Laugh Canon: Recorder
Movement, Singing, Recorder, Dalcroze
I’ve been writing a lot lately about canon as a strategy. The unique input/output dynamic, the listening and responding that it requires is a very good skill for our students to practice. If you are teaching recorder (or another instrument) I think it’s really great to start to incorporate it into these activities. Choosing a song that lies well on the recorder and building a sequence that eventually culminates in a recorder performance makes a ton of sense. In this post I’ll share a good recorder canon, and some other recorder fun! But first…
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From the Archive:
Recorder Battle : EPIC ACTIVITY
Would you call yourself a purist? Or… is your approach more of a “mixed bag.” I find that most people are the latter. We take bits and pieces from different methodologies to make for the most complete education, designed specifically for our classes and communities. I am heavily influenced by the Dalcroze method, and my public school teaching in many ways resembles a traditional Dalcroze approach. However, I wouldn’t call my pedagogy “pure” by any stretch of the imagination. I am pulling a lot of influences from other places, as well as omitting many pillars of the work that I find less helpful. I am a big fan of teaching the recorder, for instance, and I don’t know of a lot of other Dalcroze teachers who incorporate it.
There is a conventional wisdom, when sequencing a recorder curriculum, to always add layers of difficulty to the next song that is introduced. Perhaps it includes a new note or new rhythm. This makes sense in terms of building the skills necessary to prepare the students for more complex instruments. However, another way to add difficulty is to invite the students to play in CANON! This really holds the students accountable for their overall musical performance as well as the raw skills of fingers and embouchure, etc.
Playing in canon requires more musicality, a steady beat, and careful listening. Can the students fumble their way through a more complicated song? Maybe… but it’s better to play a simple song with elevated musicianship. Canon is a great way to encourage this level of musicianship, even though the song is relatively easy!