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A school in Oldbury, England, has been praised by the Ukulele Society of Great Britain for its idea of introducing the ukulele into the classroom in place of the recorder.
Barabara Carter, the head teacher, said she doubted the recorder would ever be back after the ukulele's surprise success.
She said: "It is an instrument associated with George Formby, but most of our pupils haven't heard of him".
"I guess he might get a few more fans from what we are doing".
"I think they are easier to play and have instant results, unlike the recorder".
"We don't have recorders in our school any more, it's as much to do with the pitch of them as anything else - they're just too high“.
Formby shot to fame after abandoning his career as a horse jockey in 1921 and turning his hand to music.
It has been suggested he first took up the ukulele as a hobby, before he realised its potential.
Society secretary Fred Pearson said: "A lot of people will find that it is relatively easy to play.
"With the Ukulele you can get going and get great songs played in just a day.
"I personally think it's a massive improvement on the recorder, you look like a player because it looks like a guitar and it will give the pupils an interest in music“.
So Mr Pearson thinks it looks like a guitar?
The Ukulele he is referring to probably does resemble a small 4 string guitar.....but not the one George Formby used to play.
He is shown here with a Banjo....a Ukulele Banjo actually.
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I have a couple of these awaiting restoration. I think they have more appeal than the 'Baby Guitar' type of ukulele. There are some simply awful plastic versions of these.....but if it gets children interested in music it cant be a bad thing.
One last point......the recorder does teach children to read music off the stave, whereas the Ukulele music is, I bet, only a series of chord shapes.....only three probably.
And for anyone interested there is a Ukulele Museum web site run by Alan 'UKE' Harris which can be found at http://alanukeharris.co.uk/
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Descant recorders are high pitched but I don't know why schools don't use the lower register recorders instead.
ReplyDeleteI see your point about the reading of the stave. When I was 8 I taught myself to read music purely from recorder playing. Our school music teacher wrote her own recorder tunes for us, always in the key of "G" and the first one was based on the notes "B", "A" and "G". From those, I sussed out the rest of the stave, flats and sharps and other keys and all, during my Easter holidays. Thing is, now I have to think of everything as though it were in "G" and if I'm transposing I almost have to transpose the piece into "G" then out again. If I can't get my head round the tonality of songs or want to write down what I hear, I have to kid myself they're in "G". It's rather a handicap.
Sorry. Said too much. This could have been a post of my own.
There is a mention of me winning best in show:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.modelshop.co.uk/education/e_04.htm
On that site you can also see the other models.
I don't mind you blogging my organ if you'd like.
Here is someone playing one of those tunes on the piano:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms9aU99NrSE&feature=fvw
I'm sure it could be simplified... But I'm rather mystified as to where to start!
Any way, chat again soon. Thanks for your help.
Hi Foody,
ReplyDeleteI expect they use the descant recorder so that young players fingers can reach the holes more easily. The tenors and trebles need quite a stretch.
I think G must be the easies key to play the recorder in. Every instrument seems to have an ’easy’ or ’easier’ key to play in. ie Piano - key C. I learnt music from starting on the violin (and I’m still on the fiddle now) and I always found it easiest to play in the key of D. The little organs favourite key is Eb. And I have to transpose any music into this key (or Bb, Ab.) Hard work.
Cheers.....Bernard
Hello Roseanne,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all those details ..I shall pop over and have a look.
I put a picture of your organ on ‘tracker-bar’.
I have looked at your tunes……remember you only have 20 notes!
They may have to be simplified.
The first question is…..are you going to do a ‘fair’ amount of arranging yourself?
The second question is….are you going to build a punch and punch your own rolls?
It is possible to arrange music on the computer as MIDI files, and then get Melvyn Wright to punch them for you. This would save you buying/cutting/punching paper.
I have started a series on how to arrange over on ‘tracker-bar’….bit busy at the moment but I will try to write a bit more when I get time.
Cheers……Bernard
I didn't realise you fiddled. I'm a fiddler too - classical mainly but I do do folk tunes too. I agree about D. I think G is just as easy because it's just down a string but of course I'm G-biased.
ReplyDeleteI haven't played for years actually. I learnt at school on my mother's violin. In order to keep the violin in the family, some years ago I passed it on to my niece who is a music teacher. It has once again moved on... to her daughter who is now able to play a full size violin.
ReplyDeleteHow about GG biased??
(OK I know...they're ponies)