To ask the girl next door to stop blowing her recorder outside?

[mrsrhodgilbert]

Neighbours daughter who is about seven has taken to bringing her recorder outside. She doesn't pay tunes on it, just blows and makes awful noises. Yesterday evening she did it for about 3 hours. Dd2 ( yr 12) was trying to do homework in her room at the front of the house with her window open as it was so hot, but was being driven to distraction. The recorder has come out again. We do not get on with the neighbours, parents are quite difficult and I don't want war, but the noise is awful.

If you want to control the level of noise from children paying move away from residential areas.

Oh god, don't say anything, they will only get her a violin.

Don't kids give up the recorder just after you buy them one?

Is 3 hours of blowing a recorder an exaggeration?

I find it hard to believe a 7 YO would stick with one (rather dull) activity for so long.

Fine to have a rant about it here, just no need to exaggerate.

I presume she is outside because the parents can't stand the noise either...

i'll bet her parents sent her out for exactly this reason- it's fucking annoying!

I'm not exaggerating, I'm really not. They play out until about 9 when the weather is nice. I'm a mum too obviously and I don't want to control the neighbourhood. I just think that noise for that long was too much and we are genuinely wondering what to do.

YANBU.

MY 8yo does the same thing (but not for hours, and thinks she's playing a tune).

I have told her not to play in the garden, or even the house if the windows are open.

She now plays the flute, which isn't so bad, but she is very, um ....dedicated. There is only so many times I can suffer "God Save the Queen".

I feel your pain.

Invite the girl round, and while shes at yours hide the recorder.

If a neighbor complained to us, I would love it, as DD would see you as the bad guy who put an end to her tooting, and not me.

If the neighbours are not nice then I wouldn't complain, yet.

Give her a few days. I bet she gives up soon. If not, get your kids outside with some bagpipes.

I'd leave it. She'll get bored after a week max I reckon.

Close the windows and buy dd a fan :-)

I wouldn't say anything, she isn't breaking any noise laws if it's stops before 9.

Buy your dd a fan and tell her to shut the window.

I won't be spending any money to resolve this and I know she's not breaking any noise laws. She does have ignorant parents who would never allow this noise in their house for so long but never supervise their children outside. Their little boy, 5, has little road sense and although all the neighbours know to look out for him there are others who wouldn't know. She's gone in now thankfully.

Oh well your dd will have to put up with any noise coming from outside then.

Oh dear. I'm sorry I can't give you a helpful suggestion here but you have my deepest sympathies.

Recorders are EVIL... they are literally the work of the devil. I have told family that if they ever dare buy one for my DC's then they will be off the Christmas card list and will also be wasting their money as recorder will have a very swift date with the bin... or a sledgehammer... or a stampede of cows... or the dogs... anything really to ensure it can never ever make that horrible racket again.

Even recorders played by competent musicians sound dreadful , let alone by a small child.

This is a descant recorder, right?

Even a really skilful person makes an awful noise on a plastic descant recorder, honestly. It is the most horribly antisocial instrument.

Short of buying her a tenor one, though, not sure what you can do ...

YABU.
Not a surprise when I got to the bit about you not liking your neighbours....

Heh.

I cross posted with manin, but it's so true.

Yanbu. How selfish of your neighbours.

God.

I have two children and some grumpy arsed neighbours....my life is one long round of paranoia and shushing. :(

I HATE it when people think children should be frigging silent. YABU. She is showing an interest in music.

Its astonishing how inconsiderate people can be, isn't it?

"My precious is learning the recorder" - well practice inside then with the windows closed, and learn to play some proper tunes.

That is wholly reasonable.

Surely.