Class Level Guidelines

Rochester ARS Technique Classes: Skill Mastery Guidelines

All classes should develop awareness, understanding and increasing application of: rhythmic accuracy, intonation, tone quality, and phrasing (knowing where to breathe, following words if appropriate). In addition, players should gradually develop sensitivity to musical style and knowledge of the music of different eras.

Beginning

• • Fingerings for one recorder

    • • C: Low C to high A; B flat and E flat; F sharp, C sharp, and G sharp

      • F: Low F to high D; B flat, E flat, and A flat; F sharp and C sharp

  • Time signatures

    • • 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 2/2

      • dotted rhythms

  • Tonguing

    • • soft tonguing (d)

      • staccato

  • Ensemble: Playing 2-part music

Intermediate:

Beginning skills plus:

• • Fingerings for

    • • C: notes above high A

      • F: notes above high D

      • All notes for two octaves

      • Major scales through 3 sharps and 3 flats

      • Some minor scales

      • Fingerings for other instrument

      • Learning bass and bass clef

  • Rhythm

    • • triplets

      • unusual time signatures

      • syncopation

  • Tonguing

    • • d and t tonguing

      • legato

  • Ensemble: Playing 3- and 4-part music with developing awareness of a given part’s role

  • Sight-reading: Developing needed skills

High Intermediate

Intermediate skills plus

• • Playing all notes with ease

  • Switching easily between C and F instruments

  • Major and minor scales through 4 sharps and flats

  • Reading up for alto

  • Reading tenor in bass clef

  • Some alternate fingerings

  • Rhythm

    • • hemiolas

      • suspensions

      • switching between duple and triple rhythms

  • Tonguing

    • • double tonguing

  • Ensemble: Secure in playing multi-part music with knowledge of the varying roles of each part and increasing awareness of the other voices

  • Sight-reading: Increasing accuracy with moderately difficult music

Advanced

High Intermediate skills plus

• • Fluency on four sizes plus sopranino

  • Playing in any key with accidentals

  • 3 forms of minor scales

  • Chromatic scale

  • Playing bass in treble or bass clef

  • Using alternate fingerings and knowing when to use

  • Knowing trill fingerings on S and A

  • Tonguing: Varying articulations to fit the music

  • Ensemble: Secure in playing one on a part in multi-part music with sensitivity to interweaving of the musical lines and ability to respond to the other voices

April 2010