Category: Music

The time has finally come to post my final demonstrations! I want to first off thank Anita for a week extension that really allowed me to put in the extra practice. From this, I was able to get myself to a place where I felt more comfortable playing and submitting my final product. I did not want to give up and submit something that I wasn’t proud of. This taught me that reaching out for help and letting your instructor know where you are at is very helpful. People cannot help you or understand what you are going through unless you tell them or ask!

According to my Musical Growth Plan, I wanted to be able to play the song the Bear Necessities by this time. Unfortunately, I was unable to master O Canada to start, forcing me to revise my plan. I was able to master a happy birthday first and scaffold my learning in a way that made more sense for my skill level. I felt proud that I could make this revision, but also a little disappointed in myself as well. Moving forward, I wanted to focus on playing O Canada in a fluid way that had clear notes and sound. I found it difficult to get that sound when the notes were played with only have a covering. I hope that this video proves that some of these kinks were sorted out!

I found that when I slowed the song down I could focus on getting the right sound and now the right speed. For me, this helped because I was getting a successful result and sound, and the speed was something that I could develop and work on overtime. I spent 10-15 minutes practicing every day and found it easier each time. By going through this process and blogging along the way I was able to critically think about the errors I was making and what notes and factors seemed to be the most challenging at the time. This gave me the ability to reflect and revisit these areas, which ultimately allowed me to highlight my successes when they were had! I enjoyed reading back on all of my blogs today as it really does take you on a journey of musical growth.

My final is not perfect by any means, but it is leaps and bounds from where I was a few weeks ago! I hope you can see my efforts (please disregard the second to last note)!

P.S. My wifi was not strong enough to upload the file from my computer (because of where I live in Metchosin our connection is very weak) so I recorded it on my phone and have uploaded it this way. I hope that this works and apologize for the quality. Thank you again for your kind extension Anita – it helped me so much!

Video (1)

For this blog post, I wanted to discuss a few things before submitting my final blog post and video! I have had a few major breakthroughs this week by following my positive mindset goals as discussed in my last blog. After things fizzled out a bit in terms of figuring out my finances due to the COV-ID madness, I was able to up my practicing to a few minutes each day. From here, I started to figure out which notes I felt most comfortable with, and those that I struggled with. I realized that I was able to play notes that required my thumb, first, second, third, and fourth fingers(A, B, C, C#/Db, D, G, etc) but struggled with the notes that required my fifth, sixth, 7th, and 8th fingers (C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb,  E, F, F# /Gb, G#/Ab, etc). Additionally, notes that required half of a finger on the hole seemed to be a challenge.

I started to think of ways to help myself remember the fingering for each note I struggled with, so I wrote out each note on 8 little circles and one thumb circle to represent my fingers for the song of “O Canada”. This helped me immensely, as I have no musical background and was honestly quite lost when trying to learn to read music. This was a great way to push me forward and start to bring the song together. It took a few hours and a lot of patience, but I was determined to get this project done (hopefully successfully!).

I hope that I can incorporate the recorder in ways that can enhance many different lessons and subjects. I believe that integrating music into other subjects, as discussed this semester, is a great way for students to gain more motivation in class and ultimately learn more in the process. I really enjoyed the unit listed in our textbook on whales that incorporates music and science. I would love to use this lesson in my future classroom with the help of the recorder to play easy songs that educate students about whales and oceans. This would also be a fantastic gateway to teach students about eco-friendly practices to save our oceans which is something I am extremely passionate about. Through this breakthrough of teaching myself the recorder in my own way, I am confident that I could pick up other simple songs that my students would enjoy!

Currently, I am trying to master O Canada on the recorder, and did not realize that it would be as challenging as it is for me! That being said, I am really trying to focus on the consistent practice instead of mastery. That way, I can begin to see my small improvements and keep up to pace with my Musical Growth Plan.

One of the difficult parts of the recorder if maintaining proper fingering, pressure, and breath, to avoid the squeaks! I wanted to look into tips and tricks to help get a smooth and pleasant sound when playing, and was surprised just how helpful they were! So of the tips that helped me most were as follows:

• Avoid “overblowing” – too much breath and pressure can make the recorder sound squeaky. You have to practice being gentle enough to avoid this, but still, have enough breath to produce a clear sound. A trick that was advised is to act as though you are blowing a bubble but don’t want to pop it! This was a really great visual for myself, and also solidified the importance of using language like this in my future classrooms.
• Proper hand placement – I have learned that this is extremely important to the sound you will get out of the recorder. You need to make sure that your hands are properly placed (right hand on the bottom) in order to get a clear sound. This is because your fingers need to be completely covering the holes. In order to do so, you must make sure you are applying light and gentle pressure to play the notes properly, but aren’t applying to much pressure to hurt your fingers and make transitions difficult.
• Positive energy! – this for me was a must when playing. As I have listed in my blogs previously, this journey has been difficult for me! Once I started to look at it as a fun activity rather than homework, I found that I could pick up the recorder for a few minutes here and there without as much anxiety. My work and school schedule make me a very busy person and it is easy for me to get overwhelmed. When I allow myself to relax and focus on the positives, I am grounded back to the commitment I have made to school to better my future no matter how difficult it may be at times. It often helps to envision myself as a teacher using these tools and I know that have basic skills on the recorder will help me. Not only could I bring songs into the classroom, but it will also allow for another platform to bond with students on as they are practicing an instrument that I am familiar with.

Thank you Anita for your patience and the opportunities you have given me in class!

Throughout this process I have been trying my best to keep up with the pace! A few weeks ago a discovered that taking time to get familiar with your resources will save you time and stress in the long run!

Youtube is a great tool that has helped me throughout this process. When I first came across a series of videos that give tutorials on recorder songs, I thought what I great idea! When I started with “Happy Birthday “, it was a much easier experience than my second chosen song, “O Canada”.  Because of this, I felt very discouraged and wasn’t sure why the video was playing so fast! I couldn’t keep up with note transitions and I kept feeling frustrated that they wouldn’t slow it down for beginners to learn. Then when we had a Personal Growth day, I was with Lauren in the learning commons practicing my notes. She asked if she could join in to play “O Canada” with me and I said of course! Once the video started to play I was trying to keep up to speed and she informed me that the video slows down after the song plays through once. Imagine that… All this time I had been rewinding the video back to the start because I could never master the first 2/3rds of the song!

So from this, I have really resonated with the FPPL: learning takes time and patience. From this, I have realized that if I were to have reached out to my resources (my peers) in class who were also playing the recorder, I may have learned some tips and tricks earlier on. With more patience, I also would have been able to do one full run-through of the video before playing to really get familiar with the notes, the transitions, the song, and the resource (the YouTube video!).

In moving forward, although I am nowhere near perfect, my note transitions and my speed have improved! And more importantly… my patience!

As stated in my blog previous, this journey has been very challenging! While I have been trying to keep a positive attitude in sticking to my Musical Growth Plan, I also realized that this a personal experience. I have control over my success and how challenging I make this process for myself.  That being said, after giving a solid effort to put together the notes and of “O Canada”, I came to the conclusion that this was too big a commitment, or perhaps to difficult of a song to approach as an absolute beginner! So I began brainstorming, instead of getting discouraged, to find a song that met my novice needs but also incorporated the notes that I had already been learning and practicing. Then I found it – Happy Birthday! An easy and safe place to start for a beginner that also allows for success and mastery.

I promised to be kind to myself during this project, even though I am often my own worst critic and in the past I would have seen this demotion as a failure. Moving forward is all I am hoping to do, even if that means bumps in the road and a change to the original contract I made with myself. The good news is, I have learned through this half of the process that properly scaffolding your learning is so important – especially when learning an instrument!  I can confidently say that this is something I will be taking into my future classroom, and could have only learned its importance by experiencing it first hand. I will also now have a better understanding of different progress levels, and learning rates in different students. Everyone learns differently and at different paces, and that is ok! So from here, I will be posting a video of me playing “Happy Birthday”, a compilation of notes I have been practicing in preparation for recording “O Canada”,  but was unsuccessful in learning that quickly.

“Happy Birthday” consists of the notes: D, E, G, F, A, B, and C. Personally, I think that this a great place to start in terms of note difficulty, transitions, song size, and familiarity. So now that I have restructured my learning plan, I will be able to continue on the journey by adapting to what I need personally form this experience, and what realistic goals look like in the future. I will edit my hard copy of my Musical Growth Plan, and evaluate this after reviewing my Midterm submissions!

As I reflect back on our visit to Campus View, it is helpful to remember that these students started out very small, but with consistent practice and proper scaffolding, were able to play beautiful songs! This is something I like to keep in mind as I look forward to experiencing these moments with my future students!

Happy Birthday – Recorder Recording

P.S. Please excuse my sick self in this video!

Like all learning journey’s, there are bound to be ups and downs. I have been trying my best to keep up to my Musical Growth Plan and with less success than I would like, I realized that I just need to focus on trying my best! So far I have been successful with the majority of the notes for O Canada, but am struggling with playing them quickly and smoothly enough to the time of the song. That being said, it has been quite some time since I have exercised these skills and learned and instrument so I am trying to keep that in mind and stay positive.

Peak: 

Going to Campus View Elementary to observe a day of music classes was such an incredible experience. It really changed my perspective on this recorder journey and I have now have replaced my frustration with appreciation! Seeing the students play the recorder was so inspiring. I was able to see how easily they can be stored, distributed, and cleaned. I sometimes forget how capable young students are but was pleasantly reminded once I got to hear the grade 2 students play (incredibly well!). I am extremely grateful that we were given the opportunity to see recorders being used in the classroom firsthand.

Pit:

Time management is perhaps the hardest part of university. Between work, school, and housework, my to-do list can pile up pretty quick. I have found that I often have little time to spare during my day, and when I do my boyfriend is home from work! I think the hardest part is finding adequate time in my day where I can practice alone and not disrupt the rest of the house. Although I try my best to prioritize, it definitely is a struggle to keep up with all work loads! Through this experience I believe I have been able strengthen my organizational skills, which will most definitely help me in the years to come!

I chose to learn the recorder as it  is a great instrument that can be played by many ages at an affordable cost. I found these features to be very important because it makes bringing music and musical instruments into the classroom accessible to a majority of students and teachers. To begin my journey, I have been watching YouTube videos as well as learning the various notes that are needed to play my songs: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Thus far, I have been struggling to balance my work schedule, as well as moving and being without wifi for 2 weeks, and keeping up with my practice! I have found that I rely on technology to assist me in my playing and learning so  I am in need of a quiet place – like home – that has internet. Now that that problem has been resolved, I am enjoying playing my notes and getting to know my recorder. As my musical growth plan stated, I have read over the musical notes for O Canada and have been applying my current knowledge to the sheet music to focus on learning how to play the full song! I have also discovered just how important it is to be blowing on the recorder the right way to get the proper sound. From tweaking my breath and blowing, I am able to get a much clearer sound and look forward to applying this to my songs that I am learning. All-in-all this experience has been one of trial and error this far and I am eager to learn from these hurdles to better appreciate my understanding of music!