New Jen's Horde


Monday, May 01, 2006

Monday Memories

 


Monday Memories: Did I ever tell you about MY RECORDER DAYS?


Did you ever have a time in your life when you really were free to do anything you wanted? Not like free to jet to Paris, or buy a new car. I mean free to just be who you are and not care what anyone else thought about it?

I'm pretty fortunate in that I seem to have been born without the "worrying what other people think" gene. Even so, there are a few times in my life when I had just the right combination of time on my hands, and friends who were similarly genetically afflicted, so we could fully develop whatever quirky behaviors we wanted to.

When I was in my sophomore year of college, my friend Melanie had to learn to play the recorder as part of her early education degree. I had sort of learned to play in fifth grade, and as luck would have it our friend Sara had played all her life as her mother was involved in some sort of recorder ensemble.

Recorders are cheap, a decent plastic one is still under $10, so it's the perfect instrument for college kids to get into. We became mad for recorders, and we never went anywhere without them. We started playing medieval trios and any other music we could find, often treating complete strangers to a concert when we'd finally gotten the hang of a piece. We got together to drink wine and play recorders. We played recorders while waiting for classes to start. We would run over to friends' houses to play for them when the mood struck us. You get the picture.

I'm sure we were seen as weird, if not downright annoying to some people. But, we didn't care, and that was the beauty of it. Somehow after having been told our whole lives you have to do this, that or the other to fit in (and never quite making it) we'd reached a point where fitting in didn't even enter the equation.

And, ironically, we were popular in a strange way. Everyone knew us, and people would come up and talk to us. Apparently, the key to fitting in is to not fit in, but to do it in a memorable way? I still don't know.

What I do know what that every day then seemed filled with promise, something new to be accomplished, fun to be had, music to be played. The recorder is really the only instrument I've approached mastery on, and that's because instead of grinding through lessons, I played around with friends until I got it. So, when I got the chance to join the FFMB, and she asked what instrument we all want to play, I started thinking about those fun days again.

So, if you'll excuse me, I've dug out my recorder and I need to brush up on my J'ai du bon tabac, if you please. (audio)


Links to other Monday Memories
If you're playing, please leave me a comment and link yourself up. Don't forget the comment part, though. It's already Monday, don't make things worse...




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Comments:
Wish could be like you having to do anything I wish.
 
Girl, I LOVED the recorder. I played one in grammer school and it was the best. I had not thought of it in years, so I this was a very pleasant reminder of a pleasant memory.
Thanks SO much.
Recorder players of the world...UNITE!
 
Oooo, that sounds like fun!

I can't come up with a memory for today. Maybe something will hit me as I go.
 
I remember playing it in elementary school...but now I get to hear my young nieces play theirs!
 
I don't think that I've ever propperly learned how to play the recorder, but I have learned and forgotten the clarinette.

Darly has a recorder that she uses mostly to annoy everyone. She doesn't quite have the finger span to play the notes correctly and the book that came with it seems very complicated for a child's book. Oh well.
 
I wasn't gonna, but I remembered something....

What is with word verification??? my word is echevbgc!!!
 
I loved playing the recorder in grammer school!! When my kids had to play it in school, I was so excited! :)

Great memory...took me down memory lane too!
 
We have one somewhere around the house, no one plays it though.
 
My recorder experience never got beyond a stirring rendition of Happy Birthday. Let me tell you I brought the house down with it ;-)
 
funny how the dress stuck out so much in my mind. It doesn't bother me much anymore as I cut the dress up to make stuff for my Barbies after that.

I'm glad to still be here too...there've been other close calls.
 
That's great! A recorder ensemble. It's too bad that not too many kids now are not that interested in the recorder. My grandson would rather bang away on his drums. But he is a very good drummer.
 
I KNOW we would have been good friends!
My friends and I used to sing all the time, everywhere.
A group of us high schoolers were on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) on our way for a fun day in San Fran, and we entertained the passengers. A guy on board wrote a letter to our high school principal about us, saying what a joy it was to hear us sing on BART.
I know what you mean about just having a blast and not caring if we fit in with the "in" crowd. The "in" crowd at our school were rich snobs. No thanks!
I was the same way in college. I chose friends who were not afraid to be wacky!!
 
Just came back about the postcard exchange. Seems like you're interested. Will you send me your email address?
 
what a cool story. It would have been cool to be a part of your little recorder group. heh heh.
 
Haha, wicked! That's the kind of story that makes me want to pick up a recorder and play!
I think my friends and yours would've had a blast together! We tend to do things that don't quite "fit the equation!"
Charming MM!
 
This is such a fun story. College is so great and full of neat memories like this.
 
Found your link through Wendy. I loved playing the recorder and now my kids are playing it too.
 
Gee, and all I got was this old trombone. I think I missed the recorder craze. Great memory.

My MM is up.
 
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