Do children still learn the recorder at school

[Daisychainsandglitter]

I have very happy memories of learning the recorder from reception and I played it through to year 6. I played it all the time and must have driven my parents mad!
My DD (nearly 6) has shown an interest in learning. She informs me that no children learn the recorder at her primary school bit they do learn other instruments. A quick e bay search throws up lots of vintage recorders and the books I used to learn from in the early 90's. Is this still a thing in schools?
Did anyone else think they were really good at something as a child and were actually pretty awful?

In my youngest’s class (y2), everyone was sent home with a recorder just before lockdown and told “to practice”. Maybe we annoyed the music department

I still have mine -a brown and cream one! I was born in 1972.

When DC was born I wondered if he would get any use out of it. He didn’t, thank god.

At our school they learn the dood and the violin.

The teachers clearly despise us.

Mine did. Blissfully short amount of time.

No, thank fuck.

The DC next door do. His parents send him out to the garden to practise

Yes. One year group at my school learns it every year. Usually outside and it is excruciating to listen to. 😬🤣

Not here anymore, thank fuck as @WeeMadArthur says.

Some do but I think it is less common. A friend of mine sent her class home with their recorders and has been doing recorder lessons via Zoom...the mute all button must be doing Trojan work 😂

Yes.

My sons school didn't... They learnt the trumpet instead

Even here in the US they do. It gets introduced in 4th grade (age 9/10)

None of mine have but they all learnt ukelele.

These comments have made me smile. Such a terrible instrument to listen to. I thought I was the bees knees as a child!

I don’t know if it’s that they are usually made from plastic, or it’s the shape of the instrument, but they are universally screechy and painful to listen to.

I taught year three last year. I spent a term teaching them the recorder. We learned 'Hot cross buns' and 'Mary had a little lamb'. They LOVED it. Even the ones who were a bit switched off learning. In fact the threat of not being able to do recorders if they didn't listen in class was enough to get me through the week.

Ours have recorder club. It sounds atrocious

@losingmymindiam omg. You're the sadist teacher of my child

Yes DD learned it in Y2 and Y3. They progress to the violin or flute in Y4 and Y5 (this has been curtailed due to no school). It's funny as she enjoys playing but has zero interest in practicing at home.

When mine were at school I warned them not to even think about joining the recorder ensemble.

When I was in college (primary teacher) we had to take recorder exams where we chose a piece to play from a set list. I can still do a cracking performance of My Heart Will Go On 👍😂

I just had one delivered for my dd who is 6. She was delighted. I instantly regretted my decision

At the moment, in my school, no. Because I'm the one that taught it to them and choose to do different clubs at the moment that are less exruciating.

DD goes to high school with an ex pupil of mine. Out of the blue one day, her friend told her to tell me that she apologised for her terrible recorder playing!

The tenor recorder sounds lovely and deep, almost like a clarinet sound. But it's too big for young fingers.

At DDs school, they tried to introduce them in reception. It did not go well. No surprises really - their hands were too small to reach and fingers too small to cover the holes properly so there wasn't a hope in hell of making a decent sound. I don't think she's done any music since then at school (she's in yr 5 now).

@crustycrab I made sure to give extra house points to those who practised lots at home However if you think one is bad, try an afternoon of 30 of them...