First Three Notes

---

🎵 Unit: Recorder Rhythms Unleashed

Lesson 2 of 10 — Year 4 Music
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 30 students

---

🎯 Australian Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: The Arts – Music
Year Level: Year 4
Strand: Performing, Responding, and Composing
Content Descriptions:

• ACAMUM084: Practise singing, playing instruments and improvising music, using elements of music including rhythm, pitch, dynamics and form in a range of pieces, including in music from the local community.
• ACAMUM083: Use symbols and notation to represent sound and enhance performance in music.

---

🎓 Learning Intentions

By the end of this lesson, students will:
✅ Identify and play notes B, A, and G on the soprano recorder
✅ Demonstrate correct finger positioning and posture
✅ Read and perform simple rhythmic patterns using B, A, and G
✅ Build confidence playing in a group ensemble

---

🧠 Success Criteria

Students will be successful when they:
✔ Describe how to produce B, A, and G correctly
✔ Accurately perform short call-and-response phrases using these notes
✔ Maintain a steady tempo while playing with peers
✔ Show correct hand positioning and breath control

---

🪘 Resources & Equipment

• Soprano recorders (class set – sanitised and labelled)
• Whiteboard and staff notation magnets
• Printed recorder fingering charts (A4 laminated, one per student)
• Poster of recorder note chart for classroom display
• Simple call-and-response song sheet ("Bubblegum Beat")
• Metronome or drum backing track (set to 80 bpm)
• "Recorder Rockstars" reward stickers or small achievement badges for positive reinforcement

---

🕰️ Lesson Breakdown

1. Welcome & Review (5 mins)

• Warm welcome and recap last week’s lesson: parts of the recorder, blowing technique
• Reinforce class expectations (gentle blowing, rest position, listening ears)
• Quick quiz: Ask 3 volunteers to name recorder parts using gestures

2. Warm-Up: Recorder Aerobics (5 mins)

• Have students stand in a circle with recorders in rest position
• Breathing games: sniff in, hiss out (engage diaphragm)
• Finger warm-ups: tap left-hand fingers on and off the mouthpiece in correct order (thumb, index, middle, ring)
• "Air B, A, G": Practise finger placement silently without blowing

3. Explicit Teaching: Get to Know B, A, and G (10 mins)

Demonstration + Modelling

• Display fingering chart on board and show the difference in finger placement for B, A, and G
• Teacher models the notes slowly: play B (thumb + 1), A (thumb + 1 + 2), and G (thumb + 1 + 2 + 3)
• Talk students through how to cover the holes evenly and softly blow — emphasis on “cold air, not hot soup”
• Display on board:

  ● B = thumb + 1
  ● A = thumb + 1 + 2
  ● G = thumb + 1 + 2 + 3
  

4. Guided Practice: Echo & Call (10 mins)

• Students seated in semi-circle with recorders
• Teacher plays a 4-beat rhythm using one of the notes — students echo back
  • Start: single notes (e.g. "B – B – A – A")
  • Move to mixed patterns ("G – A – B – G")
• Add fun: turn each pattern into a word (e.g. "Ba-na-na" = B–A–B–A)
• Use drum loop at 80 bpm to keep tempo steady

5. Independent Practice: ‘Bubblegum Beat’ (10 mins)

• Introduce short composition using B, A, and G
• Line-by-line modelling: teacher plays, students copy
• Divide into small groups (5 per group) to practise sections
  • Rotate groups while teacher gives feedback on technique and rhythm
  • Employ peer coaching (stronger players support peers in quieter corner stations)

6. Performance Circle: Play it Proud! (3 mins)

• Bring class back together in a full circle
• Cue track at 80 bpm and perform "Bubblegum Beat" all together
• Encourage students to stand tall, focus forward, and play gently

7. Reflect & Celebrate (2 mins)

• Quick discussion: What went well? What was tricky?
• Use sentence starters:
  • "Today I learned…"
  • "Next lesson I want to try…"
• Award up to 5 students with a "Recorder Rockstar" badge for showing enthusiasm, posture, or focus

---

📘 Differentiation

Support:

• Pair EAL/D students or those with fine motor challenges with peer buddies
• Provide simplified notation using coloured dots on modified finger charts
• Allow "air practice" or silent fingering for students building confidence

Extension:

• Challenge confident players to create their own 4-beat composition using B, A, and G
• Let them perform it to the class with body percussion beneath their melody (peer-led ensemble)

---

🔄 Assessment (Informal/Anecdotal)

• Observe each child’s finger placement, breath control, and posture throughout
• Use a tick sheet to record students who can:
  • Identify notes B, A, and G
  • Play them confidently with correct fingers
  • Match rhythm from teacher-led echo sequences
• Collect mini reflections from exit discussion to inform planning for Lesson 3

---

🏁 Wrap-Up

Next Lesson Teaser:
“Get ready to dive into rhythm as we start layering B, A, and G into new groove patterns and try out our very first class performance duet!”

Teacher Note:
Take 5 minutes post-lesson to jot down students who might need a recap next week. Consider recording the class sound once a month – it’s great for reflection and hearing growth across the unit!

---

Let’s keep the music meaningful and the momentum moving — our little players are on their way to becoming recorder legends!