RASCOE: If you somehow managed to escape attending one of these concerts, the recorder is a woodwind music instrument. It's got a thumb hole and seven finger holes. And when it's played by a gaggle of ...

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. But ...

For several reasons, the recorder is the starter instrument of choice for elementary schoolchildren in the United States and Canada. There are plenty of affordable plastic models; the range of notes ...