A Transformative Find
At the end of February I went to Square State’s annual Music Education In Service Workshop or ISW.
Among the lectures, mentoring opportunities, round-table discussions, and concerts, there was a huge room of Vendors ready to help Music Teachers, Band, Choral, and Orchestra Directors and All-State High School kids spend their/their parents’/their school districts’ hard earned cash.
I hadn’t been to the ISW for a while so I was eager to hear about the newest trends in Music Ed, attend reading sessions, try out new play-party games, hear concerts, see old friends, and talk to people who speak the same language I do!
While I was in the Expo Hall, trying hard to keep my credit card safely in my wallet buried deep within the recesses of my increasingly heavy back pack, I happened on a new style of Recorder:
Here’s a Sexy Picture: The Front
Here’s another Sexy Picture: The Back Key and Thumb Rest!
I was completely blown away! It is all together possible that this Recorder had been on the market a few years as I haven’t consulted this Vendor’s catalog in a while. I immediately thought “This recorder would have been good for: (insert students names here)! I must show Mrs. J and Mrs. W!!” Mrs. J and Mrs. W are my school’s Sped Teachers.
I didn’t want to take the one Recorder on the shelf with me as I wanted other Music Teachers to be able to hold and examine the instrument too. I ordered one to be shipped at a later date. OUT CAME THE CREDIT CARD!
About a week later I bring my newest Recorder (I have quite a multi-colored collection) to work and show the Sped Teachers who quite gush over them. I also show my Principal Adaptive Recorder who is quite impressed as well! I ask him if next year we could get 4 or 5 of these to keep at school for specific students to use. The Recorders would belong to the school the students could use them as they and their para’s, sped teachers, and IEP’s saw fit.
The Principal asked if the families could just buy their own. Everyone else buys a recorder, can’t these family’s too? To which I responded, “First, not every family buys a recorder. I check out about 20-25 recorders school-wide to students and second, this recorder (gesturing at the Adaptive Recorder) costs about $20 verses $3 for a regular one! That is a lot for an instrument for elementary school.”
He conceded of the need and said that I could get a few for next year! I’m excited to see what happens with them in October when I start the Recorder Unit up again!
