By Abigail Covington, NPR | Remember the recorder? It’s that small plastic instrument — looks kind of like a flute or clarinet — that’s often the first instrument children learn to play in school. Or, at least, they used to. A recent report found that the number of kids learning the recorder has declined over the years in schools in the United Kingdom. Teachers in the U.S. say the instrument’s popularity has declined here, too, due to COVID-era restrictions and the rise of popular alternatives like the ukulele.
But at Parkside Elementary in Atlanta, the tradition is still going strong. In fact, when Parkside’s band teacher, Phillip Edwards, tells his second-graders it’s time to take out their recorders, the classroom buzzes with excitement.
“It’s like a pep rally,” says Edwards. He’s only taught them five notes so far, but those five notes add up to a lot of songs: “Three Blind Mice,” “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and that old earworm “Hot Cross Buns.”
He has even taught them Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.”
The song has been a hit with his second-graders. Daisy Lee, 8, says, in fact, it’s her favorite song she’s learned. “It’s an easy song, and I like the rhythm and beat,” says Daisy, who added that her older brother really likes the ’80s stadium rock hit as well.
The perfect teaching tool
Like generations of educators who came before him, Edwards uses the recorder to teach young students about the fundamentals of music, such as how to focus, how to breathe and how to recognize a certain note by sound.
Evidently, it’s a job the recorder is well suited for.
> > > > > > > > > >
Go here to read more of this inspirational story:
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/16/nx-s1-5456217/recorder-musical-instrument-schoolchildren