September 2019
AR Magazine is Online and Landing in Mailboxes!
The Fall 2019 American Recorder magazine is mailed and online! Some of the hot topics in this issue include the following:
  • First, check out our fascinating cover, a re-imagining of a recorder fingering chart using the design of a London Underground map by ARS member Max Roberts.
  • "How to be a Bulletproof Recorder Player," the last of four articles by Tina Chancey in the popular American Recorder Practice Project series. This article describes some of the scientific research that has been done about how our bodies and brains work when we practice, and what is the most effective strategy to use when practicing. Visit the Practice Project Page, where you'll also find links to the series extras, including several new YouTube videos and PDFs of the music covered in those videos, plus a discussion forum, practice tips in Tina's Corner, interviews with recorder players about how they practice, and more. Even after the completion of the print magazine series, you may visit the Practice Project online resources for tips and ideas.
  •  The 20th biennial Boston Early Music Festival boasted a number of recorder events, including a presence by the ARS. Two awards were presented by the ARS to deserving recipients: the Distinguished Achievement Award to Tom Prescott, and the Presidential Special Honor Award to Eric Haas. Even if you couldn't attend, here is coverage to make you feel like you should have been there!
  • It's too early to think about the holidays--but you need time to learn music for holiday gigs. Read about new music that's available for those events in this issue's Music Reviews.

Our Fall ARS Newsletter features recent chapter/consort/recorder orchestra news, including reports on our Play the Recorder Month activities from all around the country.

Our Fall Members' Library Edition piece is a special tribute in honor of our 80th anniversary . Two previously unpublished arrangements are offered, "Gloria" from Missa Tubae by 15-century composer Jean Cousin and "Of All the Birds" from Deuteromelia (1609) by Thomas Ravenscroft. They were arranged by the late Jennifer W. Lehmann , founder of the Members' Library Editions, a former ARS Board member and a talented arranger. It is presented in its manuscript form, showing Jennifer's "impeccable musical penmanship."
News for Now:
Even More Features On Our New Music Page!
If you have not already discovered the trove of compositions and arrangements on our Downloadable Music Libraries page on the ARS website, now is the time to peruse it, as we have added some additional features. Some pieces now feature a play-along version , which is a great way to get familiar with the parts and hear how they sound together. Just select "Recorded Accompaniment" in the Style search box to see the list. Also newly added is a direct link for each piece, so you can share it easily with another ARS member. We still have our detailed search function , where you can search by number of parts, occasion, keyword, difficulty level, etc. In addition to that, we also have a new Index page which allows sorting by title, composer, difficulty, and more.
It's the 80th Anniversary Year of ARS!
To celebrate 80 years, we are offering for sale a special edition luggage tag for your recorder case. Celebrate our anniversary in style! The $7 price tag includes shipping to US addresses. Click here to order.

The Membership Committee is still involved in their 2019 effort to increase ARS membership by at least 80 new members over our usual number of new members per year. If every chapter adds three members, we can easily reach our goal. Please feel free to share the Join Now! link with your recorder-playing friends who haven't made the leap into ARS membership.

Thank you for being loyal members of ARS. We appreciate your participation in the recorder community!