You might think the recorder – yeah, that musical instrument you might have played as a kid – is just that: for kids.
But one club on campus is working to change that perception.
The Recorder Club started about two years ago and its members say it is a great way to meet people and play fun songs. They meet every Friday and welcome anyone who wants to learn more about the recorder.
Joseph Cassady, president of the club, describes the weekly meetings as a lot of running through music and learning about the music of the recorder and all the gimmicks of the recorder.
“As fun as it is to just play recorder, a lot of playing recorder, well, is learning how to stop all of the things that people laugh at about the recorder,” Cassady said. “A lot of the meeting time is spent learning about the recorder, learning about the music of the recorder, or learning how to play the music of the recorder.”
Many students involved in other musical classes or clubs find recorder club to be a fun and different way to play music, Cassady said. It is usually a secondary instrument for the members and they have a fun time learning something new. They get to learn a different instrument but implement their knowledge of music into playing songs.
Although the club puts in work to learn songs and effectively teach people how to play the recorder, there is no lack of fun at meetings. Sarah Fuerst’s role is described as “club hype bringer.”
“I think the group has a really fun dynamic,” Fuerst said. “We are serious, but not so serious that we don’t have fun.”
Jacquie Wold, public relations coordinator, said that the members’ goal at the club meetings is to learn the songs they are currently working on.
“It is pretty chill most days…We have fun with it but we also take it seriously,” Wold said.
The club welcomes people of all levels of knowledge of music and the recorder. Treasurer Katie Hold says that if you are willing to learn how to read music and how to play, they will teach you.
They play traditional recorder songs from the Baroque period, along with songs they just have fun with. They’re also starting to play more pop songs.
The club recently performed the song “My Heart Will Go On” at the Capers event in late-January. They also plan to perform at Madrigal in the future put on by the Concert Choir.
Club members plan to have a concert this spring, with the date still being determined. There are also hopes to grow the club and eventually put on more performances on campus.
The club was started by a group of community assistants who were involved in music. Cassady eventually joined and is now working to build club numbers again after many of the members graduated. Club leaders urge people to check out a meeting if they are interested and to see what it is all about.
The club has recorders on hand, so you don’t need to bring anything. They have various types of recorders, from a large one called a bass recorder, a tenor recorder, a soprano recorder and others. They hope to fundraise in the future to grow their collection.
“If you’re interested at all at any time… just come see into the world of (what) we’re doing,” Holt said.
