Music for Social Distancing

During this time of social distancing, it can feel awkward to not have a buddy or a group of other musicians to play with. But other than playing by yourself, what other options are there? There’s quite a few! Here is a list of alternative playing and practice options that you can do all while social distancing!

Perform a virtual concert for your friends and family:  With the many ways we have to communicate through voice and video, there’s no reason why we can’t share our music in the same way! Consider playing a piece or two that you have been working on via Facetime, Skype, Google Hangouts, or even live stream on YouTube or Twitch! There’s many ways to share your hard practiced music!

Take private lessons remotely: Many recorder and other instrumental teachers have set themselves up to teach remotely using some of the above mentioned meeting platforms. While the experience is a bit different from a live one-on-one lesson, there is still great value to be had in working remotely with an instructor! See below for info on how to contact one of Portland’s great recorder teachers.

Download a Fun Telemann App: Search in the App Store or Play Store for “Telemann 6 Sonatas” and it will pull up 5 apps by Masafumi Sasaki. These apps cost only a couple dollars and gives you a wealth of Telemann duets to play with your device. You can choose your sonata, pick which line you want the app to play, and you can play the other one along with it! It’s a great way to play duets while social distancing.

Dowani International Play Alongs: Dowani International has a large collection of Recorder music, ranging from easy to advanced, that comes with an accompaniment CD! Learn a piece and play it at home accompanied by your own personal orchestra or continuo! The disc provides each movement and piece at 3 different tempi, so no matter where you are in learning the piece, you can practice or perform with a prerecorded accompaniment. You can find most of their selections available to order online at Sheet Music Plus.

Join Online Zoom Playalong Classes

American Recorder Society (https://americanrecorder.org)
Amherst Early Music (amherstearlymusic.org)
Emgo (emgo.org)

YouTube Opportunities

  • Team Recorder: https://www.youtube.com/user/SarahBlokfluit – A HUGE collection of videos featuring all aspects of recorder playing from instruments, tone, technique, interviews, playalongs, and fun times!
    Consort Counsellors: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS3jGCY50YujsfsP7czQmxA – Two members of the Amsterdam based recorder Quintet Seldom Sene teach you different concepts of how to play in a consort, or a group of other recorder players. They talk about balance, tuning, group practice, and just about everything there is to know about ensemble playing.
    Lobke Sprenkeling: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClC5wdT7wacP87pJpQQI46g – This channel has a little bit of everything from performances, musical stress relief, but most notably, a series or recorder care and maintenance. Take some time to learn how to oil, re-thread, and clean your instruments with Lobke.
    Recorder Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/recorderarcade – Recorder Arcade is a fun channel bringing new life to recorder music by arranging video game music, from simple tunes to fully orchestrated works for recorder ensembles up to 72 players! Get to know a new genre of music on an instrument you already love!