Pam Wedgwood is best known for her acclaimed series Jazzin' About, Up-Grade! and It's Never Too Late to Play Piano. However, many people do not know that the composer, private instrumental teacher and performer also has many years experience of classroom teaching at Key stage 1 and 2, as Director of Music in a junior school. It was whilst teaching at her local Surrey school in the 1990s, that Pam first hit upon the idea of writing a recorder tutor.
‘I had great difficulty finding an existing recorder tutor that comprised everything; a step-by-step pedagogical method, alongside interesting and fun repertoire for the children to play. I found that many other books just moved too fast and didn’t allow enough time for consolidation. Moreover, much of the repertoire just seemed so boring for an average seven year old – and as every teacher knows, its much easier for them to learn if they are enjoying themselves. So, I started composing pieces for my pupils to play...’
And so RecorderWorld began to take shape. As one of the most approachable of all instruments, learning to play the recorder gives pupils musical skills they will enjoy for the rest of their lives. It is for this reason that Pam included percussion boxes, clapping games, aural activities, improvisation ideas and lyrics for singing along throughout RecorderWorld. There is much emphasis on group work too, through duets and rounds. ‘Through this approachable instrument, a world of musical possibility is opened up, and, by taking a more holistic approach, the foundations of a rounded musician are built’.
Furthermore, with hands-on experience of classroom teaching, Pam is very aware of both the pressures of time and the difficulty experienced by her colleagues in getting to grips with the music curriculum. She therefore ensured that the accompanying piano parts were kept as simple as possible, and advocates the time-saving qualities of a CD backing. ‘Used regularly to encourage rhythmic accuracy and ensemble techniques, or as a special end-of-lesson treat, these fun backings are also guaranteed to spice up any school concert!’ RecorderWorld really is the ultimate classroom resource.