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Welcome to ARS NEWS, an e-newsletter for recorder players. Please make sure to scroll to the bottom to see upcoming virtual recorder classes and events. Enjoy!
Click here to view email as a Webpage
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American Recorder Magazine is Mailed and Online!
Recorder Games Old and New
The Winter issue of AR includes the Annual Business Report, and introductions to our new President, Jody Miller, as well as ARS Distinguished Achievement awardee Patricia Petersen.
Two Features take us to 17th-century Europe and 21st-century Australia. Peter Van Heyghen presents a major update on what we know about the recorder in the 17th century. Australian composer Benjamin Thorn (Voice of the Crocodile and other works), discusses some of his compositional strategies when writing for recorders.
Learn some clever ways to motivate practice using card games from Stephanie Brandt; read Mary Halverson Waldo’s report on Suzuki in Waldorf classrooms; and get advice on starting a Recorder Orchestra from Kathleen Ingley’s article.
There is also a varied selection of reviews of music by Australian composers as well as classics in re-workings for large and small ensembles.
Blowing the Waterfall Apart, a line from a haiku, is Tom Bickley’s title for his review of recordings that interface old and new music.
The Play-the-Recorder-Month Edition is Sonata in 3 for 4 for SATB recorders by David Hurd.
The cover, showing an anonymous portrait of a 17th-century gentleman playing recorder with cards laid out on the table, brings several of this issue’s themes together.
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Play-the-Recorder Month Music Enclosed with Winter Issue
Composer David Hurd says, "The concept of Sonata in 3 for 4 began with a practical question: How many measures of a four-staff system could I get into a three-page spread? In order to obtain a more generous performance length, I followed the centuries-old practice of constructing an instrumental work, generically called a sonata, comprising two or more repeated sections."
Music sponsor and former Board member Wendy Powers says, "I cannot wait to introduce this charming piece to student ensembles, combining exactly the right elements of fun and a bit of chromatic tanginess with accessibility within the idiom of the recorder consort. Thank you David!”
Click to see the piece in the PtRM Music Library
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Member Benefit: Shine the spotlight on your local chapter, consort, or recorder orchestra
Starting in 2026, the ARS will begin highlighting our wonderful CCROs (chapters, consorts, and recorder orchestras) on our YouTube page. We'd love to include your videos on our YouTube page to help you gain visibility and show the world that the recorder is alive and well in communities throughout North America. If your CCRO isn't already listed in our directory (and thus eligible to submit videos), we encourage you to fill out an application. Learn about the requirements here.
Stay tuned for the complete instructions on how to submit videos of performances. In the meantime, contact Jody Miller (jodymillerars@gmail.com) for more information.
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Nominating Task Force Names Candidates for 2025 Board Election
The members of the Board Member Nominating Task Force—Carol Mishler, Ruth Seib, and Susan Burns (ex officio)—have worked over the last several months to assemble an impressive slate of candidates in preparation for the 2026 ARS Board election process. The candidates come from a variety of backgrounds and geographical areas. They bring many different talents to help ARS continue to focus on supporting the recorder community. They serve a four-year term and can be elected again for a second term with an eight-year term limit.
Seven candidates are running to replace Board members whose terms are up in 2026, including new candidates and those running for their second four-year term:
Jamie Allen, Providence, RI*
Janith Mason, Albany, NY
Jody Miller, Marietta, GA*
Mike Richart, Harrisburg, PA
Dave Sandage, Portland, OR
Elaine Henderson, Little Rock, AR
Daniel Bruner, Rehoboth Beach, DE*
*Incumbent
Watch for more information about each candidate closer to the Spring election.
A note: Since 2022, the election is conducted via electronic means. Please check that you have been receiving ARS emails, so that we use the correct email address to alert you to the voting process.
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Have you ever been interested in composing or arranging recorder music for your local chapter or other groups to play?
This spring, the ARS is providing a special opportunity to gain some first-hand knowledge about the process from our 2026 Play-the-Recorder-Month commissioned composer, David Hurd! Best of all, it's free!
Click to read more and register
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ARS Welcomes New Members Who Joined in October
We are so glad you've joined! Please contact us if you have any questions about your new membership.
Eleanor Abrams, NH
Olivia Benna, PA
Karen Bondi, BC
Fletcher Coolidge, MN
Nancy Fiske, NH
Marie Grauerholz, NC
Charles Gray, CA
Agnes Guerrero, CA
Xinyue Hippe, WI
William Jeffers, GA
Anne Kirchmeier, Switzerland
Deb Kosche, WA
Elizabeth Kuhn, OH
Ronald McDaniel, TX
Donald Oswald, VA
Joseph Parisi, NY
Lisa Reeves, NY
Ren Ruggiero, SC
Richard Saundry, MS
Gail Sauter, NC
Mark Schwartz, CA
Karen Sundheim, CA
Putthi Tulayathun, Thailand
James Undercofler, CT
Vivian Wilcox, CA
Susan Walker, VA
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A Mother Discovers Her Son's Old Recorder in the Attic and Finds Peace by Playing
Kelly Rose Bradford found that the biggest benefit of playing was the stress relief. (Article linked from The Guardian)
Click to read more
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Looking to Give a Recorder Player a Great Gift?
If they've never been a member or have lapsed for five years, you can give them an ARS membership at half price! They'll love the quarterly AR magazine, online music libraries, beginner and technique tip videos, our second and third-level classes, and much more. Cost: $30
Give a Gift Membership
| | Checking in with Chapters, Consorts, and Recorder Orchestras | | |
In Case You Missed It Last Time: Chapter/Consort/Recorder Orchestra leaders, please update us!
What changes have happened to your chapter that might be different from what we publicize on our website? If you are no longer meeting, or are meeting elsewhere, we'd like to know so we have accurate information. Please check your chapter's info, either by logging into its member profile and making the changes (contact us for help), or checking the info in the General Directory Search and sending an email with changes to Administrative Director Susan Burns at director@americanrecorder.org.
We have CCRO liaisons who can be reached via email with questions. You can reach them at chapterliaison@americanrecorder.org.
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ARS Chapter Representative Roundtable Dates 2025-26
The ARS Chapter Rep Roundtable is back! Gather on Zoom with Phil Hollar and have a chat with your fellow leaders about what's happening in your chapter.
This year there were three Saturday meetings planned -- the first was held in September. The dates are on the ARS homepage Events Calendar.
All times are 2:00pm - 3:30pm Eastern time.
· January 10, 2026
· May 16, 2026
If you have a topic suggestion or haven’t been receiving announcements about the roundtables, please contact Phil Hollar.
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ARS offers a webpage with all the chapters offering virtual/hybrid meetings. There are several chapters with a worldwide membership, led by world-class music directors, thanks to the wonders of Zoom.
(Is your group offering virtual meetings but not on the list? Email us!)
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The ARS has had a wonderful year of Beginner and 2nd-Level Classes, and we are looking forward to new classes in the new year - watch this newsletter and our website for upcoming classes.
Coming soon! The ARS will soon be offering a free, virtual 3rd-Level Class! This will be a 1-session topical class for members only to attend and will be offered twice a year. Our first one will be very soon on recorder care and maintenance from our friends at the von Huene Workshop. Stay tuned for more information and to register.
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Recorder Messiah!
with Anne Timberlake
12/10/25 at 7 PM, CT
It’s the Messiah you didn’t know you needed! Too long have recorder players languished in the cold during the holiday season, watching as others play (over and over again) Handel’s masterwork! In this live 75-minute Zoom playing session, we’ll tackle some of Handel’s best beloved choruses and airs, making the Messiah our own!
Cost: $25.
Register on my website.
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6th Annual Christmas Music Workshops
with Rachel Begley
Thurs, 12/11 at 7:30 PM, ET
Sun, 12/14 at 4 PM, ET
Thurs, 12/18 at 7:30 PM, ET
Sun, 12/21 at 4 PM, ET
4 workshops celebrating stories of Christmas: musical accounts of Angels, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Shepherds, and others! Music will span from the Middle Ages to the Baroque including Josquin, Victoria, Scarlatti, and Bach. Each workshop will feature at least one piece that will almost certainly be new to you!
Workshops are 90 minutes, and there's something here for players of all levels. Join us for 1 workshop, all 4, or somewhere in between ! All workshops will be recorded for on-demand viewing through January 2026.
Cost: $25 each; or discounted rate of $90 for all 4.
Contact Rachel at rachelbegleyrecorder@yahoo.com for more information/registration.
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Mindful Practicing
with Jennifer Carpenter
Tuesdays 1/13/26, 1/20/26, 1/27/26, and 2/3/26
at 7:30 PM, ET
Do you recall the definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? How effective is the "repeat it until I get it right" method for your in your practicing? Start the new year out with confidence by learning successful practice techniques backed by the psychology and neuroscience of effective practice skills! In this 4-part series, we will break down and practice efficient techniques that work with our busy lives and help us reach our goals with consistency. It's time to change how we approach practicing!
Cost: $100 for all 4 classes. Register on my website.
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North American Virtual Recorder Society presents their December Playing Meeting
with the Rainer Beckmann
When: Saturday, December 13, 2 - 3:30 PM, ET
Cost: NAVRS Membership is $20 and each playing session is $15.
Your first playing meeting is free and membership is not required.
A Praetorius Christmas: Welcome the holiday season with music by four German composers from around 160o, all named Praetorius! Some of them were related, others were not. But all four followed a certain fashion in 16th- and 17th-century Germany. Two-, three-, four-, and eight-part settings of Advent and Christmas hymns in the Lutheran tradition are going to be framed by two instrumental pieces a 5.
For more information and to register, visit the NAVRS website.
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Amherst Early Music Online Classes
Dec 6 at 3 PM, ET: The Temperamental Musician - with Jennifer Carpenter. Musicians are rarely accused of being single-minded! We are often asked to create differing yet compelling imagery or affects through performance. Rooted in ancient Greek philosophy the four temperaments - sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic - are associated with a distinct set of characteristics that we still recognize as a mixture of our own personality traits. We'll bring to life music that represents each of the four temperaments. Open to recorder players, upper intermediate and above, other melody players welcome! Pitch: A=440.
For class descriptions and to register, visit the AEM website.
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Highland Park Recorder Society's Online Seminars
Llibre Vermell - The Red Book of Monserrat!
with Annette Bauer
Dec 1 at 7:30 PM, ET
This 14th-century source, no bound in a red cover, associated with the shrine on the top of the mountain Montserrat near Barcelona. Ten compositions survive, from monophonic songs accompanying round dances, to devotional prayers, to short rounds. The music was apparently specifically compiled to serve as music deemed appropriate to be sung by the pilgrims.
Seminars are $25. For more information and to register please visit the HPRS website. Registration closes on Nov 28th.
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Want to Share Your News?
The deadline for this e-newsletter is the 20th of each month. To submit your news using an online form, please go to https://americanrecorder.org/newsform. You may also email an article and photos. We love to hear stories of how the recorder community is still going strong. Send any of the types of news items you have seen in the paper newsletter or past ARS NEWS emails. Digital photos are welcome, as are digital videos for YouTube (DropBox or Google Drive suggested). Send your articles/photos to newsletter@americanrecorder.org.
Want to Share Your Upcoming Events?
Virtual events can be publicized by emailing Jennifer Carpenter. In-person events can be publicized using our online Event Calendar submission form (only ARS members may submit). Event info will appear in the calendar on the ARS homepage.
The deadline for ARS NEWS (this publication) is the 20th of the month. Send news to Susan Burns and event information to Jennifer Carpenter. ARS NEWS is emailed the last Tuesday of every month, with occasional exceptions.
Newsletter editors and publicity officers for Chapters, Consorts & Recorder Orchestras should make sure that your regular communications like e-newsletters are sent to the ARS office.
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If you've received this from a friend, sign up for your own monthly subscription to ARS NEWS or to ARS NOVA, our monthly e-mag, using this link.
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Not a member yet?
Join ARS!
Take advantage of our half-price rate for new members. You will receive immediate access to all the information available on our website, as well as other member benefits including the quarterly American Recorder magazine. The first year is half price -- just $30 for a Standard membership. Members can gift a half-price membership to a friend.
Learn more
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