Butterflies and Recorders

We are in the midst of our recorder unit in 7th grade.  As the students are studying Medieval and Renaissance times in Social Studies, we are also studying an instrument that was popular among the people: the recorder.  Students have been learning introductory notes, and in order to have a little fun, they learned a piece called "Butterflies."  Most if not all of our music classes contain some sort of movement, so our class created their own butterfly movements within small groups.  To perform our movements and for me to assess the students' recorder playing thus far, half the class performed their butterfly dances while the other half of the class played. The students then switched roles.  This activity worked on the following skills: playing a wind instrument, recorder technique, following an accompaniment, creative movement, and group collaboration.