Teaching Artists Attend Recorder Workshop
ETM-Bay Area Teaching Artist Chris Winslow demonstrates recorder to his sixth graders at Peres Elementary.
This January, seven of our ETM-Bay Area and DSMP teachers attended Leslie Timmons’ workshop “Targeting Technique in the Recorder Classroom.” Ms. Timmons, a regular teacher at Utah State University, travels across the country and in Central America to perform and give clinics on flute and recorder. In this seminar, sponsored by the Northern California American Orff Schulwerk Association (www.ncaosa.org). Ms. Timmons focused on integrating recorder into the Orff curriculum through short activities using speech, movement, singing and playing.
Our music teachers found the seminar to be instantly applicable to their work in the classroom. Teacher Marcos Saenz had just begun to teach recorder in his class the week previous to the workshop. “Although I have been teaching music in the classroom for years, “ he said, “the recorder techniques and teaching ideas were new and exciting. Many of the tips I learned at the seminar were taught in my very next recorder class at Wilson Elementary!” Julie Bruins had a similar experience. She used exercises she learned at the seminar with her students to help them with their technique, such as having them focus on articulation with “t” and “h” sounds so they could compare.
Attending professional development seminars like “Targeting Technique in the Recorder Classroom” gives our teachers new and relevant information that they can use to enhance and broaden their educational knowledge. Professional development sessions also provide opportunities to connect and share ideas with other teachers facing the same challenges in their classes. As our teachers grow, so can their music programs, better serving the communities ETM Bay Area strives to serve.
A donation of $150 sponsors a child's music education for an entire year!
Planned for 2011-12:
- Partnerships with 6 schools and consulting support to 7 additional schools serving over 4,000 children in the Bay Area!
Quotes
"I learned that if you try you will overcome your fears and do well."
- 5th grader on the impact of music performance