Yesterday at school pick up a bunch of 7 year old kids rampaged through the sliding classroom doors brandishing what looked like some kind of ivory weapon.  Mums and carers stumbled backwards in a daze, only to be ripped out of their stupor as each little darling tried their hand (or mouth!) at  their shiny new recorder……Ahhh….it’s ‘learn the recorder time’ at school.

Yesterday, each of the children received their spanking new recorder, the first instrument to be taught in their school.  There were eardrum piercing whistles, very loooonnnnggg blown notes, pretend professional recorder prowess mixed with squiggles of delight as the mini maestros led a merry (though not quite in key) dance through the school yard like the Pied Piper of Hamelin!

The thought of two recorder-playing 7 year olds in the car journey home was too painful for me to imagine, let alone endure.  I had to come up with something quick.  As we clambered into the stuffy, overheating car, I told everyone that playing the recorder was banned in the car….for health and safety reasons….Mummy needs to focus on the crazy Dubai drivers.

That ban went unheeded (no surprise there then!), leading to much teeth nashing, warnings and last chances, all courtesy of Mummy at the speed of flying bullets!

It didn’t stop in the car.  The recorders were played at the dinnertable, in the garden (pity the neighbours!), in the loo.  They were even taken to bed, carefully wrapped up in their cotton, drawstring sleeping bags.  Really????

After another car ride home today with DD and DS1 engaging in a recorder playing competition in the back of the car, I felt like I might fling the next recorder I saw out of the nearest window.  This thought relaxed me.  In fact it brought a smile to my face.

That was until…….I found DD staring intensely at the computer only lifting her head every few seconds to scribble something down on an A4 piece of paper which had been carefully placed under the mouse.  I tiptoed over to get a closer look at what she was doing.  Peering over her flowing, post-swim hair, I spied drawings of recorders filling the screen.  Huh???

A closer look revealed she was using diagrams to learn how to play ‘My heart will go on’ by Celine Dion.  You know…the Titanic theme tune…….

My heart melted.  I have no idea how she found this on the internet.  But she decided she loves the song and wants to learn how to play it.  The diagram consisted of a drawing of recorders showing where each note is in the song (i.e., one recorder picture for each note).  DD was copying the drawings for each note (mental note….hook up the new printer!).  I explained to DD that it might be more efficient and environmentall friendly if she learned the notes and just wrote them down.  Then I caught myself in a memory recall….I recalled my ‘tin whistle’ days.  The first tune I learned was the nursery level ‘Row, Row, Row your Boat’…..and I never managed to perfect that simple tune.

And yet, here is my beautiful DD trying to skip the music’s nursery steps to master one of the world’s greatest hits.  If my ears could smile….they would be smiling right now, and I am sure they will be in the car on the way home tomorrow.