Shocking 80% drop in young recorder players
NewsPress release:
Chetham’s School of Music reports an 80% drop in young people taking up the recorder in the last ten years, despite its versatility and accessibility.
Chris Orton, Recorder Tutor and European Recorder Teachers Association Chair, is leading the way to initiate projects that he hopes might save the recorder from extinction. ‘The recorder is increasingly overlooked by students, and yet it has a rich history and
incredible versatility. As well as making beautiful sounds, it’s an accessible instrument in that it is low-cost, in comparison to other woodwind instruments, and it’s light and easy to carry.
‘The recorder first became popular during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Famous composers such as Claudio Monteverdi, Jean-Baptiste Lully and Johann Sebastian Bach wrote for the instrument. Not confined to the classical genre, bands like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles have used the recorder in their songs. More recently, talented musicians like Tali Rubinstein are championing it and the National Youth Recorder Orchestra is an excellent ensemble of young recorder players.
‘“I’m immensely proud of Anna Williams for being selected to perform with the Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra. This is a first-time feat for a young musician, and I hope she will inspire new generations of recorder players and help to save this instrument from extinction.’
Rightly so…those things cause massive migraines for the poor listeners.
An evanescent sound then. Thank the Good Lord.
So hard to be a beautiful recorder player. My generation at school were tortured by the instrument. As anyone who knows me can imagine I was a dedicated & passionate member of the Recorder Ensemble at school. We had learnt ‘Let’s go fly a kite’! At the concert I was given a different recorder. My Mum and Dad watched me go purple trying to play this instrument. The teacher afterwards explained my colour. The instrument she had given me was solid. She told my parents I was too loud and enthusiastic!
I’m I concerned about the decline in Recorder playing, not so much! But it was a very distinct pathway to many musicians playing other, perhaps more enticing instruments. Forgive my cool response, when played well, for example the virtuosity of Piers and his extraordinary ensemble Red Priest, I am impassioned as a listener.
Is that an 80% fall in children getting a place in Chethams with recorder as their instrument, or an 80% drop in primary school age children generally learning the recorder on the way to discovering music?
If the former (high level study) then it probably reflects the way early music is, probably temporarily, less fashionable. If the second that is more worrying: for many musicians their ability to read music and discovery of the enjoyment of playing in an ensemble has come from an instrument which despite its high pitch irritating to adults is ideally suited in dimension and affordability as the first instrument played by young children with small hands from backgrounds that may not be musical. (Thinking of the descant recorder, which is the one children start on).
Many years ago The Associated Board of Music, didn’t have Exams for The Recorder and wrote to me saying that it was a toy instrument not worthy of Exams. My daughter gained Grade 8 in Descant at 12 and Treble at 14 with another School of Music! She is a Professional Musician, same standard Piano and Violin by 16 and 17 and a Primary School teacher.
Sadly the instrument is replaced in many schools by the ukulele which is not only popular but less stressful on the ears when in the hands of very young students. Primary School recorder consorts can sound fantastic but the instrument needs to be taught properly and sympathetically. We need enthusiastic and qualified teachers to do this, and training colleges do not help in this matter as they (and schools) strive to meet endless curriculum initiatives and meaningless targets. Bring more music into Primary Schools… especially recorder music!!
It doesn’t help that there are still some moronic school directors of music encouraging teaching in large groups by people who are not professional recorder players!
Playing the recorder well is kind of like the challenges of playing the music of Mozart. It’s easy for amateurs, but difficult for the professionals.
Presumably balanced by an 80% increase in ukelele players? A lot of UK primary schools are favouring ukelele over anything else as a starter instrument.
Everyone in my Catholic state primary school in the rough and tumble of the east end of London in the late 50s and 60s learnt to play the recorder and had two singing classes a week for individual school classes. Affordable, accessible, and all the benefits of making music with others. But then we had a very fine music teacher, a Methodist and sing at the Savoy Chapel, John Camburn, tken for granted as maths was, and who ran Time & Tune on BBC Radio 4, the then BBC Home Service. Today… hmm…
Good article here:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/jun/05/recorder-fans-warn-instrument-heading-for-extinction-pandemic-decline-young-people
Re the rise of ukelele (to which I have no objection), I suppose it is too much to hope that both instruments could be supported in educational institutions?
Recorder is a perfect partner for the uke, and it would enable kids – or siblings – to play together, with each one still making their own individual contribution to the music.
Yesssssss, I know… £££££…
[Fun fact: My spellchecker flagged my spelling of “ukelele” (it likes “ukulele” but grudgingly admits both). But I did find out that the name apparently means “jumping flea” in Hawaiian.]
The Ukulele is a more community-friendly instrument (due to its ability to provide chordal accompaniment) but the recorder is a good precursor to studying the rest of the woodwind family. Additionally, there is a lot of excellent recorder repertoire (in addition to music from the Baroque and before) for example, the David Bedford Recorder Concerto.
I’m reminded of my 1960s piano teacher’s comments when interviewing the mother of a prospective pupil who had said she wanted her daughter to learn to play the piano – “because she only played the recorder”. The mother was told “If the recorder was good enough for Bach, it’s good enough for anyone”. I don’t know the mother’s response, nor whether the teacher took on the prospective pupil… I too had very good state primary school recorder tuition in class in the 50s (and listened to Time & Tune on BBC Home Service), which gave good grounding for playing in my Grammar School’s recorder ensemble in the 60s, and then every girl left that school being able to play an instrument – even if it was ‘only the recorder’.
FINALLY!!!!
Neighbors and parents, Rejoice!
Can’t think why any of today’s online generation would pass up the opportunity to play that shrieking pipe.
Silly old Bach. He could have used ukeleles for the Brandenburgs instead.