Plank Road Publishing

Progressive, Fun-To-Play Warm-Ups For Young Players

Arranger: Paul Jennings
Format: Book and CD
Instrumentation: Classroom Recorder

Many, many teachers have told us how much they've used these well thought-out sets of warm-ups, originally found in issues of Recorder Classroom magazine. Artie tells us that in every classroom recorder lesson, as well as each ensemble recorder segment, she always starts with an echo-style warm-up sequence. They keep the students' ears working and their fingers moving, starting with easy sequences and gradually building in complexity.

These nine separate warm-up sequences, in two sets, are much like they were in the two issues they came from. The first six warm-ups, "Excellent Ears," are easier and moderately short. These six echoes are based on the notes B, A, G, BA, AG, and BAG. The last three warm-ups, "Easy Echoes," are longer, and spiral progressively. They feature the notes, respectively, BAG, BAGC'D', and low D low EBAG. Since these sets are more complex, three recordings are provided for each, at 84 bpm, 92 bpm, and 100 bpm.

We provide everything you will need to use these creatively with your classes. There are a variety of lesson plan strategies for you to consider, depending on your students' experience and abilities. The notation for each Warm-Up Sequence can be:

• Displayed via a computer/projector
• Made into a poster for display
• Copied onto an overhead transparency
• Or simply played or spoken for the children to echo by rote

In addition to the printed and downloadable versions of these warm-ups, we give you Artie's extensive notes on each sequence and options for ways to use and adapt them for your classes.

To make these warm-ups even more fun, the background recordings for each of them is arranged by Paul Jennings and professionally recorded by Plank Road Publishing's roster of top musicians. All versions come with the online extras.