Recently, a member of the Midnight Music Community reached out with a common problem. While plenty of Boomwhacker and ukulele play along videos exist on YouTube, finding quality recorder videos to play along with is more challenging. Katie got to thinking, and in the quest to help, she stumbled upon the fantastic Uncomplicated Sheet Music YouTube channel. But why stop there? We dug deeper and found even more fantastic recorder resources to share.
If you want to energize your recorder classes with engaging play alongs, you’re in the right place! Let’s dive into some of the best recorder play along videos that will make your lessons more interactive and fun.
Uncomplicated Sheet Music
As mentioned, Uncomplicated Sheet Music was a fantastic find during our search for quality recorder play along videos. This channel provides straightforward play alongs that display sheet music alongside the performance, which is particularly helpful for students learning to read music. There are many popular songs to choose from.
Why It’s Useful:
- Tons of modern and popular songs that your students probably already know.
- Simple and clear videos ideal for classroom use.
- Plenty of beginner or more advanced videos.
Essential Recorder Play Along Videos:
- “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” Recorder Play Along
2. “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran – Recorder Play Along
Music With Mr. Gray
Music With Mr. Gray offers engaging and easy-to-follow recorder play along videos. His friendly display style and clear instructions make it accessible for students of all levels.
What Makes It Special:
- All original music; no covers of songs to challenge students from playing by ear.
- Energetic play alongs that keep students engaged.
- A variety of genres and styles to keep the energy high.
Check out these recorder play along videos:
- “Fresh” Recorder play along
2. “Let’s Rock” Recorder Play Along Duet
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra - Recorder Lift-Off
The Recorder Lift-Off program by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra combines professional musicianship with educational content in their recorder play along videos. It’s designed to make beginner recorder music accessible and enjoyable for young learners. There are multiple styles of play along videos for each piece, and it includes free PDFs.
What Makes It Special:
- High-quality play along videos and free PDFs.
- Introduces students to orchestral music through the recorder.
- Includes interview videos for students to ‘meet the composer.’
Check Out Some Recorder Play Along Videos:
- ‘B is for Blues’ Recorder Play Along with Ensemble
2. ‘B is for Blues’ Recorder Play Along Backing Track (Ensemble Only)
Judith Bell - Kiwicorder
Judith and Michael Bell’s Kiwicorder is a treasure trove of New Zealand compositions for beginners through advanced students, offering a variety of recorder play along videos and free music notation. Her lessons are well-paced and feature pieces that students can quickly learn and enjoy.
Highlights:
- Covers a wide range of skill levels in recorder play alongs.
- Comprised of multiple ensemble and duet pieces.
- Includes free teaching notes, videos and sheet music.
Recommended Recorder Play Alongs:
- “Limpet and Barnacle Rock score” Recorder Play Along
2. “Breezes Road Waltz” Recorder play along
Visual Musical Minds
Visual Musical Minds is run by Nathan Walby who uses visual aids to enhance musical instruction through his recorder play along videos. His play alongs feature animated notes and fingerings, which can help students connect the music they hear with the notation they see.
Benefits:
- On-screen visualizations support different learning styles.
- Helps bridge the gap between playing and reading music in recorder play alongs.
- Includes free music notation for all pieces and various warm-ups to encourage proper playing.
Recorder Play Along Videos to Start With:
- Recorder Warm-up #1: Preparing for “Hot Cross Buns”
2. VMM Recorder Song 1: Hot Cross Buns
Mr. Henry's Music World
Mr. Henry’s Music World brings enthusiasm and interactivity to recorder lessons with his engaging recorder play along videos. His approach keeps students motivated and excited about learning new pieces.
Standout Features:
- Incorporates games and challenges in recorder play alongs.
- High-energy lessons that captivate young learners.
Recorder Play Along Videos to Explore:
- “The Annoying Siren Song [Notes B & A]” Recorder Play Along
2. “The E Note Rap!'” Recorder Play Along
Youcanplayit.com
Youcanplayit.com’s YouTube channel offers comprehensive recorder play along videos suitable for various skill levels. Their clear notation and multiple fingerings approach helps students build a solid foundation for playing along with popular songs and familiar favorites. The channel includes both Baroque Fingering and German Fingering diagrams as well as Solfege and note letters.
Key Features:
- Structured lessons that progress logically through recorder play alongs.
- Detailed explanations that support independent learning.
Recorder Play Along Videos to Start With:
- “Havana – Camila Cabello” Recorder Play Along
2. “Concerning Hobbits – Lord of the Rings Theme” Recorder Play Along
Final Thoughts
Discovering these recorder play along videos has been a fun project for us, especially knowing they fill a much-needed gap in your teaching resources! Incorporating recorder play alongs into your lessons can engage students, support different learning styles, and make learning the recorder even MORE fun! Whether you’re introducing the basics or exploring more advanced pieces, we hope these resources will provide valuable tools to support your students – no matter what age. Plus, they’ll love playing along with games, popular songs, and easy-to-understand visuals. Enjoy!
Want more resources for music tech teachers?
Hello! I’m Katie Argyle – an Australian music technology trainer and consultant with a passion for helping music teachers through my business Midnight Music.
I’m a qualified teacher but no, I don’t currently teach in a school. I help teachers through my online professional development space – the Midnight Music Community– where there are tutorial videos, courses, links and downloadable resources.
I like to focus on easy ways to incorporate technology into what you are already doing in your music curriculum through a range of creative projects. I also run live workshops and have presented at countless conferences and other music education events.
If you want simple, effective ideas for using technology in music education, I would LOVE to help you inside the Midnight Music Community.
3 Comments
Thank You Very Much! I use many of these resources and Youtube channels. But something was new. Thanks again.
You’re welcome!
Hi Katie,
I have a YouTube channel- Musicwithbrielle, and have been making recorder play-alongs ( and other play alongs for bucket drumming, boomwhackers, cups,etc) for over 2 years now.
I started making the recorder play alongs for my beginner students a couple of years ago, when there were no such videos for playing 1 and 2 notes only.
Would love to have my channel added to this list, as it might help others. I even made Christmas carols videos for recorder players who only play BAG.
Thanks
Brielle