It started with this tweet…..

I retweeted it due to the fact that it amused me. But looking astatine that reddish screen with the elemental outline of a recorder besides brought a Proustian unreserved of memories – of astir 20 children sitting successful a sun-filled schoolroom astatine Maney Hill Primary School successful Sutton Coldfield successful the aboriginal 1970s, with the publication unfastened level connected the array successful beforehand of us, each clutching a brownish integrative recorder from which we attempted to gully saccharine – and often not-so-sweet – sounds!

I confess I loved the recorder. It was casual to play and portable truthful you could instrumentality it circular to your champion friend’s location and play London’s Burning oregon Three Blind Mice successful a circular together. I loved the greenish Dolmetsch container that the recorder arrived in, and the peculiar fluffy cleaning device.

My involvement in, and enthusiasm for the recorder was encouraged little by schoolhouse recorder playing and much by my father, himself a precise competent amateur clarinettist and recorder player. Our associated enthusiasm was undoubtedly helped by David Munrow, whose vigor and TV programmes astir aboriginal euphony inspired america to amended our recorder playing, research caller repertoire and antithetic instruments excessively (I had a precise beauteous blonde wood alto recorder successful summation to the treble). At the aforesaid time, I was opening my soft studies, and I person precise blessed memories of making euphony astatine home, with my dada and with different recorder-playing schoolhouse friends. Later, astatine secondary school, I was sufficiently proficient successful the recorder (though I ne'er took immoderate people exams) to articulation the Recorder Group which performed mostly Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. It was 1 of galore fantastic philharmonic opportunities I enjoyed astatine a authorities broad schoolhouse successful the aboriginal 1980s: however fortunate we were then!

That representation of The School Recorder Book brought a flood of memories for maine truthful I posted it connected Twitter and asked radical to stock their ain reminiscences of playing the recorder astatine school. The effect has been unthinkable – I ne'er imagined that I would “go viral” online with a station astir learning the recorder (to date, the station has received implicit 116K views)! So galore fantastic memories shared (some not truthful positive!) – determination isn’t country to see them each here, truthful I volition see a enactment and you tin work the remainder via my archetypal post.

The archetypal idiosyncratic to reply was performance pianist Sir Stephen Hough with a little than affirmative memory:

I bash retrieve it. And the ghastly shrieking dependable it helped nutrient astatine Thelwall County Primary … it would beryllium absorbing to cognize if anyone really got into euphony by learning the recorder successful this way.

— Stephen Hough (@houghhough) April 8, 2024

Remember it? I’ve inactive got a transcript (and Book 2).

Started learning astatine 8. At 12, went to Saturday greeting section euphony assemblage to play. Took Trinity College grades up to 8, past Diploma; A level music, and entered archetypal ever BBC Young Musician (1978). And met my husband!

HEATHER

Many, galore different radical responded with comments astir however the recorder had encouraged their involvement successful music, got them speechmaking music, and led them to determination connected to different instruments. For immoderate it was an important gateway into euphony which yet led to a nonrecreational vocation successful music:

Recorders are inexpensive for schools and parents to bargain and are a large mode to springiness children their precise ain philharmonic instrument. They’re besides a gateway to different instruments and a mode to marque notation travel to life! And they tin dependable truly good!

OLIVIA

This publication laid the instauration of a joyous philharmonic travel for galore of america whose beingness would beryllium truthful overmuch poorer for not learning an instrument! If it was inactive compulsory successful schools we wouldn’t beryllium successful fractional the messiness we are!

PHIL

I learned with this astatine schoolhouse successful the aboriginal 80s, and retrieve my delight erstwhile the notes connected the leafage yet matched up to my fingers and the dependable I made! Went connected to the adjacent publication successful backstage lessons, took up treble, exams up to people 8, learned tenor and bass, americium inactive playing.

SERENA

Still person my archetypal recorder and lawsuit from the 1970s! This instrumentality was liable for starting my philharmonic and teaching career. The publication truly helped maine recognize notation, transportation and bushed earlier taking up the soft and violin. pic.twitter.com/Efqs7jtbQQ

— Adrian Dilkes (@primarysongs) April 8, 2024

Learning recorder successful superior schoolhouse was specified an integral portion of my philharmonic education. We were truthful fortunate to person a truly enthusiastic caput teacher who encouraged america to learn. She played classical euphony arsenic we entered assembly and wrote the sanction of the portion connected the blackboard.

MARK SIMPSON, composer & clarinettist

Flipping LOVED it – played for hours. Mum introduced maine (a superior teacher who taught recorder successful people w/ this book) and past I learnt with my people erstwhile I was 9/10. I’m convinced it made maine a amended vocalist (breath, phrasing etc) and nowadays a amended broadcaster!

KATIE BREATHWICK Classic FM presenter

I received implicit 500 replies to my archetypal tweet, and a fewer reminiscences by email too. I’m truthful grateful to everyone who shared their recorder memories, adjacent the little savoury ones, specified arsenic recalling the sensation and odor of the disinfectant successful the bucket wherever the schoolhouse recorders lived betwixt lessons! The overriding connection from each of this is that playing the recorder astatine schoolhouse laid the foundations for a emotion of music, the quality to work music, the inspiration to spell to larn different instruments, to thatch euphony oregon to prosecute a vocation arsenic a performing instrumentalist (“I wanted to beryllium Michala Petri!” declared 1 enthusiastic responsive to my archetypal tweet).

Of people determination is simply a superior broadside to each this ‘recorder love’. Today children larn instruments similar the ukelele oregon ocarina astatine superior schoolhouse and the recorder has alternatively fallen retired of favour. Yet it’s 1 of the astir logical, elemental instruments to play and makes a pleasant dependable from the get go. The reasons fixed for learning the ukelele are identical to those for the recorder: indeed, learning any philharmonic instrumentality helps with concentration, cognition, memory, self-confidence, and a big of different invaluable beingness skills.

Today euphony teaching successful schools is declining astatine an alarming complaint and caller statistic connected euphony acquisition marque for depressing reading. Only 5,000 students successful England took A level euphony successful 2023, down 45 percent since 2010 [1]. If this downward inclination continues, successful little than 10 years nary students successful the authorities assemblage volition beryllium taking euphony A level, and learning euphony volition go the sphere of the privately-educated, specializer euphony schools, and those who tin spend backstage tuition. Not lone does this alteration the excavation of imaginable nonrecreational musicians and euphony educators, it besides confirms the bushed cliché that music, successful peculiar classical music, is an elite activity. The impetus has to beryllium from bottommost up – from aboriginal years acquisition wherever enthusiastic, originative teaching fosters an involvement successful and emotion of euphony from a young age.

Reversing the diminution successful euphony acquisition volition instrumentality sustained, collaborative efforts from a scope of antithetic organisations, partners, and backing bodies crossed the euphony sector. A divers and thriving euphony sector, with a typical workforce and adjacent opportunities for children and young radical to see meaningful careers successful music, was not built overnight. It is the enactment of decades of spot gathering with children and families and careful, considered, and accordant offering of opportunities for young radical to make their skills implicit galore years. The champion clip to reverse the diminution successful euphony acquisition and code practice issues successful the euphony assemblage is not erstwhile young radical scope adulthood, but during childhood.

The Day the Music Dies? Why clip is moving retired to tackle the diminution successful UK euphony education

You tin work each the responses by clicking my archetypal tweet and scrolling down.

If you retrieve this book, delight stock your memories astir learning the recorder astatine school, playing astatine home, playing successful ensembles etc. Also however it encouraged your involvement successful music, if applicable (I'm researching an article). pic.twitter.com/L2Q5EOplrg

— Fran Wilson 🎹🖋 (@CrossEyedPiano) April 8, 2024

[1] The Day the Music Dies? Why clip is moving retired to tackle the diminution successful UK euphony education