KDM Blockflötenschule Band 1: Recorder Book

This method treats the recorder as a serious instrument from day one, not a stepping stone. Rauterberg's sequencing of technique, breath control, and articulation before flooding students with melodies means your beginners actually sound like musicians rather than frustrated squeakers. The folk song selection speaks directly to elementary players; these are melodies they recognize and want to play.

Calm and purposeful. The method respects the time it takes to develop real fundamentals, breath control that feels natural, fingers that find their own way to the holes, a tone that carries without strain. There's joy in the familiar folk melodies, but the focus never wavers from solid musicianship.

This is designed for elementary-aged beginners learning baroque fingering on soprano recorder. It works equally well in classroom settings where entire cohorts are learning together, or in private lessons where a teacher needs a structured, methodical path through the instrument's basics.

• Establish posture and hand position before introducing any fingering patterns. Return to these fundamentals in every lesson until they become automatic.
• Model the exact articulation you want, especially for the initial syllables the method introduces. Children learn phrasing by hearing it, not by reading symbols.
• Build tone quality incrementally; resist the urge to move forward when intonation wobbles. A week spent on steady, centered notes prevents months of bad habits later.
• Use the folk songs as performance moments, not just exercises. Let students hear how technique transforms a simple melody into something satisfying to play.

Pair this with classroom recorder units during the elementary years, where consistent weekly instruction builds skills progressively. It also serves independent learners in beginning band or orchestra programs who pick up recorder as a secondary instrument; the clear progression lets them move at their own pace without requiring constant teacher intervention.

• Proper hand position and posture for baroque recorder
• Breath support and steady air flow control
• Tone production from the earliest notes
• Clear articulation using basic tongue syllables
• Left-hand and right-hand fingering patterns in the range c' to d''
• Intonation awareness and corrective listening
• Reading simple melodic lines with accompaniment awareness