Sarah Jeffery: The Hal Leonard Recorder Method

Sarah Jeffery's recently published Hal Leonard Recorder Method is a comprehensive, easy-to-use beginner's guide, designed for anyone just learning to play the recorder. The book features a range of techniques, tips, and popular songs to accompany over forty exclusive online video lessons from Sarah, offering practical instruction and making learning more accessible than ever. 

We spoke with Sarah about the Hal Leonard Recorder Method, her experience as a musician and teacher, and her popular YouTube channel, Team Recorder.

Purchase the Hal Leonard Recorder Method

Where did your interest in music start, and more specifically, the recorder?

I grew up in a house where music was always playing. Although no one else in my family is a professional musician, there was always a love for music around. My mum played the recorder, and she started a recorder club at my school when I was around six years old. I fell in love with the instrument immediately! I wasn’t such a fan of having my mum teach me though… I taught myself the notes from a book and could then take part in a Saturday morning recorder ensemble at the local music centre. I spent my childhood having piano and flute lessons - I had no inkling that the recorder could be a professional instrument! This was until I had the luck of meeting my two amazing high school music teachers – one a recorder enthusiast, the other a brilliant motivator. Together they got me through my Grade 8 exam and encouraged me to audition for a degree in music at a conservatoire. I got in, and after many years of study, the rest is history!

What was the most memorable piece of advice - or lesson - you received throughout your music education?

There are too many to name! One I always come back to is a quote from Walter van Hauwe, renowned recorder professor, during a chamber music coaching session. He told us: “the first half of the note belongs to the composer, and the second half belongs to you.” Now, this can be debated in many cases! But it really turned on a lightbulb for me in that moment, and it encourages me to think about how I shape every single note.

You have gone on to have a very successful career as a professional musician and educator. What has been your proudest achievement so far?

A real career highlight was appearing as the guest star on the BBC programme ‘YolanDa’s Band Jam ‘ – showcasing the recorder and dancing around playing music with an audience of 5-7 year olds is honestly my dream job! It was wonderful to be part of such a big production, and I had my own three-month-old daughter with me on set! It was a whirlwind but so much fun.

What are the most common issues or questions you come across in your own teaching of beginners?

The recorder is actually such a sensitive instrument, it requires a fine control! In order to achieve a beautiful sound, we need to have a good technique from the beginning – posture, hand position, articulation, breath control. Over the years I’ve worked on finding lots of ways to incorporate good technique but in a fun and accessible way.

Your YouTube channel, Team Recorder, is a fantastic resource for those learning or looking to learn the recorder. How did the channel come about? What were your goals in creating it, and what have you enjoyed most about creating content and building a community?

I love the recorder – but I saw that there was almost zero quality information available for the general public. Most of what I learned was behind the walls of a specialized music degree. I thought: no wonder people don’t know about how wonderful our instrument is, if this information is not widely available. My aim with Team Recorder was to show a global public just what the recorder can do – and how joyful and fulfilling it can be to learn music!

Your new publication, The Hal Leonard Recorder Method, has just been released. Who is the target audience of this method? Can you teach yourself with this book?

The target is audience is recorder beginners – it’s suitable for those learning completely from scratch but is also a fantastic refresher for those picking up music again after a break. I aim to present information as clear and accessible as possible, so this book is suitable for both children and adults. A lot of my audience on Youtube are teaching themselves, so I have designed the book to work well for those without a teacher. With my video tutorials, it’s like I’m in the room teaching you!

What makes The Hal Leonard Recorder Method different from others on the market?

For a start, the 40+ professionally produced video tutorials. I’ve spent a decade honing my craft of video teaching, and I’ve combined this with twenty years of performance expertise and education experience to produce fun, interactive videos that can really show you how to play! I have included a lot of useful skills in the book is a very accessible way – from the basics of rhythm to improvisation, from baroque style trills to performing a mini concert. You will amaze yourself!

Do you have a favourite exercise or piece from the book?

I got so excited when playing through all of the music with the backing tracks – especially the Game of Thrones theme! 

What songs, styles, and exercises can we expect to see?

The beauty of working with Hal Leonard publishing is that I’ve been able to include so much fantastic pop and film music. Working with recognizable film themes and pop songs means that teaching certain elements of music is made so much easier, as we know the songs already. There is a great deal of classical and early music – the building blocks of recorder repertoire. I made an effort to refresh our repertoire and to include lots of compositions from underrepresented composers – female composers, and composers of colour. Finally, I myself composed a lot of music in the book, specially designed to help the student learn new elements of music. Classical, jazz, pop, film… it’s all in there!

What will players learn throughout the method?

Players will get a solid grounding in both recorder technique and musicianship – at the end of the book, they should be playing with joy and with confidence! The method takes you through an easy to follow, step by step progression from learning to read your first notes, up until a very satisfying concert programme, with musical skills such as playing by ear and composition besides!

For people enjoying the book and your channel, are there any particular recordings, artists, or pieces you would recommend?

Oh, absolutely. To hear how recorders can really sound, check out The Royal Wind Music – a large recorder consort based in the Netherlands, that sound like a living organ! Performed on a whole family of recorders, up to the 3 metre tall subgreat bass, affectionately named ‘Big Babe’. 

What is next for you?

It’s going to be a busy autumn! I have a few concert tours coming up – festivals and theatres throughout the Netherlands, the London International Festival of Early Music in the UK, and a week at Next Wave Festival in Brooklyn, NYC. I’m about to begin my fourth year as a professor of recorder at the Royal College of Music in London. This winter, Team Recorder will turn ten years old, so a celebration will be in order! And finally, I’ll be hunkering down in the studio to prepare for my next album recording – a selection of contemporary music recorded by label TRPTK. There’s always more to keep me inspired!

Sheet Music by Sarah Jeffery