barely Blow Put up one finger and pretend it s a candle. Try to blow out the candle (cool air). Put up your hand and pretend that you re trying to fog up a mirror (warm air). Use warm air instead of cool air it squeaks less!

19 Activate Your Tongue Imagine your breath as a stream of water coming out of a faucet. If you flick your finger into the water, the stream is interrupted, but keeps going. When you start and stop a note you need to think about just interrupting your stream of air, not stopping it.

20 Activate Your Tongue Say the word duh. Your tongue hits the inside of your mouth right behind your two front teeth. Take a deep breath. Let your air out in a steady stream as you say the word duh over and over. Do it again, but this time just move your tongue without making any sound.

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