Recorder Karate Idea Bank

Rummage sales, garage sales, tag sales, etc. are great ways to stock up on used 3-ring binders. When they are turned inside out, they can be used as portable tabletop music stands.

Last year, our spring concert theme was 'This Pretty Planet.' Aside from all the outstanding songs available to sing, the 2nd graders enjoyed making homemade instruments for their skiffle band, which accompanied their songs in the program. We classified the homemade instruments as aerophone, chordophone, membranophone, and idiophone. We then accompanied Raffi's music with our little band. We discussed the three 'R's of ecology: reuse, reduce, and recycle. The 4th graders took the used binders and transformed them into tabletop music stands, which they later used to hold their Recorder Karate music. The directions were simple:

1. Turn the binders inside out (so the 3 rings are on top and the outside binder covers are now facing each other).
2. Next, using cardboard, duct tape, velcro, elastic, etc. create a bottom for the music stand (it should look like a triangle when finished).
3. Place your Recorder Karate music (multicolored, of course) into 3-hole clear vinyl protectors. (Remember it reads horizontally).

These music stands had to stay in school, but the students could make a second music stand for home. Additional items that you might want to add to the binder are a 3-hole vinyl pencil pouch to hold pencils and their 3-piece recorders.

Have fun saving 'This Pretty Planet.'