As a teacher of beginning instrumentalists, I was frustrated with the lack of individual support and differentiation in method books for recorders, keyboards, ukuleles, ocarinas, and other C instruments. I wanted my students to be able to play the same song together while still receiving the supports they needed as they progressed in their music practice. But I couldn’t find any method books that addressed that problem, so I created this color-coded notation book as the solution.
For each song included in this book, you’ll find four levels of support. In level one, students will see vibrant visual clues in the form of color-coded notation and chord diagrams, along with letter names inside each notehead. These supports drop out sequentially as students progress through each level. By the time students reach level four, they’re reading music in standard notation without any color cues, note names, or ukulele chord diagrams. This means that every student can be playing the same song, but at different levels of support, creating built-in differentiation.
Unlike other method books, students never have to lose helpful supports in order to play the same song as their peers. Each student can receive exactly the supports they need by choosing the level they’ll play. You can even have multiple groups of C instruments playing the same song at their chosen level. This is a bonus for classrooms without a full set of instruments or for students who prefer the ocarina over the recorder, or vice versa.
Song List (4 levels for each song)
Format
Pitch Range
Solfège Pitches
Ukulele Chords Used
Fingering Charts Included for:
Printing & Binding Directions
Additional Ideas for Instruction
