![]() When too strong a breath is used, the Ocarina cuts out. The English 4-hole Ocarina produces a single, clear, tuned note for each unique fingering. ![]() Even playing a Recorder needs subtle breath-control: over-blowing produces unwanted notes, harsh overtones and squeaks. Playing tuned musical instruments is usually a complex process for the learner because of the need to read music and develop fine breath- and motor-control. The fact that Ocarinas have none of these complications makes them popular with primary school teachers. As a result, instrumental teaching often seems to be out of the reach of many class teachers, remaining the sole preserve of highly trained visiting music specialists. Getting musical instruments out of their cases, tuning them, replacing strings, reeds and other removable parts, all complicate and delay the teaching process. In the primary classroom under ‘combat conditions’, the complexity of many instruments means they can easily ‘go wrong’ or require costly maintenance. Hence, ‘stupid’ describes how things can go wrong, and the level of sophistication needed in fixing them. The principle is exemplified by the story of a team of American design engineers who were given a handful of tools, with a challenge that the jet aircraft they were designing must be repairable by an average mechanic in the field under combat conditions with only these tools. The KISS Principle, or ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’, (Rich, 1995) maintains that most systems work best when kept simple, not complicated. The rationale for teaching with Ocarinas can most easily be described by the acronym ‘KISS’.
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