Do you remember the hideous recorder in school? Did you ever think you were good at playing it? Did it EVER sound "pretty" or even TOLERABLE?
Grace is playing the recorder this year. I'm trying to be encouraging, but today may have just pushed that to the limit. She decided to "practice" the recorder while we were on our way to school. It was a very long 15 minute drive and I'm shocked I didn't get in an accident, or have my ears start bleeding.
About halfway there, Grant had had it with the recorder. ( up to this point he was quiet for once). All of sudden, he said, "Grace, I want you to stop playing your recorder and put it away NOW!".
Which of course started a discussion about how Grace really needed to practice blah blah blah.
I tried to be nice and let her do her song one more time and then I was HOPING we'd be done.
She of course tried to drag it out...
"Mom, why doesn't this recorder sound right?" I then answered with a tirade involving the TRUTH....
" Grace, how expensive do you think that recorder is in comparison to your violin? Not much. Probably around $5. That is because many children do not have outside music lessons and the recorder is a cheap way for them to learn to read some music. Do you think a $5 instrument is going to sound nice? Probably not. So, no matter what you do, the recorder is going to sound just like you've been playing it. Its probably not going to sound better, because its a cheap piece of plastic. Its just there to teach you to read music".
Grace: Actually not offended by my somewhat harsh explanation.... says that her teacher plays the recorder beautifully ( is she mistaking a recorder for a flute? because I don't think that's possible)
I then said that I was making a rule that you can't play musical instruments in the car.
( "I wouldn't let you practice your violin in the car")
It was the only way to get her to stop and at this point Grant was flipping out and I had turned up the Christmas music very loud to try to drown out the recorder.. not even O Holy Night by Barbara Streisand was a match for the squeak of the recorder...
Grace is playing the recorder this year. I'm trying to be encouraging, but today may have just pushed that to the limit. She decided to "practice" the recorder while we were on our way to school. It was a very long 15 minute drive and I'm shocked I didn't get in an accident, or have my ears start bleeding.
About halfway there, Grant had had it with the recorder. ( up to this point he was quiet for once). All of sudden, he said, "Grace, I want you to stop playing your recorder and put it away NOW!".
Which of course started a discussion about how Grace really needed to practice blah blah blah.
I tried to be nice and let her do her song one more time and then I was HOPING we'd be done.
She of course tried to drag it out...
"Mom, why doesn't this recorder sound right?" I then answered with a tirade involving the TRUTH....
" Grace, how expensive do you think that recorder is in comparison to your violin? Not much. Probably around $5. That is because many children do not have outside music lessons and the recorder is a cheap way for them to learn to read some music. Do you think a $5 instrument is going to sound nice? Probably not. So, no matter what you do, the recorder is going to sound just like you've been playing it. Its probably not going to sound better, because its a cheap piece of plastic. Its just there to teach you to read music".
Grace: Actually not offended by my somewhat harsh explanation.... says that her teacher plays the recorder beautifully ( is she mistaking a recorder for a flute? because I don't think that's possible)
I then said that I was making a rule that you can't play musical instruments in the car.
( "I wouldn't let you practice your violin in the car")
It was the only way to get her to stop and at this point Grant was flipping out and I had turned up the Christmas music very loud to try to drown out the recorder.. not even O Holy Night by Barbara Streisand was a match for the squeak of the recorder...
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