It's the Recorder's World

We're Just Living In It

The girls perform for their stuffed animals and for us. This is one of my favorite pictures I ever took of the kids.

Little Bean and her fellow third grade friend have an idea. A concert idea. They are going to perform a recital for us.

With their recorders.

Because we are good parents willing to make all manner of sacrifices for our children, we settle in for the show. The girls have placed a gym mat down on the floor of the bedroom and have surrounded their “stage” with stuffed animal attendees.

They sit on the floor cross-legged and open their books in front of them. There’s a few minutes of shrieking and honking as they limber up their instruments - like a real orchestra would - and then fall into quiet.

“Count daddy,” Little Bean says.

“Three, two, one, go!” I say. The bleating begins.

I bet you were expecting me to comment on how lovely this impromtu concert was, the two little one’s squawking away, trying hard to be musicians, the snow gently falling outside; a veritable afternoon of domestic bliss.

No. Honestly, I’m suddenly grateful that AC/DC stole half my hearing all those years ago. My wife, her eye twitching, whispers, “Is that thing supposed to sound like that? I mean, is it possible to play it well?”

As a matter of fact, as it turns out, the answer is yes. One CAN play the recorder well. So why don’t they? And why is it that every third grader in the country, every year, is handed a recorder and sent home to torture their parents?

The story is pretty interesting, even if the sound isn’t. And it all starts around 1950 - the modern recorder that is - with a famous classical musician and his groundbreaking idea that children, all children, can be musicians if only they ascribe to the theory of Play First, Learn Later.

And I’m here to tell you, I’d like to have a few words with Carl Orff. Because I’m pretty sure that old Carl Heinrich Maria Orff - yes that Carl, of Carmina Burana fame - never heard Hot Cross Buns played quite like this!

To be continued…

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Friends, the above excerpt is part of a larger piece that will be published under my Transcendental Dad column in Manchester Ink Link next week. I wanted to give you a little taste here and of course, when the piece runs I’ll let you all know. Until then, I encourage you to drop by Manchester Ink Link and have a look around. They are good people and good reporters doing great work over there and I’m proud to be writing for them.

Meanwhile, our second rocks field guide is officially launched and pre-orders are in the mail and heading to your homes. Click the button below to go to Dan’s Bookstore for more info and, of course, please share Day By Day! See you tomorrow!