PRO recorder player reacts to Answer in Progress: why you were forced to learn recorder in school

Pro recorder player reacts to Youtube channel Answer in Progress’s video: why you were forced to learn the recorder in school. As a professional recorder player, I had to make a reaction! So how did Sabrina's first recorder lesson go?

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[thatcasualdragon]

I think my favorite part of the video was the very end where Sabrina asked "Would you maybe play with me? 👉👈 " and Alison asks "Would you like me to play a harmony part?" It was just very sweet and you could tell that it was something Sabrina hadn't even thought about! I also love that Alison doesn't hit the note she wants at the end and says "oops" because it's one of those little things that people forget, that professionals mess up all the time, that's just a part of...well, doing anything really. It was just a lovely human moment to end with.

[annieoakley]

One tends to forget that most instruments sound terrible in beginners' hands, many worse than the recorder. Give a beginner a violin or (what I started) a clarinet, and you'll have their parents/friends/neighbours begging to bring back the recorder! Overcoming that hurdle and still practising is the key.

[onemanfran]

Being given a recorder at the age of 3 was one of the greatest gifts I've ever had. But at the age of 11 my secondary school told me the recorder wasn't a real instrument. I went from having confidence, getting the best results in my whole county, to being ashamed and without any tuition. I gave up recorder for 30 years nearly. Now I'm studying to regain my confidence and hopefully in the next few years run recorder workshops for students. I can't find a recorder teacher for myself so I'm having to rely on videos such as those from Team Recorder, as well as books. I'm so passionate about the recorder and I'm always quite vociferous in its defence when people mock it.

[serrademers]

Everyone knows that the violin sounds horrible when played by beginners, but we all know that it sounds so beautiful when played by a professional. The problem for the recorder seems to be that we just do not have enough examples of professional recorder players in mainstream media like we do for the violin.

[InkByt]

Sabrina's videos are always extremely well researched, and she's the first person I know who went and actually did their research and learnt the recorder with an open mind. This video makes me so happy!

[vannedotdash]

My recorder teacher in high school told me I had "amazing potential" and that I "HAD to go into musical school" and I was so excited until she said "and choose a new instrument."
SHE taught me how to play the recorder and now she was telling me I had to give it up because it's an instrument for children. I didn't want to learn to play the flute, or ANY other instrument, I wanted to keep playing the recorder, but no one would teach me, and the teacher told me I would have no future as a recorder player, that there was no such thing as a professional recorder player. So I stopped playing. And I didn't even touch another instrument, I liked the recorder, not the flute.
So when I found this channel I was SO HAPPY!! I'm honestly so happy to have found someone who doesn't say it's a child's thing, who is a Professional Recorder Player like my teacher said didn't exist lol
I want to go back to playing it like I used to and have as much fun as I used to have with it :)

[alfabsc]

In the 1970s I was a music major at a college that was training many future elementary school teachers. These future teachers were given one semester of music for elementary school that included playing recorder. I was asked to demonstrate the oboe for the class to learn about orchestra instruments. I was asked by one of the future teachers if I played recorder. I took one of the cheap plastic recorders and played Greensleeves. When I finished, the lady that asked me to play said "So that's what it's supposed to sound like!" Thanks for your channel! I love all things fipple!

[janetkirk]

I taught recorder to dozens of eight year olds. For me, the key to making it tolerable was to teach them to play loud, medium and soft. Once they grasped that, everything sounded a lot better. During one session I had 54 eight year olds in one small classroom practicing for an upcoming performance.

[Timbeon]

The thing that got me to understand that the recorder was a real instrument and not just a toy for 9-year-olds was learning that it's the wind instrument you hear in a ton of medieval music and basically every instrumental version of the Christmas carol In Dulci Jubilo.

[ioana]

As a child, I used to play the piano. Intensely. Up to that age, music had defined me, and I was good at it. A friend came over and showed me the wooden recorder he received for the holidays. We had fun learning about his recorder, and he played a bit on the piano, as a perfect novice. Here's what happened next: I had to drop my music studies and focus on academics. He figured out his grandmother had an upright piano and kept going there to play. He taught himself how to play the piano well. He learned the recorder. He got himself another one, tuned differently. He learned about theory. Eventually, he had a teacher -- and picked a tenor saxophone. These days, we are in our 50s. I am an engineer, trying hard to get back into music. He became a respected saxophonist in our home country, fills large venues with his band, has countless concept album recordings and an endless list of famous collaborators. I feel fortunate to still be his friend. And I cannot see a recorder without remembering the time when he was just a bit curious about music.

[yaayitshope]

i’m here from answer in progress and you were such a lovely find! your vibes are so pleasant and i love your energy throughout the vidoe. i especially love how you regularly paused the video to fully explained your thoughts and at times even summarized the video and didn’t play through it all! i am usually weary about reaction content like this as i’m worried that people will essentially repost others videos in full with minimal commentary, but you handled this reaction format so gracefully and respectfully! as someone who’s first introduction to a world beyond plastic recorders was sabrina’s, seeing your medieval double recorder is crazy omg!

[angelhelp]

I’m a retired music teacher who had to learn to play the recorder so that I could teach it (my degree is in piano performance). I introduced my students to many different instruments, always via live performance when possible. A local professional recorder group was invited to play, and they came with a sopranino, a bass, and everything in between. I also took, printed, laminated, and posted my own photographs of different instruments so that the kids could see the relative size of the instruments with a human for scale.

[jimbolt]

I like the recorder because of its sound quality, versatility, and portability.

I guess I was one of the fortunate ones. When I got to university, I ran into some people who played/sang a mix of Old Time music and Irish songs. Several of them played recorders and they put together a few sessions to get us started on the recorder. It worked!

One of my favorite audiences, years later, was a herd of deer. I went out to a wooded patch and a small herd of deer came running in from a field as I played. I played a while and they listened for two or three tunes, then moved on maybe 50 yards away. All of them except for one doe. She moved closer and seemed fascinated with the music. Finally, I had to stand up and leave, but she still wasn’t spooked the way most deer would be. Music does some wonderful things.

[Nekogrl]

Funnily enough, YouTube gave me Answer in Progress' video which sparked a memory of seeing a reply by you which I hadn't yet watched. So I saw things in the intended order, after spelunking my subscriptions just a little. And yes, I was similarly impressed by Sabrina's openness, curiosity, and devotion. She did good! I hope she keeps up with it and continues her progress from a black belt to a 10th dan (or whatever, I don't really know my martial arts belts).

[kirisviel]

That medieval recorder so is gorgeous…. I’m in love

[katemorrisguitar]

I was given a cheap plastic recorder as a young child, loved playing in a mixed ability group in school but stopped playing aged 8 or 9 when the teacher retired. Took it up again 12 years ago aged 40 and since then have played in quartets and ensembles, played in castles churches and museums, met some amazing new friends and own a collection of beautiful wooden recorders. It’s given me such joy. If I wasn’t given that cheap plastic recorder as a young child I doubt I’d have ever considered it. Team Recorder has also taught me to be PROUD of my chosen instrument and take it seriously.

[Lindalupos]

I love both Answer in Progress and Team Recorder, so when I saw Sabrina's video I was so hoping for a shout-out to you! When Sabrina and Melissa were like "I've never seen a professional recorder player" I just sat there like "look on Youtube!!" Haha. Love that you did this reaction video, and that you liked Sabrina's video! 100% that the joy of playing music is the most important!

[TJtheBee]

Yes! I was ones of the ones who recommended this! I'm so glad that we both got a positive impression from that video!

[michaelraymond]

I’ve worked with Alison and she’s an absolute pleasure! You’ll be pleased to know that I took a modern class with her and the focus was group improvisation. She gave everyone the support and encouragement they needed to break away from the page and take risks. These were young people with ample training and experience on the instrument who were, in some cases, quite uncomfortable with the idea of presenting their own musical ideas despite the fact that the very exercise of extemporaneous composition is a huge element of the recorder’s history. This video and the original video were both wonderful and I was so happy to see Alison! Brave tutte!

[sebastoslafrite]

hey sarah, today i was randomly going around in the music section of this big shop i hadn't went to in a long time.
me and my mom were about to leave, until i saw a long, bag. I noticed it, i looked at some text on this bag, which translated, reads: "soprano recorder" i was really excited because my schools never forced me to learn the recorder, but ive started to develop some love for musical instruments, even if they are considered a "toy".
i got the recorder, I watched all your beginner's basics lessons, learned au clair de la lune and amazing grace, and i have to say, the recorder is so incredibly, nice! its small, so it wont bother you, it's pretty cool, how sometimes you can half cover a hole, i love this!
thank you for giving me a nice start to the recorder!