Random Poll of Eleven Days Ago! (896)

[Kor]

I was, however, only arguing about the "advanced" part. A recorder is more difficult than a piano, it just happens to be more practical due to price issues.

You're only thinking of the sound production aspect here. While it's true that in order to produce a sound in the recorder, you have to do "more", it's not like it's actually hard to produce sound in it. Compare it to flute or oboe (or any other ones requiring air), sound production in the recorder is the EASIEST in all of the blowing instruments. Plus recorders are cheap.

[Callid]

I was, however, only arguing about the "advanced" part. A recorder is more difficult than a piano, it just happens to be more practical due to price issues.

You're only thinking of the sound production aspect here. While it's true that in order to produce a sound in the recorder, you have to do "more", it's not like it's actually hard to produce sound in it. Compare it to flute or oboe (or any other ones requiring air), sound production in the recorder is the EASIEST in all of the blowing instruments. Plus recorders are cheap.

Recorders obviously are the easiest blowing instrument, but I was talking about instruments in general. String instruments are generally easier, and especially keyboard instruments are pretty much as easy as it gets. But yeah, they are also expensive :x

[Giogio]

I was forced to in elementary school and didn't mind. However, we were forced to do it again two years later, and I had forgotten *everything*. Couldn't even read notes any more. I'm not really the musical person.

[Jecka]

Yeah, and I liked it ^^
I still have mine somewhere... if I can find it.

[mangaluva]

Yes. I wasn't much good at it, but I never really wanted to play music. The recorder was what you got socked with if you were unenthusiastic, untalented, or both; the kids who showed any sort of talent got brass or string instruments.

That said, even if I was never that fond of it, it still pissed me- and everyone else- right off when we got a new music teacher in P7 and she insisted on treating the recorder group as if we were all mentally challenged. "Now, let's try learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!" *as if we hadn't learned that back in P1* "Do you think you can all manage that, hmm?" Every. Single. Bloody. Week. When she did show up. She regularly skipped our music groups and then the next week would go "So sorry, but I had important things to do!" Even if we didn't like playing recorder, being backhandedly told that we were unimportant was really upsetting to a bunch of nervous 11-year-olds who had been put into the school musical recital even though we hadn't been taught anything. We ended up self-teaching ourselves something out of the P6 music book.

Wow, clearly she still seriously pisses me off nine years later XD

[Akonyl]

aside from the ease of use and pricing aspects, there's also the fact that in most cases (that I know of), the recorder belongs to the child, not the school, because it's paid for by their parents (because nobody trusts a group of kids with things to not mess up at least some of those things). At which point, the kids are carrying their recorders around, and you're not gonna get a kid to carry a string or keyboard instrument that's significantly larger.

and on the same token of not trusting kids, a recorder is one of the sturdiest instruments because it's just a solid piece of plastic with no moving parts. You're much more likely to have a little brat mess up a string instrument than a recorder.

[Kor]

aside from the ease of use and pricing aspects, there's also the fact that in most cases (that I know of), the recorder belongs to the child, not the school, because it's paid for by their parents (because nobody trusts a group of kids with things to not mess up at least some of those things). At which point, the kids are carrying their recorders around, and you're not gonna get a kid to carry a string or keyboard instrument that's significantly larger.

and on the same token of not trusting kids, a recorder is one of the sturdiest instruments because it's just a solid piece of plastic with no moving parts. You're much more likely to have a little brat mess up a string instrument than a recorder.

Yeah, that too. Children also have short and small hands, and a recorder can fit pretty well.

[PT]

I wanna see kids bringing their pianos to school!

[Callid]

I'm not sure how this is over there, but here, every second household has a piano anyway, so there wouldn't really be a need to carry them around - the school has one, and the parents have one :x
And pianos aren't exactly sensitive either (especially if you're not particularly strong); keyboards even less so, so letting a child handle them wouldn't be too critical
And having small hands is fine for a piano too, at least for all the stuff children play

[Kleene Onigiri]

I wanna see kids bringing their pianos to school!

Just kidding :x (tho possible? XD)


Well, in elementary we were taught how to clap and stuff.... like some idiots.
Clap clap stomp stomp clap clap clap on the legs weeee \o/
And then whistle! (but barely anyone could whistle :x)

otherwise we played on a xylophone, where the unnecessary plates were removed.... so we don't hit them...
Or we also had some rattles or a triangle! \o/
Seems a recorder was too high tech for us... ;_; 

[Akonyl]

I'm not sure how this is over there, but here, every second household has a piano anyway, so there wouldn't really be a need to carry them around - the school has one, and the parents have one :x
And pianos aren't exactly sensitive either (especially if you're not particularly strong); keyboards even less so, so letting a child handle them wouldn't be too critical
And having small hands is fine for a piano too, at least for all the stuff children play

one piano at school isn't enough to teach a class though, and since the entire point is to teach the kids music at the school, the piano at home doesn't matter anyway

[Callid]

I'm not sure how this is over there, but here, every second household has a piano anyway, so there wouldn't really be a need to carry them around - the school has one, and the parents have one :x
And pianos aren't exactly sensitive either (especially if you're not particularly strong); keyboards even less so, so letting a child handle them wouldn't be too critical
And having small hands is fine for a piano too, at least for all the stuff children play

one piano at school isn't enough to teach a class though, and since the entire point is to teach the kids music at the school, the piano at home doesn't matter anyway

I do agree that it'd be a bit hard with pianos, as you'd need an notable amount of pianos, which, considering their price, is not feasible. Getting 30 recorders is possible for a school with moderate budget, 30 pianos - not so much. I was, however, only arguing about the "advanced" part. A recorder is more difficult than a piano, it just happens to be more practical due to price issues.
Though - 30 keyboards should work... :x

[Nix]

I remember we had to learn it for 2 years starting from Year 3. It was terrible when the unmusical kids blew it all wrong when we got to a high note and it made that horrible ^squeak sound.
That sound always sends shivers down my spine.