Learn to Play Recorder: Recorder Book

Manus's decades of experience developing music education materials shows in every page of this recorder book. The straightforward pedagogical approach combined with practical duets gives students immediate payoff for their practice, and the complete fingering chart is a resource they will reference throughout their first year of playing.

Clear, direct, and encouraging. The progression feels manageable because each step builds logically on the last, and the duets provide moments of real music-making that reinforce what students have just learned.

This book serves beginning recorder students in school ensembles, private lessons, or independent study. It works equally well for young learners starting their musical journey and older students picking up the instrument for the first time.

• Encourage students to use the duets as soon as they have learned the basic fingerings; playing with a partner or teacher builds tone control and rhythmic confidence faster than solo practice alone.
• Have students work through the fingering chart systematically before moving on to new pages in the book, ensuring secure muscle memory rather than hesitant searching.
• Play the duets as part of your regular lesson or class structure, rotating parts so students gain experience with both melody and accompaniment lines.
• Keep the fingering chart visible during early lessons; referencing it without shame normalizes the learning process and reduces frustration.

Use this as your primary text for recorder instruction in your general music curriculum or beginning band program. The duets make natural pairing opportunities during rehearsal, and you can assign sections strategically to match your teaching pacing.

• Basic recorder fingerings and hand position
• Reading pitch in treble clef
• Counting and executing simple rhythmic patterns
• Coordinating breathing with phrasing
• Playing duets and responding to another musician
• Interpreting a fingering chart independently