Some of us took piano lessons as kids, or maybe played the clarinet in high school band. And then some of us will only ever be experts at air guitar. But one instrument most students in Illinois have played for generations is… the recorder.

That little plastic or wooden amateur flute you bought for ten bucks in music class — where you then rocked out to “Hot Cross Buns” like a boss — may have been your first introduction to playing music. But why the recorder?

Morning Shift talks to Curious City’s Monica Eng, who dug into this question for those who have wondered: What event is it ever appropriate to play “Hot Cross Buns”?