Recorder Group

October - "Preparing for November's Meet and Mingle"

30/10/2022

We have been doing some concentrated practice in preparation for our performance at November’s Meet ’n Mingle. Music is one of the performing arts, so many thanks for the opportunity.

At our last session, we played in the hall, to help us to get used to the very different acoustics. These will change again when there are lots of people in the room! All part of the deal.

Thanks to all the players for their hard work.

Janet Douglas

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'Taking a break'

25/9/2022

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Taking a break from practice in preparation for November’s concert!

Andi Stevenson

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'Thank you, Janine! We wish you all the best...'

28/8/2022

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I was away last month, but the group, bless them, kept meeting and working on the large array of music that we have. I thank them for their dedication and enthusiasm. I really enjoyed listening to the results of all their hard work.

We would all like to thank Janine Washusen, who has been playing with us for quite a long time. She is about to move to Bairnsdale, after selling the farm in Warrenbayne. Janine has, over time, donated both instruments and music to the group, and this has been very kind and helpful. We wish her all the best for this next stage of her life. Thank you, Janine.

Janet Douglas

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"It is so rewarding when it comes together beautifully"

29/6/2022

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Over the last couple of months’ we have been playing some pieces that have more complicated arrangements, especially rhythmically. This presents extra challenges for a group of players, but it is so rewarding when it all comes together beautifully. It involves careful listening and great awareness of the whole group. Great life skills to be practising!

Well done and thank you to all the hard-working players.

Janet

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We have extended our range of instruments...very exciting!

30/5/2022

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We are thoroughly enjoying playing a wide range of music from the 13th Century to the present day. It certainly gives a really good idea of how music, being a language, is constantly changing, like all languages.

We have extended our range of instruments, so that we regularly have descant, alto and tenor recorders, with a bass recorder about to be added to the mix. Very exciting!

“‘How the alto players keep track of their lines in a four-part piece demanding a bit of concentration.’ Andi Stevenson

I thank the enthusiasm and commitment of all the players.

Janet Douglas

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'Music is so good for our entire being'

25/3/2022

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What a joy it has been to be back playing together again! Hopefully this year we will be able to meet much more regularly.

Music is so good for our entire being. No wonder we have been involved in music-making since prehistoric times.

Many thanks to Andi for putting down her recorder to take some photos.

Janet Douglas

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We were able to get together for three sessions at year's end!

3/12/2021

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We were so fortunate to be able to get together for three sessions at the end of the year. It
was great to play some old favourites and some new music. When Bev very kindly came in totake some photos at our last session, we changed from a challenging new piece to a well-known tune. Hopefully, we looked much more relaxed!

On the subject of hope, let’s hope we can all meet more regularly next year. Have a terrific
break.

Janet

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At long last we were able to make music together again!

31/10/2021

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At long last we were finally able to meet in late October to have the joy of making music together again. We played some old favourites and a couple of new tunes. It will be so good to meet a few more times before the end of the year. We were all sad to hear about Pat’s husband and wish her all the very, very best. She is a treasured member of the Recorder group.

Janet Douglas

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Good News! Recorder group recommencing on 27th October

19/10/2021

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After a research process considering a range of variables, the Recorder group has decided to resume for shorter, one hour, fortnightly sessions, applying social distancing rules and maximising ventilation in the U3A meeting room. The group has been keeping in touch during the lockdown period and is looking forward to being able to meet again on Wednesday 27th October from 10 to 11 am.

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It is very difficult to stay masked and play the recorder!

4/10/2021

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Chatting with convenor, Janet Douglas, it appears the Recorder group hasn’t been able to meet for months. It is very difficult to stay masked and play the recorder! Reed instruments such as the recorder are also subject to more restrictions than other instruments. It seems rather unlikely that the Recorder Group will be able to play at the end of year ‘Meet and Mingle’. However, they are keeping in touch by email and trying to take time to practise!

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"There's no way to avoid "Mice Running Around"!

1/7/2021

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A smaller recorder group met while Janet was away, but play was as keen as ever. We took the opportunity to practise some rounds, then each person, in turn, nominated their choice of piece to play. This meant that we played some tunes that had not been played for a long time, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

However, there was no way to avoid “Mice Running Around” which we hope to have nailed by Janet’s return.

It is a lively, intricate piece, played in parts, representing mice running everywhere – rather appropriate considering the situation in NSW farming districts.

Our next session is Wednesday 14th July.

Rae Jeffers

Photograph - Andi Stevenson

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"It is always lovely to get some positive feedback"

31/5/2021

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It is always lovely to get some positive feedback and I have had a few people say to me recently that the recorder group has really progressed and is sounding very good. Well done to all of the group! They are very dedicated and work hard. The plan is that they will keep meeting regularly while I am away in Darwin visiting my brother. Not sure when that will happen now! I shall certainly look forward to hearing the group when I get back.

Janet Douglas

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'We have been heading into the stratosphere at times'

30/3/2021

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We are enjoying playing a mix of old favourites and new repertoire from across the centuries. In acknowledgement of the current mice plague in Eastern Australia, one of our latest pieces is “Mice Running Around”. Tricky rhythm! Just like the little creatures themselves. We have also been extending our range of notes, heading into the stratosphere at times. All good fun!

Janet Douglas

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We are looking forward to a year of playing together!

4/3/2021

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It has been wonderful to be able to get together and have a play again after a year without being able to do it. Playing music together is such a very special kind of connection. Many thanks to Rae for offering us the use of her lovely outdoor setting at home for our first get-together. We certainly would have given the builders next door some competition! It was great to welcome two new members into the group.

Last week we were back into the usual premises and we are certainly looking forward to a year of playing!

Janet Douglas

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We have a place to meet on Wednesday 10 Feb - thank you Rae!

5/2/2021

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It is never too late to learn music or to learn a musical instrument and the recorder a good choice as it is such an accessible instrument. A group for beginners to intermediate.

The Recorder Group has a change in timetable in 2021 and is now meeting at 10am – 12 midday on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.

Thanks to a generous offer by Rae Jeffers we will be able to meet on the 2nd Wednesday – the 10th February – at 108 Thomas Street Benalla at 10 am. Please BYO morning tea to meet the requirements of the U3A Benalla Covid Safety Plan.

Classes will recommence in the U3A meeting room on Wednesday 24 February.
'
Janet Douglas 5767 2257

Recorder convenor Janet Douglas sitting with Jane Rushworth on Enrolment Day, 2021

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Keep practising!

30/3/2020

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It feels like we hardly got started for the year and we have had to stop!

Music is playing an important role in the lockdown process, as it does all the time.

Keep practising!

Janet Douglas

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Welcoming new players into the heady world of recorders

8/3/2020

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The Recorder Group welcomed two new players into the heady world of descant, alto and tenor recorders. By the time they had learnt/revised a few new notes and beat patterns Janet had them joining in as we revised some of the many songs in our repertoire. For our next session the newcomers will come in at 10:00 for some individual work with Janet, the more experienced players at 10:30.

During one of February's sessions a break out group played around a ute! Andi explains "We are playing around the ute as the group has three beginners, and Janet gave them a half-hour's coaching first. The rest of us decided we'd play in the big room, but alas the scrabble-players were there. Luckily the wind was not too strong, so we played a few tunes outside". Andi Stevenson

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'It was lovely to hear Cooinda residents sing along with us...'

31/12/2019

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With Christmas approaching we fine-tuned our song selection to include some beautiful Christmas carols.

And then, armed with some of our old favourite songs, our newly learned Christmas carols and our trusty descants, altos and tenor, we set out to share our music with the residents at Cooinda.

How lovely it was to hear them sing along with us - the melodic “Good King Wenceslas”, “Silent Night” and “We Three Kings” with three different recorder parts, the joyful “Deck the Halls” and “Joy to the World” were popular. “Jingle Bells” was the perfect finisher.

Our final 2019 Recorder session was held at North East Artisans - chatting and chewing in their charming courtyard with not a recorder in sight but with plenty of plans to practise and play again next year.

Pat Treleaven

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November--'practising hard for a performance at Cooinda'

3/12/2019

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In November we practised Christmas Carols. One arrangement of Silent Night just didn’t work, for the deeper altos were playing the tune, above the sopranos. However a different arrangement sounded glorious. The much older Taunton Carol, “A Lovely Lady Sat and Sang” was unfamiliar to most, and a little tricky with two flats and a change of key partway through. By the second meeting we were getting the hang of it and it sounded beautiful.

We were introduced to “Anna Crusis”... actually an "anacrusis", being “note or notes which precede the first accent of any rhythmic division in a composition”. Also known as a trip for unwary players trying to work out where they come in.

We are practising hard for a performance at Cooinda in December.

Andrea Stevenson

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October - 'The Meet and Minglers, the Recorder Players and plates of delectable morning tea!'

23/10/2019

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A winning trio - the Meet and Minglers, the Recorder Players and plates of delectable morning tea.

“Fanfare” was a rousing first item - a call to action, listen, good things are coming. And come they did: “Allemande” a song from the sixteenth century, “ La Mourisque” our resident French song, the beautiful “Skye Boat Song” sounding so good in three parts, “Turn the Glasses Over” and “Row Row Row Your Boat” played in round form and the sweet, sweet “Home Sweet Home.”

And then...a glitch in the proceedings. We had to restart “Maggie” because, as we all know, music sounds a lot better when we get the timing right!

We finished with “ Music Alone Shall Live” - a fitting anthem for our Recorder Group.

Pat Treleaven

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About the Recorder Group

‘I wish I hadn’t given up learning …music, the violin. piano, recorder, guitar!’ Music teacher Janet Douglas says she would be very wealthy if she received $1 every time she heard an older person say this! .Janet believes it’s never too late to learn music or to learn a musical instrument and considers the recorder a good choice as it is such an accessible instrument.

A group for beginners to intermediate. There will also be scope for more proficient users of the recorder to play together and mentor others.

Unlike most U3A courses, there will be homework. You will need to practise--there’s no other way to learn and improve!

Convenor/ Contact Details

Janet Douglas
5767 2257
0427 080 351

Meeting Times

U3A Meeting Room 1
2nd & 4th Wednesdays 10 am to 12 noon.

The group may also meet for additional practice sessions on an as needs basis.

October - "Preparing for November's Meet and Mingle"

'Taking a break'

'Thank you, Janine! We wish you all the best...'

"It is so rewarding when it comes together beautifully"

We have extended our range of instruments...very exciting!

'Music is so good for our entire being'

We were able to get together for three sessions at year's end!

At long last we were able to make music together again!

Good News! Recorder group recommencing on 27th October

It is very difficult to stay masked and play the recorder!

"There's no way to avoid "Mice Running Around"!

"It is always lovely to get some positive feedback"

'We have been heading into the stratosphere at times'

We are looking forward to a year of playing together!

We have a place to meet on Wednesday 10 Feb - thank you Rae!

Keep practising!

Welcoming new players into the heady world of recorders

'It was lovely to hear Cooinda residents sing along with us...'

November--'practising hard for a performance at Cooinda'

October - 'The Meet and Minglers, the Recorder Players and plates of delectable morning tea!'

About the Recorder Group

Convenor/ Contact Details

Meeting Times

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