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Third grade students begin musical exploration with Recorder Karate program

close up of a student holding a recorder adorned with colored belts that illustrate the student's mastery of the recorder
ethan, wearing a gray tee and trousers, poses with his recorder in front of a blue screen

Third-graders in Amy Carola, Katey Frambach, Lori Bonito, and Audra Cutler’s classes at Chester Elementary School have been learning to play the recorder through the Recorder Karate program, an engaging, student-centered approach that helps young musicians build skills while having fun.

Students work at their own pace and receive extra help from their music teacher, Amanda Gribbin, and their peers during each music class. They begin by learning the basics – how to hold the recorder and produce a proper sound – before progressing to reading notes on a page and matching them with the correct finger placements needed to play songs. 

"Teaching the recorder through the use of the Recorder Karate program is an engaging way for students to reach their musical goals and learn new musical concepts through active music-making,” said Ms. Gribbin. 

As students advance through the program, their progress earns them different color belts, the same way martial arts students track their level of understanding and expertise. To achieve trhe next belt, students must master progressively more challenging music that introduces new notes, rhythms, and hand placements. Students test individually for each level and must successfully complete the goal song at each level before moving on to the next.

“The colored belts are a tangible way for them to gauge their progress and feel a sense of accomplishment at every level,” Ms. Gribbin said. “We are so proud of all our third-graders and cannot wait to see what they accomplish as they continue to work hard on becoming master recorder players!"  

Here are the songs that the students learn in the recorder program along with their associated goal songs.

•    White Belt: Hot Cross Buns
•    Yellow Belt: Gently Sleep
•    Orange Belt: Merrily We Roll Along
•    Green Belt: It's Raining 
•    Purple Belt: Old MacDonald Had A Farm
•    Blue Belt: When The Saints Go Marching In
•    Red Belt: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
•    Brown Belt: Amazing Grace
•    Black Belt: Ode To Joy

Congratulations to third-grader Ethan Piller from Ms. Bonito's class (pictured with his recorder and belts) on being the first student in his grade level to achieve Recorder Karate Black Belt status this year!