Recorder Information & Orders

Recorder Information

OPE students in grades 4-5 will need access to a recorder to use during the 2024-2025 school year. Below you may review the three options for acquiring a recorder, and then submit your choice for your child at the bottom of the page. Please submit the form separately for each individual child.

Why Do Students Learn to Play the Recorder?

Recorder performance will contribute to their musical skill development in several key areas:

Performing a varied repertoire of music while reading from standard notation
Playing known melodies on the recorder by ear when given a starting note
Improvising new melodies, as well as variations and accompaniments to known pieces
Performing different musical tasks (singing, playing, etc.) in small groups at the same time

Options for Acquiring a Recorder

Option #1: BRING a Recorder from Home

Many students will have a recorder from previous year or an older sibling. They are welcome to use this instrument again.
Bring your recorder to school on the first day of recorder work.
Please do not purchase recorders from Amazon, Fred Meyer, the Dollar Store, or similar. These options are typically of poor quality and break easily. If you need a new instrument, please choose options 2 or 3.

Using a recorder from home? Make sure it meets these requirements please.

Soprano recorder, baroque fingering
Preferably of the Aulos, Peripole, or Yamaha Brands
MAY NOT be of the Shepherd brand (clear, colored plastic available from Dollar Tree or Fred Meyer). These are of poor quality and break very easily.

Option #2: Buy a New Recorder

Students may purchase a new Peripole Soprano recorder from the school. The cost of recorders will be $7 in 2023-2024. Please send $7 to school with your child.
New recorders may be used for all three years at OPE.
New recorders will come with a blue zippered case. Student names will be engraved into new recorders and marked on cases.

Peripole Recorders Available through OPE!

Dark brown, textured plastic. Renaissance shape. Looks, feels, and sounds like wood!
Low C on Soprano and Low F on Alto can be produced immediately and easily.
Air-tight joint fit.
Curved wind-way like expensive wood recorders to provide immediate and fluid response.
Precisions cut bores allow very few overtones making for ease of blowing and balanced scales in entire two octave range.
No drifting of tone quality resulting in fewer overblown shrieks for the beginning student.
Elegant dark, rich, woody tone quality - with plenty of focus.
Cleaning rod and joint lubricant included.
The overall superior quality and feel of these recorders inspires students to treat it like a professional instrument.

Option #3: Check out a Loaner Recorder

Students may check out loaners from the school for use during the year.
There is no cost to use a loaner instrument.
Recorders need to be returned at the end of the school year.
Lost recorders will carry a replacement charge of $5.00

When Will My Child Need a Recorder?

Work with recorders will begin later this fall (or January for fourth grade). I will communicate the starting dates well in advance by email, paper reminder, website, and other methods as needed. Students will store their instruments in the music room so it is always ready for class. Recorders purchased from the school will go home with students at the conclusion of our recorder work for the year.

Recorder Orders

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