Can I teach music & recorder at home to an 8yo if...?

[stickygotstuck]

... my knowledge of music is rather limited?

I know how to read music, although just about, and dabbled in guitar and recorder in my distant youth.

One issue is that I learned abroad so I am a Do Re Mi, rather than C D E kind of woman. I can learn but it's not natural so it'll be a bit tricky until I get used to it.

Apart from the cost, and the lack of local teachers, I am thinking it may be best for DD to learn recorder with me (already knows the basics), then go the local music service at the weekends to practice with an ensemble.

Does that sound feasible to you, o experienced musical people?

Yep, I'd do Recorder From the Beginning (by John Pitts) together. Get the one with the CD and listen to that too. It's all quite self-explanatory. Book 1 goes too fast at the end, so at that point I use Play Time 2 and/ or Vamoosh Recorder 1 to supplement.

Thanks Waffle!

We got started on the Pitts' book no. 1, also bought numbers 2 and 3 (we started keen ). We stopped halfway through number 1 and I was intending to continue from there. Will bear in mind your advice about it moving too fast though!

Is the recorder a good instrument to get started on? DD tentatively tried the violin in informal one-to-one lessons with a friend but got fed up. She has since then mentioned the clarinet and the flute, and the bagpipes! so she does seem that way inclined. But how easy would it be to move on to a different instrument later on?

I play the recorder semi-professionally so admittedly I'm biased, but it's a beautiful instrument in its own right. The recorder itself can be taken all the way to Grade 8 and beyond. However, many people move onto other wind instruments and if she wants to do that you have to make sure that she gets her "tonguing" (breath articulation) right to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Thank you rainbow!

I get it, I also think the recorder is great in its own right. We went to a recorder concert when DD had just started, saw all the different types in action, took part in a little ensemble with other kids in the audience, it was great! I just wonder in case she might change her mind again and want to change instruments later on.

She has a plastic soprano one, and have promised her a half decent wooden one when she gets through the first book. Would you recommend a specific one? And is it best to stick to a soprano until the end of the 'course', or could she swap and change with an alto or tenor as she goes along?

I learnt the recorder at primary and moved onto the flute at secondary. It was an easy transition as the music was written in the treble clef, much of the early fingering is the same/similar and I already knew about breathing/tonguing etc.

I love the recorder - it is such a shame it has such a bad name at primary schools. If children were taught to tune them to start with it would help!

Thanks Seeline. I agree, it is lovely if well played/taught.

Anybody has any recommendations for a half-decent wooden recorder for near-beginners? Will it sound noticeably better than your bog standard plastic one?

Stick with a soprano (descant). The fingering on an alto (treble) is different and will just confuse her and, although the tenor has the same fingering as the soprano, it's unlikely that at 8 she'll have big enough hands to be able to play it comfortably-I'm considerably older than that and still struggle.
As for wooden recorders, they do need properly looking after. Lots of smallish children "abandon" their plastic descants for long periods of time (sometimes weeks or months!) without doing anything as involved as cleaning them or even taking them apart. That could seriously damage a wooden recorder. If you're confident that she'll be able to look after it properly then it really would be a matter of how much you're willing to pay. The Early Music Shop (a brilliant shop that sells all kinds of early music instruments and many many recorders) has sopranos ranging from ££ to ££££ depending on maker and wood type. There are a few decent recorder manufacturers that sell instruments on the more reasonable end of the spectrum without compromising on quality, Mollenhauer, Moeck and Kung spring to mind, and I would recommend maybe a Moeck Flauto Rondo or one of the cheaper Rottenburghs or maybe a Kung studio. The other way to go is to get a wooden recorder with a plastic head for robustness and ease of cleaning Mollenhauer's dream sopranos are the best of the bunch. I would suggest a trip to either London or Yorkshire (EMS have branches in both places) though to have a good play through and a feel for what she likes. A decent recorder can be a good investment and trying out instruments is good fun. I do hope this helps

@unweavedrainbow another 'proper' recorder player here! The early music shop in saltaire is great and a lovely day out for lunch etc. The recorder really is a wonderful instrument and the negativity surrounding it is starting to diminish now there is excellent teaching going on at universities and conservatoires.
Where are you? Perhaps we know some teachers for when you've exhausted John Pitts!

Yes- work you way together through the Pauline Hall 10 notes for 10 fingers book and you can teach the keyboard.

Sounds perfectly doable!

Another recorder player here - used to have lessons at the RCM! Maybe we should start a thread?!

Wow, lots of proper recorder players here, thanks for all the responses!

rainbow thanks very much for that thorough list of recommendations. Wooden recorders with a plastic head, who knew! Sounds just the ticket for DD, who at 8yo is likely to abandon it for periods. And we are in Yorkshire, as it happens

bandsmummy, I am in the wrong end of Yorkhire for Saltaire. But perfectly doable for visiting the shop (salivating here), if too far for lessons. But if you know anybody near that silly bit of North Yorkshire that juts into West Yorkshire, please do let me know!

I think you have to spend around £250 to get a really nice wooden descant. I have a £100 one and it's OK, but my plastic descants are far more versatile. Try something like this as an upgrade:www.earlymusicshop.com/product.aspx/en-GB/1002688-yamaha-yrs312b-soprano-recorder-imitation-rosewood

Or the one that unweaved suggested is a tiny step up, and sounds a bit different.

Book 3 takes you to Grade 3. It can take years, so I do this: Book 1, then Play Time 2, Book 2, then Fun Recorder 3, then Grade 1. Book 3 tends to take my group-taught children all of Years 5 and 6 (on average) with breaks for Grade 2 (or Gold Music Medal), Christmas and music festival stuff, etc.

I'm not sure they do lessons at Saltaire. Most of the teachers I know are manchester or Birmingham way unfortunately!
I wouldn't worry about a wooden recorder just yet. You can easily get to grade 7/8 on plastic instruments, they really are quite good!
I like the Moeck recorders but the best thing to do is just try and see what you like the sound of best.

Thanks Waffle. Excellent, I'll check out those books too.

I wouldn't want to spend a fortune as she is still a beginner, but and the same time it would be nice to get something that sounds noticeably better (my thinking is that it would encourange practice, that and being able to play songs she knows). I saw that imitation rosewood one, may be worth a go.

Thanks bandsmummy.

Talking of grades, would I be able to enter her for exams when she's ready? Or would she need to go through a teacher/music school? Totally clueless about formal music teaching as you can see!

ha, I did took dd for her grade 1 recorder, and made a absolute complete mess of it (even though dd got a distinction). You have to find someone to accompany her (who is better at it than me).
So much easier now having lessons at school....

Thanks foundout. So you wouldn't recommend I took her then?

DD does have group lessons in school. Just half an hour a week in a class of 30 for one term only (and she's been given a clarinet). Unfortunately there is no option to pay for after school lessons. I wish there was!

You would need to check the requirements of the music board. But for abrsm dc had to play two pieces accompanied by piano.
Btw we got the plastic recorder that waffle recommended. She and others here are the experts so listen to their advice, don't listen to me

Grade 1 is usually 18-24 months away for an 8 yr old beginner. I really wouldn't worry about that yet. I play the plastic recorders I linked to for performances, and the cheaper Aulos ones at work.

Trinity and ABRSM definitely allow parents to enter their children but yes, you would need someone to accompany and possibly also to help with the aural tests although this can be done with a CD. I just find being able to do them at the piano gives more flexibility when practicing them.

@YokoReturns the recorder world is so small that we probably all know each other!

Maybe put an ad at York uni for an accompanist.

I do disagree that you need to spend £250 to get a "decent" wooden descant. The cheaper Rottenburghs (maple, pearwood) have a really nice tone and you can get 3 octaves out of them with some judicious breathing. Yes, for solo work you would probably want a harder wood and they are by their nature more expensive but I would still dispute that plastic is in any way better. Don't you think that plastic sounds a bit "dead" or am I being fussy?
Of course, this is pretty irrelevant for the OP. The imitation rosewood recorder is a nice one for beginners and I had one as a teenager for a few years so it could serve her well for a while yet.

Thank you for all the suggestions. The York uni ad sounds like a good idea.

Please excuse the ignorance (again!), but what would the accompanist do? Would that be a pianist just for the exam? Or could she/he help DD prepare for the exam beforehand too?

bandsmummy, I did wonder about that