Hot Cross Buns Origin

I love origin stories - where did something start, how did it start, how has it changed over time. Etymology is the study of the origins of words, and in music, this can be the history and development of words related to music. So, where does the classic song, Hot Cross Buns, really come from? Dr. Robin Giebelhausen is an assistant professor of music education at the University of Maryland specializing in general music. Robin recently posted about the origins of Hot Cross Buns. Take a moment to read - SO much cool information!

Go give her a follow on instagram - @robingiebes. And, just in case you are interested, here is a recipe for Hot Cross Buns. Enjoy!

The House Around the Corner

 I am always looking for songs that help my recorder students with specific areas - and often end up writing my own pieces to fit their needs. Since switching the starting pitches from BAG to GE I have been delighted that beginning with G and E opens up so much bitonic and tritonic (SM and SLM) songs and once we add low D we have access to some wonderful pentatonic material!  

We are working on some pre-improvisational ideas and so The House Around the Corner was born this week!  My students needed more practice with low E, and they were clamoring for something scary and spooky.  This song can go in various directions - spooky or with a more autumnal/wintry theme. 

I sang this song to them while playing the accompaniment.

Then I displayed these four 4-beat rhythm cards.

As we have been working on something we call the Wizard's Challenge using In the Hall of the Mountain King, I tell the students this rhythm might be familiar. Then I sing it using the word "dude" (which is what we "whisper" when playing recorder) and their little minds are blown that this is the rhythm of the melody repeated over and over.  Then we play the first card (top left) only using "E". Then play through each subsequent card using "E."  Play the top two cards, then the bottom two, then the full 16-beat phrase. 

I change the bordun to quarter notes  E B C B, which sounds very spooky, and we play the full phrase using E. 

Next, change the quarter notes to G. Play full phrase.

Finally, change the 3rd card (four 8th note pairs) to B and have students work on the transition from third card to final card (transitioning from B to E) and then we play the full phrase.

Perform as A (song), B (recorder melody), A again. Students could also play the melody as it is a simple La Do Re Mi song. If you have Carol King's Recorder Routes you could combine this with Who Has Seen the Wind, another LDRM song. 

The students loved it and felt so successful! The next time we will work on improvising beats 2 and 4 of   the third measure and will add zombie movement (as they requested), whistling tubes, flexatone, black scarves, and spring drums. They also want to add gongs, cymbals, and other things so it is sure to be a piece we will record to send home to families. 

Enjoy!

Dan, Dan the Fine Old Man Irish Song/Recorder Composition

My stepdaughter is Irish- her Mom is first generation American.  She is very proud of her Irish heritage and of her 12 aunts and uncles (yes, 13 children!).  They were raised in a 3 bedroom house and her mother has great stories of life growing up with an Irish mother with a very thick accent with 13 kids sleeping in  2 bedrooms!

When I found this Irish poem (similar to Old Dan Tucker), I knew it had to become a song!  Email me at musicquilt@hotmail.com if you would like the pdf - not all the pictures are here as there are 13 pages!  

Happy March!

Adaptive Recorders with 3D printers!

Adaptive Recorders!  Have you, like me, ever had a student had great difficulty with playing recorder due to physical limitations such as missing digits or small hands?  I wish this product had been available for them but luckily, it will be for us now!

I met Valerie at the  AOSA (American Orff Schulwerk Association) National Conference in New Jersey a few months ago.   Several years ago a friend of hers added keys to adapt a soprano recorder for her to play. 

 She was so inspired by how this helped her to play the full range of the instrument that she and design engineers at Makers4Good began to tinker with innovative key designs. 

 Now here’s the fun part- they will be cost-effective and help students with missing or partial fingers,

inadequate finger strength, or small hands.  They are testing prototypes with 3D printers and hope to make their project files available to the public. 

How cool!!! I love technology, and I love that there is a company ready to adapt and customize parts for ALL students to be able to play recorders!  Thank you, Makers4Good!  Their site is www.makers4good.org and can also be seen on www.anotherwaytoplay.org.