Well, money yes, but if the UK is anything like the US, it's also a general abandonment of Humanities Education. This is happening from the top down, with flagship public institutions like West Virginia University "leading the way." Add-in the proliferation of private, conservative religious schools and cloistered homeschooling where curricula aren't codified, and the issues are even more magnified.
It has to be said that the National Curriculum has been disastrous for music. In recent years there have been fine words from politicians but until music is a valued part of school life nothing is going to change.
And a lesser factor, but still important, is the shortening of the school day. Back in the early 1960s my school day ran from 8.55am to 3.30pm, compared to my sons' experience of state school in the late 1990s of 9.05am to 3.15pm: twenty-five minutes may not seem like a lot but over a year it adds up to a lot of wasted opportunity. In stark contrast, at their private prep school the day ran from 8.30am to 4.15pm (3.30pm on Fridays) which meant a less rushed day and a lot more time for art, sport and music.
I was fortunate to spend my early years in a county with an excellent music service ...
So was I. In Orkney in the 70s, everyone who wanted to learn an instrument could, free of charge, and borrow an instrument of they didn't have access to one of their own. We had two periods of class music (mainly singing) a week up until about age 14, at which point we chose between music and art.* We had a very decent school choir and put on some excellent shows.
I'm rather proud of the fact that this was in large part down to my late father, who was Director of Education for Orkney at the time, and was very keen on music.
I too love singing and have been in several different types of choir. Starting with school, college, church, then singing Handel’s Messiah with a local choir while at college in London. More recently I was in Rock Choir for 14 years, now I’m in a similar community choir. We sing mainly pop and Motown, learning by ear, and we include choreography with some songs. I love this as I can’t stand still while singing these songs. I find the sessions uplifting.
Bizarrely, given the activity reported here, when child #3 said she wanted to go to a carol service we found there weren't any nearby, not before Christmas Eve anyway.
I suppose that on the one hand it's commendable that "Christmas" Lessons and Carols aren't widely available before Christmas Eve. Any more, decidedly Advent L&C leave people underwhelmed. At least over here in the US.
In my experience in my corner of the world, Lessons and Carols tend to happen the Sunday after Christmas, with all or most of the carols being congregational. If the choir has anything to sing, it’s easy. It’s a “light duty” day for clergy and choir.
The local parish church has the Lessons and Carols (not Nine, so it'll be interesting to see what it contains) service on the evening of 20th December which I'm keen to attend. We were away for it last year. We belong to our local Baptist church but were both brought up Church of England and sang in church choirs, so we always miss singing the proper (oops, did I say that out loud?) Christmas music at this time of year.
When I directed a cathedral-style Choir of Men & Boys, the most enthusiastic rector always wanted Nine Christmas and not Seven Advent L&C, and for the ceremony to take place as close to (and before) Christmas as possible, though never on Christmas Eve. It was challenging. While I was director, we actually grew to mount a full, King's-worthy ceremony with two selections following each reading, with maybe six congregational carols throughout, including Once in royal David's city as the opener. Absolutely crazy for a volunteer Choir that mostly rehearsed combined once per week (more in the interval between Thanksgiving and the ceremony itself, with some very long Saturdays in that mix). Just nuts.
In my experience in my corner of the world, Lessons and Carols tend to happen the Sunday after Christmas, with all or most of the carols being congregational. If the choir has anything to sing, it’s easy. It’s a “light duty” day for clergy and choir.
Doing anything Christmas related after 25th of December in the UK is unusual - outside of the church I think you'd be accused of being unseasonal for singing Jingle Bells on Boxing Day.
It even makes the Christmas season at church, running effectively to Epiphany or Candlemas, seem a bit odd. At least to me.
The decorations usually stay up until 12th night but the feeling is very much that they're still up from Christmas, not that they're up because it still is Christmas. Having said that, trees being taken down on Boxing Day is not unheard of.
In my experience in my corner of the world, Lessons and Carols tend to happen the Sunday after Christmas, with all or most of the carols being congregational. If the choir has anything to sing, it’s easy. It’s a “light duty” day for clergy and choir.
Doing anything Christmas related after 25th of December in the UK is unusual - outside of the church I think you'd be accused of being unseasonal for singing Jingle Bells on Boxing Day.
Well, I’m in the land where “Boxing Day” is something people have perhaps heard of in movies or TV shows, but many often have little clue as to what it actually is, or what pugilistic activities have to do with Christmas.
It even makes the Christmas season at church, running effectively to Epiphany or Candlemas, seem a bit odd. At least to me.
Only to Epiphany in my tribe; Candlemas is a totally foreign concept to us. But the Sundays after Christmas are definitely observed as part of the Christmas season, at least among Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians and most United Methodists in these parts. (Some I know would say, “that’s one of the things that makes us different from the Baptists.”)
That's how it is over here, too, @KarlLB. There's an abject abandonment of Christmas on Dec. 26, including in many non-liturgical churches where you're far more likely to get the beginning of some non-RCL sermon "series" instead of anything resembling The Holy Family or Epiphany on the two Sundays right after Christmas. Generally, in municipalities that pick up "used" Christmas trees, you can tell which day of the week the trash men pass though by the discarded trees laid by the curb the night before. The only thing that seems to linger much past Dec. 26 are low-budget local TV advertisements for Christmas sales or promotions.
Something slightly different: yesterday's Morning Service at 8am on Radio 4 was fascinating as it was devoted to the Welsh "plygain" tradition. My wife attended a workshop on this a couple of years ago and we've attended a few plygain services, mostly at the church in St Fagan's Folk Museum.
In my parish of five churches there are five Christmas Carol Services. So they are held over the three Sundays before Christmas, plus an Advent Carol Service in my church which is the only one with a choir, though we are sometimes asked to sing elsewhere, but as most of us sing in other choirs too, we cannot always oblige.
Plus of course other services including Christingle, Crib service and “ normal” services. January will have Plough Service and Epiphany of course.
The UK in general starts preparations for Christmas in November and switches off on 26 December.
Boxing Day relates not to the supposed sport, but to the tradition of the giving of a Christmas box (=gift) by the gentry to their servants. There is a bit of a tradition, lapsing today more than it is upheld, I suspect, of a gift ( of money) to tradespeople on their pre-Christmas visit, eg window cleaner, any regular delivery person, postie etc. My parents did this, ( baker, milk lady, coalman), but I don’t.
In my local choral society I sit next to a lady, whose hearing is so bad that she does not realise how bad her singing has become. I can usually ignore it, but last night at rehearsal, seated in concert position, she is behind me. SO offputting. But it is an unauditioned choir, so nothing can be done.
In my local choral society I sit next to a lady, whose hearing is so bad that she does not realise how bad her singing has become. I can usually ignore it, but last night at rehearsal, seated in concert position, she is behind me. SO offputting. But it is an unauditioned choir, so nothing can be done.
I have had conversations with a handful people in our church choir, including the music director and my brother-in-law. They are all under solemn obligation to let me know when I reach that point, if I am oblivious to it.
As a choral director, this is one of the important reasons to have singers go through an annual vocal assessment. “Audition” is a loaded term, but even unauditioned ensembles should be voiced. There are a variety of ways to do this, but it’s essential IMO, but I’d say a lot of volunteer choirs — especially church choirs — don’t do it. Their seating arrangements tend to be socially derived. Another approach is to have new singers sit on the outsides of rows until they’re ready to be voiced-in.
I have never even heard of a church choir being voiced. The one really good church choir I sang in kept poor singers out mainly by being intimidatingly good, perhaps too much so -- people in the congregation who I knew had nice voices would hear the choir sing a capella harmony and say, "I could never do that."
I have never even heard of a church choir being voiced.
Our church choir moved, just this past fall, to assigned seating for rehearsal. A major reason for doing so was two people (in the same section as me—yay) whose best singing days are, shall we say, behind them. They tended to sit together, which compounded problems. Assigned seating separated them and strategically placed other singers who could provide a corrective influence.
It’s a delicate balance. A church choir—at least those I’ve been part of—is more than a group that leads and provides music. It’s a community, typically a very close and important community for choir members. If we ask, or gently encourage, people to leave when they can no longer contribute what they once could, we very well may be cutting them off from one of the major forms of community they have. That’s bad to do to anyone, but worse to those who are elderly. The two I mentioned above are both widowers without family close by; choir is a really important connection point for them.
There is a strong feeling across the choir, including the choir director, that the challenge we have to meet is not how encourage them to move along, but how to make choir “work” without excluding them.
When I first joined the church choir we had three such elderly ladies. It was their social outing. They only sang hymns, did not join in practising the anthem, and spat feathers at anything in Latin. They were unable to join in the Zoom practices during Covid and did not return, though old age and poor health were the major factors.
My local choral society would fold if any sort of audition were proposed.
What exactly is meant by ‘ voicing’? I came across the word when used by David Hill, who was ( visiting) Director of Music for a choir I used to sing in when I lived in Yorkshire. He listened to small groups of singers then moved people around, within their part, thus altering the blend of voices. The results were noticeable. He talked about the ‘ colour’ of voices. I have not come across this since then. I think it came from US as he held a post at Yale.
What exactly is meant by ‘ voicing’? I came across the word when used by David Hill, who was ( visiting) Director of Music for a choir I used to sing in when I lived in Yorkshire. He listened to small groups of singers then moved people around, within their part, thus altering the blend of voices. The results were noticeable. He talked about the ‘ colour’ of voices. I have not come across this since then. I think it came from US as he held a post at Yale.
I have never even heard of a church choir being voiced.
Our church choir moved, just this past fall, to assigned seating for rehearsal. A major reason for doing so was two people (in the same section as me—yay) whose best singing days are, shall we say, behind them. They tended to sit together, which compounded problems. Assigned seating separated them and strategically placed other singers who could provide a corrective influence.
It’s a delicate balance. A church choir—at least those I’ve been part of—is more than a group that leads and provides music. It’s a community, typically a very close and important community for choir members. If we ask, or gently encourage, people to leave when they can no longer contribute what they once could, we very well may be cutting them off from one of the major forms of community they have. That’s bad to do to anyone, but worse to those who are elderly. The two I mentioned above are both widowers without family close by; choir is a really important connection point for them.
There is a strong feeling across the choir, including the choir director, that the challenge we have to meet is not how encourage them to move along, but how to make choir “work” without excluding them.
Spot on.
Needs a good blend of musical and pastoral nous.
I have never even heard of a church choir being voiced.
Our church choir moved, just this past fall, to assigned seating for rehearsal. A major reason for doing so was two people (in the same section as me—yay) whose best singing days are, shall we say, behind them. They tended to sit together, which compounded problems. Assigned seating separated them and strategically placed other singers who could provide a corrective influence.
It’s a delicate balance. A church choir—at least those I’ve been part of—is more than a group that leads and provides music. It’s a community, typically a very close and important community for choir members. If we ask, or gently encourage, people to leave when they can no longer contribute what they once could, we very well may be cutting them off from one of the major forms of community they have. That’s bad to do to anyone, but worse to those who are elderly. The two I mentioned above are both widowers without family close by; choir is a really important connection point for them.
There is a strong feeling across the choir, including the choir director, that the challenge we have to meet is not how encourage them to move along, but how to make choir “work” without excluding them.
I've never been a part of a non-auditioned choir that asked anyone to leave for musical reasons. There was one instance re: a person who'd regularly show up drunk, driving himself both to and from rehearsals in that condition. But never because of a perceived lack of musical skill or ability, or waning skill or ability. And while I'd agree that church choirs are, especially internally, more than music-leading ensembles, I don't think that aspect should be soft-pedaled (see what I did there) or deliberately minimized in lieu of other aspects of choir-ing. My POV is that volunteer choirs, even church choirs (maybe especially church choirs) ought to work to improve as musical ensembles, and I don't think that an expectation of that work, for lack of a better word, is asking too much, or putting some kind of subjective artistic judgment ahead of "people." Training, or development is supposed to be a part of ensemble music making. It has ever been thus. If anything is out of place today, it's the idea that a determined, static, "as-is" contribution should be accommodated without question. That doesn't mean confrontation, but careful coercion, and some of us directors have learned to become pretty good at that.
Running a local choral society is a thankless task, not just for the DoM, but for the Committee too, especially if the Chair is laid back.
Our present Chair, only in post since Covid, has very reluctantly allowed others to give notices. ( She rambles on, and cannot be heard). She will not get things done or permit others to do so, unless it is their actual role eg Treasurer, Librarian, both highly organised and efficient people. Committee meetings last three hours instead of one. Decisions are deferred, ideas rejected or pondered for months. No venue has yet been secured for our March concert. This can’t go on. Two strong-minded Committee members have resigned over lack of action, the Treasurer gave two years notice and is finishing next summer. Others, like me, refuse to offer themselves for election, at least while she, together with her henchmen, is in charge.
Rant over. I suppose the answer is to corral support for a new Chair, but traditionally nominees are elected unopposed.
Is there not a defined term of service for your Chairperson? If not that might be something to consider. When I was the Artistic Director (DoM) of one of my area's civic choruses, the Chair was limited to a two year term. They could be re-elected, but only after four years (two more Chairpersons). Like anything else there were plusses and minuses, but on the whole I think it kept things on a fairly even keel, and if any one Chair really wanted to leave their mark, their endeavors needed to have broad appeal and support, and they needed to be pretty productive. By the time I joined the organization, the Board was pretty much made of equal numbers of At-large singers from each section, business people &/or what are now know as shareholders, and former Chairpersons.
When I first joined the church choir we had three such elderly ladies. It was their social outing. They only sang hymns, did not join in practising the anthem, and spat feathers at anything in Latin. They were unable to join in the Zoom practices during Covid and did not return, though old age and poor health were the major factors.
My local choral society would fold if any sort of audition were proposed.
What exactly is meant by ‘ voicing’? I came across the word when used by David Hill, who was ( visiting) Director of Music for a choir I used to sing in when I lived in Yorkshire. He listened to small groups of singers then moved people around, within their part, thus altering the blend of voices. The results were noticeable. He talked about the ‘ colour’ of voices. I have not come across this since then. I think it came from US as he held a post at Yale.
When I sang with the Liverpool Phil David Hill conducted the Faure Requiem. He was astonished that we hadn't been voiced and spent half an hour doing it. It greatly improved the sound. After the performance people went back to sit with their mate. When I joined the director told me where to sit, but during the rehearsal the man I had been put next to told me to sit somewhere else the following week because his friend sat there. I didn't stay with them for long. I had never been in a serious choir where people sat where they wanted withing sections.
Volunteers benefit from being educated. One year I "wasted" (according to a few singers) nearly an entire rehearsal voicing the civic chorus I've mentioned. Each sections' voicing was witnessed by the rest of the ensemble. During the process I asked for opinions and comments (about the results, not the activity itself). The feedback was great. It went much, much better than in previous years when I voiced one section at a time before or after rehearsals over four weeks. When a singer is part of the section being voiced, s/he can't hear and appreciate the improvements, and too much is made over changing seats. So, it really helped to 'make' the chorus become active observers of its own voicing. Often the improvements are dramatic, and it's far more difficult for members to argue against a noticeably more pleasing corporate sound. Here's the other thing -- all kinds of other things are easier and more effective after voicing a choir: expression, articulation, even textual clarity. It's not just about tone quality and "blend." It facilitates better corporate musicianship. It makes choirs better. It doesn't come without challenges. Singer height is a big one. But musically speaking, it's always, always, always in a choir's best interest to be voiced.
When I sang with the Liverpool Phil David Hill conducted the Faure Requiem. He was astonished that we hadn't been voiced and spent half an hour doing it. It greatly improved the sound. After the performance people went back to sit with their mate. When I joined the director told me where to sit, but during the rehearsal the man I had been put next to told me to sit somewhere else the following week because his friend sat there. I didn't stay with them for long. I had never been in a serious choir where people sat where they wanted withing sections.
Sorry for this. Some volunteers can be challenging to work with.
I've been meaning to ask if anyone sang, conducted, or enjoyed from the pews/seats any choral music that was particularly good during Lent and Easter. Anyone?
Lots of good stuff, but I think the most interesting new (to me) repertoire was the Gesualdo Popule Meus. I think it must be from his Responsaries though I haven’t checked.
A choir I am in sang - or tried to - Chilcott’s Jazz Mass. we were so bad that we had to stop and start again. And now the choir director has resigned - about which no one seems to be sorry, as the reason we were so bad is that he spends most of our rehearsal times talking rather than getting us to sing…
I find it really annoying when choir directors talk too much.
Last night at my local choral society, our MD being on holiday and his appointed stand-in unwell, a lady took the rehearsal knowing none of the items. All have unfamiliar words too. She took cues on tempo from the accompanist, and led a really useful rehearsal. She really knew her stuff. It was mainly note and rhythm bashing, but she did not do that boring thing of going through each part separately for more than a couple of tricky bars.
A choir I am in sang - or tried to - Chilcott’s Jazz Mass. we were so bad that we had to stop and start again. And now the choir director has resigned - about which no one seems to be sorry, as the reason we were so bad is that he spends most of our rehearsal times talking rather than getting us to sing…
I’m not familiar with that one, but I’ve sung the Will Todd Mass in Blue which is a modern jazz setting of the Mass. It’s great fun.
Leonard Bernstein said:” To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time”.
The next concert to be given by the excellent choir I sing with( I also sing with two other choirs but they are a very different standard) which normally gives near perfect performances, is not quite ready. We could do with a couple more rehearsals. We’ve only got the one on the day, which will be mainly concentrating on working things out with the band of ancient instruments, cornetts, sackbuts and the like.
I’m hoping Bernstein is right.
Way up thread, there was a comment about the US dropping Humanities Education. One of the best memories of Elementary School was music time. Learned a lot.
“ I can’t/ don’t read music” is often said by certain choir members. I don’t believe them.
Why have they got their heads in their copies then, especially when the words are well-known?
I think they mean “ I can’t sight sing”.
Probably. But I am sure it is a learning process whereby a singer’s understanding of what is on the page increases over time, especially if they pencil in useful words to make sense of the symbols. Yet some singers of many years still tell me they can’t read music.
I think they are underestimating, even insulting themselves and their Music Directors.
I can't read music - I listen carefully and follow the tune, and use the score for the words, and I really enjoyed my time in G&S choruses.
I play a bit of basic recorder, but I have to mark the letter of the note on the score because I know how many holes to cover on the recorder for each note.
Comments
Money.
And a lesser factor, but still important, is the shortening of the school day. Back in the early 1960s my school day ran from 8.55am to 3.30pm, compared to my sons' experience of state school in the late 1990s of 9.05am to 3.15pm: twenty-five minutes may not seem like a lot but over a year it adds up to a lot of wasted opportunity. In stark contrast, at their private prep school the day ran from 8.30am to 4.15pm (3.30pm on Fridays) which meant a less rushed day and a lot more time for art, sport and music.
I'm rather proud of the fact that this was in large part down to my late father, who was Director of Education for Orkney at the time, and was very keen on music.
* in my case, there was no contest ...
https://www.ifcm.net/
A worthy event is indeed!
I often feel I live in a cultural desert.
Doing anything Christmas related after 25th of December in the UK is unusual - outside of the church I think you'd be accused of being unseasonal for singing Jingle Bells on Boxing Day.
It even makes the Christmas season at church, running effectively to Epiphany or Candlemas, seem a bit odd. At least to me.
The decorations usually stay up until 12th night but the feeling is very much that they're still up from Christmas, not that they're up because it still is Christmas. Having said that, trees being taken down on Boxing Day is not unheard of.
Or so it seems to me.
Only to Epiphany in my tribe; Candlemas is a totally foreign concept to us. But the Sundays after Christmas are definitely observed as part of the Christmas season, at least among Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians and most United Methodists in these parts. (Some I know would say, “that’s one of the things that makes us different from the Baptists.”)
Plus of course other services including Christingle, Crib service and “ normal” services. January will have Plough Service and Epiphany of course.
The UK in general starts preparations for Christmas in November and switches off on 26 December.
Boxing Day relates not to the supposed sport, but to the tradition of the giving of a Christmas box (=gift) by the gentry to their servants. There is a bit of a tradition, lapsing today more than it is upheld, I suspect, of a gift ( of money) to tradespeople on their pre-Christmas visit, eg window cleaner, any regular delivery person, postie etc. My parents did this, ( baker, milk lady, coalman), but I don’t.
Traditional Welsh-language folk carols.
Thank you!
In my local choral society I sit next to a lady, whose hearing is so bad that she does not realise how bad her singing has become. I can usually ignore it, but last night at rehearsal, seated in concert position, she is behind me. SO offputting. But it is an unauditioned choir, so nothing can be done.
I have had conversations with a handful people in our church choir, including the music director and my brother-in-law. They are all under solemn obligation to let me know when I reach that point, if I am oblivious to it.
It’s a delicate balance. A church choir—at least those I’ve been part of—is more than a group that leads and provides music. It’s a community, typically a very close and important community for choir members. If we ask, or gently encourage, people to leave when they can no longer contribute what they once could, we very well may be cutting them off from one of the major forms of community they have. That’s bad to do to anyone, but worse to those who are elderly. The two I mentioned above are both widowers without family close by; choir is a really important connection point for them.
There is a strong feeling across the choir, including the choir director, that the challenge we have to meet is not how encourage them to move along, but how to make choir “work” without excluding them.
My local choral society would fold if any sort of audition were proposed.
What exactly is meant by ‘ voicing’? I came across the word when used by David Hill, who was ( visiting) Director of Music for a choir I used to sing in when I lived in Yorkshire. He listened to small groups of singers then moved people around, within their part, thus altering the blend of voices. The results were noticeable. He talked about the ‘ colour’ of voices. I have not come across this since then. I think it came from US as he held a post at Yale.
You have described it wonderfully -- that's it.
Spot on.
Needs a good blend of musical and pastoral nous.
I've never been a part of a non-auditioned choir that asked anyone to leave for musical reasons. There was one instance re: a person who'd regularly show up drunk, driving himself both to and from rehearsals in that condition. But never because of a perceived lack of musical skill or ability, or waning skill or ability. And while I'd agree that church choirs are, especially internally, more than music-leading ensembles, I don't think that aspect should be soft-pedaled (see what I did there) or deliberately minimized in lieu of other aspects of choir-ing. My POV is that volunteer choirs, even church choirs (maybe especially church choirs) ought to work to improve as musical ensembles, and I don't think that an expectation of that work, for lack of a better word, is asking too much, or putting some kind of subjective artistic judgment ahead of "people." Training, or development is supposed to be a part of ensemble music making. It has ever been thus. If anything is out of place today, it's the idea that a determined, static, "as-is" contribution should be accommodated without question. That doesn't mean confrontation, but careful coercion, and some of us directors have learned to become pretty good at that.
Our present Chair, only in post since Covid, has very reluctantly allowed others to give notices. ( She rambles on, and cannot be heard). She will not get things done or permit others to do so, unless it is their actual role eg Treasurer, Librarian, both highly organised and efficient people. Committee meetings last three hours instead of one. Decisions are deferred, ideas rejected or pondered for months. No venue has yet been secured for our March concert. This can’t go on. Two strong-minded Committee members have resigned over lack of action, the Treasurer gave two years notice and is finishing next summer. Others, like me, refuse to offer themselves for election, at least while she, together with her henchmen, is in charge.
Rant over. I suppose the answer is to corral support for a new Chair, but traditionally nominees are elected unopposed.
When I sang with the Liverpool Phil David Hill conducted the Faure Requiem. He was astonished that we hadn't been voiced and spent half an hour doing it. It greatly improved the sound. After the performance people went back to sit with their mate. When I joined the director told me where to sit, but during the rehearsal the man I had been put next to told me to sit somewhere else the following week because his friend sat there. I didn't stay with them for long. I had never been in a serious choir where people sat where they wanted withing sections.
Sorry for this. Some volunteers can be challenging to work with.
Last night at my local choral society, our MD being on holiday and his appointed stand-in unwell, a lady took the rehearsal knowing none of the items. All have unfamiliar words too. She took cues on tempo from the accompanist, and led a really useful rehearsal. She really knew her stuff. It was mainly note and rhythm bashing, but she did not do that boring thing of going through each part separately for more than a couple of tricky bars.
I’m not familiar with that one, but I’ve sung the Will Todd Mass in Blue which is a modern jazz setting of the Mass. It’s great fun.
The next concert to be given by the excellent choir I sing with( I also sing with two other choirs but they are a very different standard) which normally gives near perfect performances, is not quite ready. We could do with a couple more rehearsals. We’ve only got the one on the day, which will be mainly concentrating on working things out with the band of ancient instruments, cornetts, sackbuts and the like.
I’m hoping Bernstein is right.
Why have they got their heads in their copies then, especially when the words are well-known?
I think they mean “ I can’t sight sing”.
Exactly this.
I think they are underestimating, even insulting themselves and their Music Directors.
I play a bit of basic recorder, but I have to mark the letter of the note on the score because I know how many holes to cover on the recorder for each note.