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.
A recent report found that the number of kids learning the recorder has declined over the years in schools in the United Kingdom. Teachers in the U.S. say the instrument's popularity has declined here, too, due to COVID-era restrictions and the rise of popular alternatives like the ukulele.
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For over a century, educators and researchers alike have recognized that the arts are more than enrichment, they are essential to learning. From music and drama to drawing and storytelling, artistic expression strengthens academic achievement, fosters creativity, enhances memory, and builds social-emotional skills. While many schools still debate whether the arts are optional, the research consistently demonstrates that they are central to student growth and success.
Landlines encourage connection—without the downsides of smartphones.
Illustration by Jonelle Afurong / The Atlantic. Sources: Olegk1986 / Getty; Sally Anscombe / Getty.
When Caron Morse’s 9-year-old daughter asked for a smartphone last year, her reaction, she told me, was unambiguous: “A hard ‘Hell no.’” Morse is a mental-health provider in the Portland, Maine, public-school system, and she was firmly against smartphones, having seen how social media and abundant screen time could shorten students’ attention spans and give them new anxieties. But she wanted her children to have some independence—to be able to call friends, arrange playdates, and reach out to their grandparents on their own. She also needed a break. “I was so sick,” she said, “of being the middle person in any correspondence.”
So when her daughter turned 10, Morse did get her a phone: a landline.
