Is "Recorder Karate" culturally insensitive?

[rebeccab]

Hello there! I am not a practitioner of martial arts - I am actually an elementary music teacher. I am on this site because my students use a recorder curriculum called "Recorder Karate." In this curriculum, students earn coloured "belts" for their recorders as they learn new songs. I think the curriculum is well-designed, but I worry that it's culturally insensitive - making light and fun something that is ancient and serious. Does anyone have thoughts on this?

[tallgeese]

Personally, I don't see a problem. It's a great learning tool, encourages work and progress. It's clearly not a cut on karate or any other art. I hope it's successful for you and the students using it.

[JR 137]

As long as you're not using fake Asian accents, stereotypical absurd sounds and the like, I don't see a problem.

I teach middle school science. I do a review game I call Grandmaster. Two students in the front seats, the rest behind them. All students have dry erase boards. First student in the front to write the correct answer stays up front, and the other one goes in the back. Every time the student "beats" another student, they move up a belt rank. Students are awarded Grandmaster when they beat every other student in the class without losing. Once they lose, they're back to white belt.

The kids love it. Only thing is, they sometimes argue the order of belt colors. I go Seido karate belt order. The kids who take/took Tae Kwon Do give me a hard time about colors and order. Karate Grandmasters typically wear a red belt, whereas red belt is a rank below black belt in TKD.

[sensei8]

Only an insecure MAist would take offense to what you're doing.

Any tool that can reach a student, no matter the vocation, that helps a student reach their AHA moments, that tool is a good thing. What you do, and how you do it to reach your students is spot on.

It's not cultural insensitive to reach your students!! I take it as a compliment to the MA world because you thought enough respect for what we do to use our most basic measuring stick: Rank.

So, teach on, and teach on well!! Say hi to your students from us here at KF!!

[Judodad_karateson]

There is nothing "ancient" about the belt system of Karate. It was stolen from Judo less than 100 years ago, where it developed between the late 1880-1900, and stole it from, of all things, Japanese competitive swimming.

[JR 137]

There is nothing "ancient" about the belt system of Karate. It was stolen from Judo less than 100 years ago, where it developed between the late 1880-1900, and stole it from, of all things, Japanese competitive swimming.

I'm not sure if it was stolen from Judo. Jigoro Kano and Gichen Funakoshi worked together to introduce karate to Japanese schools and society in general.

Judo stealing it from swimming is another conversation, of which I have no knowledge of other than I heard Kano based his belts on it.

Another interesting belt tidbit. I read somewhere, I believe it was Gogen Yamaguchi (one of Chojun Miyagi's original students) who said Chojun Miyagi (founder of Goju Ryu karate) never issued a belt. He was awarded his black belt by the emperor of Japan, and felt that only the emperor could issue them. After his death, his top students ranked him as 10th dan, and ranked each other at lesser dan.

Can't remember where I read that one though.

[vantheman]

The colored belt system as we know it today, I would argue, is just as American as it is Japanese.

[DWx]

Kyu and Dan ranks were first used in the Chinese board game Go as far back as the 2nd century. Kano them borrowed from this system for Judo belts.

Belt rankings aren't exclusively for martial arts, a few Japanese and Chinese games use it and it even gets used in the world of business in Six Sigma training: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Sigma

[sensei8]

Kyu and Dan ranks were first used in the Chinese board game Go as far back as the 2nd century. Kano them borrowed from this system for Judo belts.

Belt rankings aren't exclusively for martial arts, a few Japanese and Chinese games use it and it even gets used in the world of business in Six Sigma training: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Sigma

To the bold type above...

"I've multiple Black Belts!!" he chimed. "Yes, I've a Black Belt in Shindokan, and I've a Black Belt in Six Sigma!!" Dai-Soke asked..."What's Six Sigma? I Never heard of that MA!"

One of our Hombu Sensei's is a Department Sectional Manager with International Truck/Bus Division, and he's shared with many at the Hombu about the Six Sigma that's used. Like in the MA ranks, the higher the rank, and I believe they started with Green Belt, the more responsibilities and knowledge that one acquires either as a Manager AND/OR as a Technician...very interesting, I thought.

[Nidan Melbourne]

I don't have an issue of it as long you are teaching them something worthwhile.

Originally Karate didn't have belts and we "borrowed" the idea from Judo to assist in signifying who ranks where.