Do You Remember Playing the Flutophone in Your Kentucky Elementary School?

Here's a walk down memory lane for you? Or should I say, "Here's a musical stroll down memory lane for you!" Do you remember learning to play the flutophone when you were in elementary school?

I certainly do. The flutophone is one of my fondest memories from Thruston Elementary School out in the east side of Daviess County.

Get our free mobile app

It was within the walls of that school, which is no longer with us, where my friends and I got our first taste of playing live music.

Now, I don't remember exactly what grade in which we got our first flutophones and started learning how to play them. If memory serves me correctly (which, at the age of 50, it may not), I think we took our first flutophone lessons in the 4th grade. I also remember playing them through the 5th because I have quite distinct memories of playing them in Mr. Melhiser's music class.

By the way, if you need a refresher course on what the flutophone looked like and how to play it, check this out!

My flutophone looked just like that. I remember there were two different color combinations. There was the red and white flutophone and the black and white version, which I preferred. What can I say? I thought it was more stylish than the traditional one. As soon as I got the opportunity to get the black and white version, I did!

Do you remember the first song you ever learned on the flutophone? I am pretty sure our first was a song called "On Tip Toe." I remember it being incredibly easy to learn and play. I also remember it being really annoying.  LOL.

I also remember learning how to play this!

But the memory that's burned into my head is one from Mr. Melhiser's class. To prepare us for potential careers in middle and high school band/orchestra, we had to play for chair positions. You know, first chair, second chair, etc.

I remember everyone being asked to play a solo version of "Good King Wenceslas" so that Mr. Melhiser could rate our flutophone skills.

I freaking crushed it and earned second chair. That was the only time in my flutophone career that I played worth a damn. The very next time we had to play for chairs, I fell all the way to "last chair" and stayed there. I suddenly sucked at flutophone and knew that I had absolutely ZERO future in the band or the orchestra.

The flutophone was both the beginning and the end of my musical instrument career. So, what about you? Do you remember learning to play the flutophone?