Hey there, I just finished my first shot at teaching a class of grade fives to play the whistle. We learned to read music (most for the first time), to pick up a tune by ear, to play together for the most part , and to appreciate a type of music that isnât often listened to by many kids.
Used a set of Sweetones (D) and found them to be nicely tuned and easy to learn. What a success. These kids show so much pride in something so simple!
So, if youâre thinking about it, Iâll be happy to give you a pat on the back and would encourage you to give it a shot.
Terrific work! With any luck, you have given these kids something they will have for the rest of their lives-- the ability to play a musical instrument along with all the joy and self-esteem that playing music brings. Heck, it might even drag them away from the Nintendo once in a whileâŚ
Good work! Iâve been toying (!) with the idea of giving whistles out to my neighborhood children on Christmas morning. (Call me Saint Whistleclaus.) It may anger some parents to hear their children tooting but it could lead to a major neighborhood session!
Iâm glad to hear the outcome of this experiment. I was wondering how it went. I wondered if a classroom full of 10 year old whistlers would be easier on the ear than a classroom full of recorder players, or harder. Did you have them playing in the second octave? What tunes did you teach them? And do they now know a jig from a reel or did you stick to tunes they might know? Iâm planning to get my own kids started this summer and would love to know what works. Music education is so important, and most kids arenât getting much of it these days, so good for you.
On 2002-06-26 03:52, Jeferson wrote:
Hey there, I just finished my first shot at teaching a class of grade fives to play the whistle. We learned to read music (most for the first time), to pick up a tune by ear, to play together for the most part > > , and to appreciate a type of music that isnât often listened to by many kids.
For future reference, which books or music did you use, and which tunes did you find approriate.
Much less squeaking than recorders.
Started with songs theyâd echo by ear (Mary had a Little Lamb, âWarm Angry Kaisersâ, & Twinkle Twinkle).
As for books⌠I certainly learned without them, but most of these kids need something concrete they can take home and use to practice. They charted their progress by checking off the ones they learned. Also allowed me to physically map out my own plan for progressing through the unit.
Then went through many of the first 30 excercises from âYou Can Teach Yourself Tinwhistle.â Alert here, though, as thereâs not enough real tunes in this book early on, so choose carefully and move quickly.
Then had some real fun. Mel Bayâs "Fun with the Tin Whistle has a beautiful progression of tunes, gradually leading up to use of both octaves âSally Gardensâ. Choose carefully, as some are clearly bland. Also, tunes such as Camptown Races, O Susanna (have you folks ever noted the words?!) I got at http://www.tinwhistler.com
Finally, we got to the good stuff: Picked up parts of two songs from Chieftainsâ Water from the Well CD. A slower, shorter version of Lots of Drops of Water (ha! had i said brandy Iâd be out of a job in this town), and the tune we called the Mad Goat Song (An Poc Ar Buile) which we played in D and dramatized.
Loads of fun. We took four 20 minute sessions a week for four months, and had 21 of 26 kids on track. Had five that just wouldnât practice and ended up faking it despite some serious heart to heart conversations and calls home. Oh well⌠they made great goats in the drama.
, and to appreciate a type of music that isnât often listened to by many kids.