Those fabulous music class recorders

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Someone please save me.

DD10 has to practice on her recorder for 20 minutes a night.

The squeaking and squealing is going to drive me insane.

She wants to play the flute in 6th grade. I don't know if I'll be able to take it.

 

[luvmy3]

20 minutes I guess I shouldn't complain about the minimum 5 minutes a night my ds has to do

 

[java]

We still joke about my sister's FLUTOPHONE performance in 4th grade. I didn't know what a flutophone was until we saw it in all it's glory.
And she played this horrible song over and over and over again. She only learned one song and to this day can still belt it out at 28!

She did go on the flute and I promise it got better. Hang tight and it could be the drums!

 

[MM27]

I bought my 4 year old niece one for Valentine's Day. She loved it. My brother and sil...not so much

 

[MouseEarsJenny]

Count your blessings. Mine had recorders at 8 and started band by 10 - imagine a french horn and a trombone instead of the recorders. Blaaaat! Bluuurt. PWWWT. And the ever present emptying of the spit valves.

Hang in there, though. It's worth every off-key note when they march onto the field at Giants Stadium, or make District band, or just play Christmas carols at the community tree lighting. I wouldn't give up being a band mom for anything.

 

[java]

By the way band mom's, I hear that Bassoon is the instrument to play to get into college. All the bands need a bassoon player and nobody knows how to play it.

 

[ZachnElli]

My DD's recorder concert is this Thursday. She was asking grandma to go but I warned grandma, "you do NOT want to go, I don't want to go!"

 

[minkydog]

Someone please save me.

DD10 has to practice on her recorder for 20 minutes a night.

The squeaking and squealing is going to drive me insane.

She wants to play the flute in 6th grade. I don't know if I'll be able to take it.

OMG. We've been through this twice. One went on to play trumpet, piano, and guitar and the other chose OBOE. You cannot imagine what a beginner oboe sounds like. Maybe a dying seasick goat. Flute has NOTHING on oboe!

 

[laurie31]

Both my DDs did recorder band in 4th grade and started beginner band (with "real" instruments) in 5th grade. DD13 plays the flute, and DD11 plays the clarinet. It gets better, I promise! And learning to read music is an excellent skill to have, even if a child doesn't go on to stay in band.

Just be thankful it's not a 4 year old with a violin. BTDT, got the earplugs.

But yeah...those recorder band concerts...yeah. That goes right up there with changing poopy diapers. Yet I videoed them. It was my kid, how could I not? LOL. I'm sure it will be lovely to have that playing in the background when her prom date picks her up.

 

[minkydog]

Count your blessings. Mine had recorders at 8 and started band by 10 - imagine a french horn and a trombone instead of the recorders. Blaaaat! Bluuurt. PWWWT. And the ever present emptying of the spit valves.

.

The spit valves~ My mom could have written this post. There were three of us, stairsteps, all in various stages of band. A beginner French Horn, a 2nd year Oboe, and a 3yr French Horn. I don't know how my parents stood us! Well, I do actually. We practiced in the back yard. It doesn't get cold in South Alabama until at least December, so they saw no reason to let us and our infernal noise makers in the house.

 

[hkclem8328]

This thread just brought me back to elementary school! I think the only think I ever learned to play on it was Hot Crossed Buns!!

 

[SunshineOR]

My DD was in fourth grade recorder practice mode last year when our boxer was just a little pup, about 12 weeks old. She would practice and he would sit and stare and make the cutest little confused expressions, then howl at her. I wish I had a video camera at the time because it was so funny and adorable watching him try to figure out what was making that horrible noise.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I'll see your recorder and raise you a violin

Seriously, what kind of satist thought up an elementary school strings program???

 

[mrs_hower726]

OP - hang in there, flute is not even close with the awful sound a recorder makes. Just imagine having to teach a class of 30 kids with recorder...it's not pretty!

Oboe ranks up there with bassoon with an instrument that colleges are begging for since there are so few that play them. For a beginner, it is best for them to learn how to play the flute, clarinet, or sax first then move onto the oboe or bassoon, they are considerably more difficult to learn and the reeds are expensive (on average, $7-10 per reed)

And yes, IMHO, there is nothing worse than a beginning oboe sitting next to you in band.

 

[momofboyz]

That is the one thing I dislike about going to music class with the kids I work with at school, a class of about 30 recorders, all playing different songs at the same time.,
then coming home to Ds#2 who is 9, his class just started the recorder, and ds#1 practicing his trumpet.
Where are the ear plugs when I need them.

 

[I Love Pluto]

I don't mean to belittle anyone - but - please realize that the feeling of accomplishment in playing (and practicing) those annoying little songs sets your child up for the rest of his/her life to.....

1 work in a group successfully
2 learn how to not give up in practice
3 feel good about themselves for personal successes

Cover your ears if you have to, but realize that all of that music practice shapes your child's character - and raises SAT scores at least 150 points higher in each category.

I'll stop preaching now.....stepping off of soapbox.....(retired music teacher)

 

[Lassie Lynne]

I didn't know that kids today played those!

I remember playing mine when I was in grade school, I have no idea how our music teacher could stand to listen to our "screeching" on those now that I think back.

 

[laurie31]

I don't mean to belittle anyone - but - please realize that the feeling of accomplishment in playing (and practicing) those annoying little songs sets your child up for the rest of his/her life to.....

1 work in a group successfully
2 learn how to not give up in practice
3 feel good about themselves for personal successes

Cover your ears if you have to, but realize that all of that music practice shapes your child's character - and raises SAT scores at least 150 points higher in each category.

I'll stop preaching now.....stepping off of soapbox.....(retired music teacher)

Don't apologize! Too few people are aware of the benefits of music education. Children who study music have better scores in math, better reading comprehension, and music majors have the highest percentage of being accepted into medical school.

(I volunteer with an organization that raises money for music education in the public schools and I did a presentation on this. Music is one of the first things cut when a system is short on cash, and it's something sorely lacking in schools in poorer districts - and those parents are less likely to be able to afford private music lessons, meaning the school is the only source for that child to study music)


Ooh, someone will want a link. Here it is!

http://www.amc-music.com/research_briefs.htm

Did You Know?
Music majors are the most likely group of college grads to be admitted to medical school. Physician and biologist Lewis Thomas studied the undergraduate majors of medical school applicants. He found that 66 percent of music majors who applied to med school were admitted, the highest percentage of any group. For comparison, (44 percent) of biochemistry majors were admitted. Also, a study of 7,500 university students revealed that music majors scored the highest reading scores among all majors including English, biology, chemistry and math.
Sources: "The Comparative Academic Abilities of Students in Education and in Other Areas of a Multi-focus University," Peter H. Wood, ERIC Document No. ED327480
"The Case for Music in the Schools," Phi Delta Kappan, February, 1994

So wear those earplugs with pride and think of the college scholarships!

 

[iwrbnd]

We let our kids practice all they want but when they start blowing them like train whistles to see how loud they can get we start hiding them!

 

[disfan07]

Even in advanced band oboes sound like dying geese half the time. I know, I was one of them.

I played violin, trumpet, flute adn than finally oboe in symphonic winds and alto saxaphone in jazz band.
My paretns are amazed they can still hear anything!!