instrumental music – Miss Mari's Music

The Lowdown on Low D

We are so close to getting through all right hand fingerings! For this week’s lesson, we are learning how to play low D. The biggest mistake in playing notes where you cover holes with your right hand is the tendency to overblow. This causes the dreaded squeak, so be sure you are thinking about blowing slow, gentle air! If you’re still squeaking, make sure your fingers are covering the holes!

The fingering for D is pretty easy to remember since you cover all but one of the holes! Download the PDF version of this fingering chart for free here!

I am about to be a traveler extraordinaire the next week and a half, so while there won’t be a video next week, the next blog post will be an intro to our next note we are learning, F#… that’s F-SHARP, not F hashtag! I just have to say that to all the younger readers ;-). Stay tuned and stay warm out there!

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…

I heard that some of you have purchased your recorders and are ready for lessons! Way to go! I know you may be tempted to play it, but remember this- it is so much easier to establish good habits than break bad ones. Lesson one, airing September 5th, will cover all the basics to get you started. We will go over proper hand position, how to blow correctly, and you will learn your first note! So get ready!

If it seems like I have not posted in a while, it is because I was on an epic road trip with my family the past two weeks. We covered NINE STATES! Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Here’s a quick summary of our adventure:

Vicksburg, Mississippi for lunch. Fun fact- I had never been to Mississippi, and I’m so glad we stopped. If you are ever there, check out the Catfish Row Children’s Art Park, which is right along the Mississippi River. Unfortunately, the splash pad was under construction, but my family enjoyed looking at the different murals painted on the levees that line the river. We were on a time crunch, but we were able to drive by a few interesting monuments from the Civil War. The city is nicknamed “The Key to the South” because of the turning point in the Civil War after the Confederate Army’s surrender of Vicksburg.
Birmingham, Alabama for the night. I was shocked by the amount of mountains surrounding the city. It was my first time in Alabama, and I was pleasantly surprised by its natural beauty.
Hilton Head, South Carolina for lots of time with family playing in the ocean.
Savannah, Georgia for a historical tour. As a hobby I love learning about architecture and the way culture and historical events impact the design of buildings. Sorrel-Weed House, the home of a high ranking Confederate officer, was incredible! I think my favorite part was the courtyard, where the slaves that built the house imprinted their index and middle fingers into each batch of bricks they made. I feel like the slaves were so brilliant in leaving a little mark for us to remember them.
Blowing Rock, North Carolina. One of my favorite places in Blowing Rock is the Moses Cone Manor. The 13,000 square foot manor sits among thousands of acres of beautiful mountains and trees overlooking Bass Lake. The house was built in 1901 by Moses Cone, a textile entrepreneur, and its extensive trails are now taken care of through the National Park Service.
Nashville, Tennessee to explore different museums and stay the night. I stumbled upon Lane Motor Museum while reading a blog about kid-friendly places in Nashville. There was a wonderful kids area with lots of toy cars for my little one, and my husband and I loved looking at the different collections of vehicles. Did you know that there is a vehicle that was designed to fit through a doorway? It was so tiny! My favorite section of the museum had cars made in Eastern Europe at the height of the Cold War and the rise of Communism. It was interesting to see how the economic struggles and limited resources of the Communist countries affected the design and materials used for the cars.
Memphis, Tennessee for pork ribs. If you’re there, you must get the dry ribs at The Bar-B-Q Shop! They were delicious!

What a fun vacation! Episode one will be here soon, so don’t forget to grab a soprano recorder with baroque fingering for our first lesson! Take a look at my previous post for a comprehensive guide to purchasing a recorder.

New Episode Premieres September 5th!

Thank you for all of your support so far. Check out the teaser for my new channel by clicking here! Your subscription to my channel is appreciated!

We are starting season one with recorder, so if you need to get one, I recommend the Yamaha YRS-24B. It has a smooth, consistent tone quality and is very easy to clean. At $4.55 (plus tax and shipping), it is a great deal for a high quality instrument. I will be using the Yamaha 400 Series YRS-402B. This one is a little more pricey at $23.50, but I personally appreciate that the recorder is made from plant-based materials. You can’t go wrong with either one!

You certainly do not have to buy the ones I recommend, but just be sure whatever recorder you get is a soprano recorder with baroque fingering. Check your local music store, or go to West Music, where there is a large variety of soprano baroque recorders at different price points. Rhythm Band Instruments is another online retailer with a great selection of recorders. While it may be tempting to pick up a recorder in the dollar section at Target, but please don’t! Those recorders are TOY instruments, which means they are meant to mimic the sound of a recorder, but they are not designed to create the tone quality we will be working on.

Once you have your recorder, I know it will be temping to play it, but WAIT until September 5th so we can establish good habits together. If you don’t have your recorder, go get one, and I will see you soon!

How It All Began

First blog post alert!

Well well well…

This all started when I had a simple conversation with a complete stranger. I was in San Antonio for a music teacher conference. I didn’t have dinner plans with anyone one night, so I walked over to the HEB from my hotel to take advantage of a Thursday night pizza special they were having. As I was getting settled and about to bite into some delicious pizza, a woman, maybe a few years older than me, came and asked if she could join me.

Here’s the deal. I am completely fine eating by myself, especially if it is just the patio of a grocery store. I figured it would be more awkward to say no, and she didn’t seem creepy, so I thought, “sure, why not?” I told her a little bit about myself. I was visiting for a convention from out of town. I taught elementary music in public schools before deciding it was time to take a break from my job to stay at home with my little one. I told her that, while I was so thankful to be at home with my toddler, I missed teaching tremendously. I missed the unique way teaching gave me both a creative and analytical outlet. I loved the creative expression, and I also enjoyed the challenge of breaking down the creative process so that other people could experience the same joy I have experienced. I told her how I loved my little one so much, and I really wanted to go back to the classroom, but I just didn’t think it was the right time. She must have been really good at asking questions, because I guess I got kind of deep with this complete stranger.

Without any hesitation, she told me that I should start a blog and YouTube Channel. She told me that I had a lot to offer the world. She told me that, while my little one was napping, I could post videos that teach kids how to play instruments.

Wait.

What?

I have something to offer?

This was a lot to take in. Starting a video channel where I’m teaching musical instruments had never crossed my mind. I figured if I missed teaching, I could sub in some of the nearby elementary schools. But videos? Why? Why not?

When I was in the classroom, the most popular sentiment with my students was that they wanted to play instruments. There were the few that just preferred to sing the entire time, but for the most part, students expected instruments in an elementary music class.

I loved teaching instruments as much as I could, but I had some major limitations. Unfortunately, I think they are many of the same limitations other music teachers face, and I know I was one of the lucky ones.

My classes just kept getting bigger and bigger. For a few years I was given an aide to help offset the classroom management issues that come along with a larger class, but due to budget cuts I lost my aide. Being in a classroom where I was outnumbered sometimes as much as 33 to 1, I did the best I could to teach as much instrumental music as possible. With all the varying abilities and learning styles, I was limited in how much I could teach. I wasn’t able to give nearly enough personal attention to my students, and with nearly 600 students total, it was really difficult to sustain. Do you know what was much more attainable for huge classes? Singing. **Side note- this is NOT meant to discount the importance of singing. Singing is the cheapest and most accessible instrument to everyone. If you’re a vocalist reading this, I admire what you do! I simply know that I wish I could offer more instrumental opportunities for children.**

Anyways…

This is probably why most people associate their elementary music experience with singing, and maybe a few recorder songs here and there. Then there are those who didn’t have any music as part of their education at all. Like I said, I had limitations, but at least I had a job.

And then the light bulb turned on in my head. With today’s technology, I can help any child with an internet connection receive a high quality, elementary-level music education from my own home. I know this still excludes lots of children who do not have access to technology, but hopefully I can reach as many as possible. There are a lot of world problems I can’t solve on my own, but I can grant the opportunity to make music to as many kids as possible!

Teaser video coming soon!