The Recorder in Taiwan

The Recorder in Taiwan

In order to understand how and why the recorder has become so popular in Taiwanese schools, it is necessary to review the history of its development here. The following time line of the recorder in Taiwan comes from an article by Yayi Wang published in the Autumn, 2008 issue of The Recorder Magazine. In that article, she states that since 1960 each primary and JH school with more than 24 classes were encouraged to send one music group to the national competition. This is the environment that the recorder was to find itself in when, in 1975, the Statute of Music curriculum declared that learning the recorder was to become part of music lessons. In 1990, the recorder was officially qualified to enter the regional and national competitions.

The recorder got an even bigger boost in 1993 when the Ministry of Education decided that the soprano should be taught from grade three, and the alto would be taught from grades 7 through 9. In 1997 the music curriculum was combined with the visual and performing arts, and by 2001 all primary and junior high schools in Taiwan were following the new curriculum. During that same year, Great Bass recorders were seen (and heard!) for the first time in the Zhong Gang primary school ensemble during a National Music Competition; In 2002, the first Contra Bass was used by same group. That year also witnessed 212 JH schools entering regional competitions throughout Taiwan. In 2006, 76 primary schools entered the regional competition in Taipei County alone! By 2007, many schools used the recorder orchestra format with large basses.

Thanks to Mr. Kuo Kun-chao and Mr. Liu Yung-tai for their help in this project.

Special thanks to:

Mr. Huang Shih Hsiung, director of the Canon Recorder Ensemble, for showing me around his fantastic studio filled with dozens of recorders, hundreds of recorder CDs and DVDs, and thousands of books and sheet music for and about the recorder. Mr. Huang is responsible for bringing many great recorder players to Taiwan for concerts and workshops including Marion Verbruggen, Ensemble Dreiklang Berlin, Matthias Maute, Flautando Koln, the Flanders Recorder Quartet, Michala Petri and more.

Also thanks to:

Mr. Kenny Wu and Mr. Taur C. C. Hsu for showing me around their great recorder shop, Music Garden in Taichung. Both men speak English and can take care of all your recorder needs in Taiwan. Visit their website at:

www.musicgarden.com.tw

Email: recorder@musicgarden.com.tw

Category:

Music

Tags:

• recorder
• Taiwan
• flute
• bec

[voyager4u]

Thanks for the video. I had noticed that lots of people in your country play the recorder.

I started playing a descant at school 55 years ago and have carried on playing ' on and off ' ever since.

[recorderdevoix]

Well, I'm an American who was only visiting Taiwan. I live in Xiamen, China just across the straights from Taiwan. Unfortunately, the recorder is NOT popular at all here in China. It's strange when one remembers that we're talking about the same people, language and culture(mostly Han Chinese). But poltically, of course, China and Taiwan are very different.

Keep playing the recorder. I'm 45 and hope to play till I die!

[Octavin2]

wonderful *****

[Adams4eva]

Yay for people taking recorders seriously and also for the lone ar-ranger. :) Did that at a concert last month :)

[matthiasbolliger]

Nice video and recordings!

[recorderson]

Excellent & very interesting. Compliments my friend. Go on with your great job !

[theomartinus]

good work, great sound,

greetings from gemany, from martin

[ultex00]

Congratulations

you have made a great work. Recorders are the best. I aspire to get an orchestra in the next years.

Thank you for share this beatiful example of young musicians.

[kittyburgha]

I love the recorder : -)

[unagondolaunremo]

very interesting!