The Most Frequently Asked Recorder Questions

by Judy Smutek

Recently, I asked Susan Burns, the ARS Administrative Director, about the questions she gets most often from ARS members or others who are familiar with the American Recorder Society. She quickly responded by listing several questions, and I’ll summarize her answers below. Though Susan enjoys talking to people who call the ARS office number, and she’s happy hearing from you via email, she’s not available 24/7, and questions can arise in your mind at any time. This ARS NOVA is meant to remind you of the many answers you can find on the ARS website at any time of the day or night.

How can I find a group or other recorder players near me? The ARS General Directory search page is the place to start to find a group. You do not need to be logged in to use this search. For ARS members to find other members, log in and select “Member Directory” from the “Our Community" drop-down menu. The search page contains instructions in bold type to help you find recorder players in your area. The same search page can help you find out if there’s a chapter of the ARS near you. The ARS has 95 chapters as of this writing, and the search page instructs you how to search by specifying state, city, or zip code. On the other hand, if you live in an area with no nearby chapters or recorder players, you could try an online recorder community and see if it works for you. The North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) is the largest chapter of the ARS, and you can get more information about them at their website.

How can I donate recorders that are no longer needed? There’s no simple answer to this question because the specific instruments may or may not have value. In 2024, ARS published How to Deal with Recorders Left Behind in ARS NEWS. The article gives advice on determining if the instruments have value, offers options to consider for the sale or donation of those instruments, and even touches on how to deal with collections of sheet music. 

Where can I buy a recorder? Almost everyone shops on the internet these days, but some recorder players may wonder how to shop for and compare recorders if they live far from recorder dealers. We encourage you to shop with the ARS Business Members listed on the ARS website. Several of these businesses sell recorders as well as music and are willing to ship instruments for buyers to evaluate.

In addition to the questions that Susan gets most often, many others recur frequently enough that ARS has a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on its website under the Resources menu. At present fourteen different questions are answered. The FAQ page addresses basic questions and covers a variety of other topics. Does a beginner want to know what music to choose for learning? See an answer on that page. Want advice on which recorder a beginner should learn first? The FAQ page offers ideas. Other topics include a comparison of plastic recorders, guidance on shopping for wood recorders, and whether or not to use a thumb rest. We recommend that you take a look. 

Judy Smutek is a member of the ARS Board of Directors who is the chair of the Communications committee. She lives in Ann Arbor, MI and belongs to the Ann Arbor Recorder Society.

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