Submitted by Tari McKee, Ohio

Idea posted May 8, 2002

I thought I'd share my Recorder Karate list.

White - (BAG) Hot Cross Buns
Yellow - (BAG E) Yangtze Boatmen's Chantey
Orange - (BAG ED) Old Mac Donald
Green - (C' BAG) Hush Little Baby
Purple - (D'C' BAG) Lightly Row
Blue - (D'C' BAG) Ode To Joy (Music K-8)
Red - (BAG F-sharp; maybe ED, I can't remember) Lightly Row Harmony
Brown - (AGF-natural, EDC) Saturday Night Star (Music K-8 version of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Black - (D'C'B-flat, AGFE) America

(I may continue with stars for 2nd degree black belt, etc. with notes like High E and selections with complication rhythms, etc.)

The learning pace has been remarkable, and I love that I can be so accurate in my assessment recording and reporting. We have been at it for about 10 weeks and are up to the Blue belt with almost all the students up to pace. We learn other pieces as well... these are just the belt criteria. For the other pieces, the students can earn a bead of the same color belt that corresponds with the notes used. For example, "Breeze Blown BAG" (from Recorder Jam) would earn a student a white bead because it uses BAG as does "Hot Cross Buns."

I do not let them play from music with note names written in. They can do that to their music, but they must play from clean music for a belt.

We do recorders in 4th grade, although, we occasionally play them in 5th and 6th, too. This is my first year with Recorder Karate and the results have been phenomenal! My 5th graders told me they wanted to do a whole recorder unit so they can get belts, too.