Kim

I would like to learn to…

… play a musical instrument. I just have the feeling I may have missed the boat at my age, with my secondary school music lessons a hazy memory and spare time at a premium.

I remember taking recorder lessons at primary school. The screechy out-of-time renditions of 3 blind mice, whilst the shrieks of children enjoying their lunch break drifted in through the open window.  Then one day, my recorder inexplicably disappeared! My teacher said there was no spare to borrow and with that, my musical career was over before it began.

One day I had special permission to fetch a fresh exercise book from the large walk-in stock cupboard in the corner. Tucked behind an open box of red Berol handwriting pens I discovered a recorder. I studied it, it even had a sticky rectangle on its black shiny surface where a dymo name tag had once stuck. My name tag?

The teacher denied it was my recorder, although I suspected musical sabotage at the time. In hindsight, I doubt musical ability was ‘my thing’ and she probably did everyone a favour really. Possibly my parents were even in on the conspiracy – they’d had enough 3 blind mice for a lifetime.