Submitted by Karen Stafford
Idea posted February 10, 2005
Get two-pocket folders for the kids with their names, and have all the Recorder Karate music in the folders. (We often get folders for free from a local distributor.) The folders make it handy for the kids. Have charts up with the songs and the colors they represent so the kids know what they are working towards.
You'll have kids of different progress levels. Divide into small groups by color, and have the kids work together. You can also assign your most progressive students as "tooter tutors." If there is a room next door that is open, allow your more reliable students to practice there. (I can pop by the door to keep an eye on my class and on the kids working at the same time.)
Rig up a hook apparatus that you can hang on the wall to hang the students belts. Since I use braided yarn for the belts, I have the students braid belts ahead of time. I hang the belts on these hooks by color, and the kids just pick them up when they pass. Right at the beginning establish the importance of students supporting one another.
Use a simple rubric when testing. (I have a rubric available on MusicEducationMadness.com, and there is assessment in the Recorder Karate book.) Have a plan in place if kids forget their recorder. I have extras soaking in disinfectant, which are first reserved for kids whose parents would not get them a recorder. Forgetful kids can also use rhythm sticks to practice fingerings. Have consequences ready for forgetting recorders, just like classroom teachers do for forgetting homework.