I am so super excited to announce that we are starting 4th/5th Grade Recorder Club January 2024!! All interested students are accepted. We will meet during recess on Tuesdays.
Beginning next school year (2024-25), we hope to begin a regular recorder club for 4th and 5th graders where they can explore additional recorder voices. We will be looking to purchase alto, tenor, and bass recorders during this school year to prepare for that experience.
What is Recorder Ensemble? The Recorder Ensemble has between 10-15 members depending on the school year. They will meet once a week to learn how to play additional members of the recorder family. 4th grade students will learn to play the alto recorder which has a different set of fingerings and a lower range than the soprano that we learn in class. 5th Grade musicians get to choose one of the following: sopranino (the highest), alto, tenor, or bass (lowest) recorder. Students also learn extended ranges and multipart music on their soprano recorder as well. We perform several times a year to share our discoveries with our friends and families.
Featured Left to Right: Sopranino, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass
How do you join Recorder Ensemble? Students are selected based on their outstanding achievement during the previous year’s recorder technique and music literacy studies. In order to get invited into recorder ensemble, you must have earned your purple belt in Rainbow Recorders the previous school year. You also must have a very good attendance record and complete your regular classwork on time. (If you are new to our school and are interested in RE, come and see me.)
Does it cost anything to join? Each student selected for the ensemble will be loaned a special recorder- alto, sopranino, tenor, or bass- for the year. There is no cost to participate; however, if the special recorder is lost or damaged, you will be required to replace it. ($28-Alto, $68-Tenor, $12-Sopranino, $230 Bass)
When does the ensemble meet? Recorder Ensemble will meet once a week during the lunch club/recess time. Rehearsal attendance is mandatory. If students miss rehearsal more than 2 times- *or show up unprepared without their recorder or music*- they will be dismissed from the group.
**Occasionally rehearsals will be switched due to holidays and field trips.
