Fifth and Sixth-grade Recorder Students Entertained the Area PTA Presidents

Submitted by julia.murray on

The September area PTA meeting was held at Art City Elementary, Springville, on Wednesday September 18, 2013.  PTA Presidents were entertained by the following students who are Recorder Karate "Black-belt's":  Fifth-grade, Joey Hammond, Conner Cross, Brevin Park McKay Dalley, Frida Gomez, Amanda Gardner and Sixth-grade, Emily Clisbee and Rebecca Walton. During the School year last year (2012-13) Mrs. Lisa Gervais, the Music teacher, started using the program "Recorder Karate by Barb Philipak", Mrs. Gervais was so impressed with these students to begin this program and be able to pass off all nine songs to become black belts in their first year (the 5th-grade were 4th and the 6th were 5th-grade last year).

            This year is Mrs. Gervais's second year teaching music at Art City Elementary School. Last year as she was setting up her classroom she found the book Recorder Karate By Barb Philipak it teaches students how to play the recorder with simple lessons and amazing motivation, using ribbons representing "belts" as they pass off songs they earn a "belt". White, "Hot Cross Buns; Yellow, "Gently Sleep"; Orange is "Merrily We Roll Along"; Green, "It' Raining"; Purple, "Old MacDonald had a Farm"; Blue, "When the Saints Go Marching In"; Red, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"; Brown, "Amazing Grace"; and Black, "Ode to Joy".  

             Recorders gained popularity in schools in the 1950′s and are still a great instrument to teach to young children today. Students learn rhythms, how to read music… and how to put those two together along with fingerings. They also learn phrasing, breathing, tonguing, melody and many other musical concepts. (Posted by admin on February 9, 2011 in Elementary Music Teacher Blog)  Some schools only teach the Recorder for one year, at Art City students receive Recorders in the fourth-grade and continue using them through the sixth-grade, when they get to keep them. 

 

Attributions
Pictures by Principal Lori Nielsen