Baby Blues by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott for February 23, 2025

Note that not even Hammie is in the same room as this godawful racket.

My son played trombone and became drum major in the high school marching band and first trombone in the jazz band. He and my daughter (piano) played together at his tryout for county honor band. I miss those days. He played in his college band, too, and still plays a bit. It’s a good instrument.

Next, Zoe and Hammie will compete against each other to see who can be the most annoying.

Trombone noise?

I thought Darryl was making those noises

just wasn’t sure which end they were coming from

But if she continues, it’s only another eight years or so of it. My poor parents had six children, all of whom were musicians.

The cartoon strip artist is not holding him/her on this Sunday!

Just wait for the entire band concert. All the parents can commiserate, then reinsert earplugs!

Day 2 trying to get the top comment

What are they playing, Carnival of the Animals?

Maybe she can switch to a easier instrument?

If I remember right, she deliberately picked trombone because it seemed like the noisiest (and therefore most annoying).

Aah! Loved the slide trombone. Sooo loud.

It this was set in the 1960’s, Zoe could join a free jazz brass band with Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur III.

Well she got to blat. That’s a step in the right direction, going by all those other sounds.

i love those animal illustrations. the water buffalo doesn’t make much sense

This must have been so much fun to dtaw

The end of undamaged hearing to all involved began here

((((((((((((˃̩̩̥‸˂̩̩̥)))))))))))

Remember in elementary school where everyone had to play the recorder? Now THAT was torture on your ears. Worse than the kazoo.

Please encourage your kids who are starting an instrument, rather than teasing them about how bad it sounds. You can’t have accomplished musicians without those beginning efforts. I’ve seen too many kids who end up quitting because of teasing and discouragement from families. My parents tried to get me to quit, but I’m just that stubborn.

When I was in 4th grade, I was in the school’s beginning band. Half way through the year, someone came in and recorded us, and then made LP records that we could purchase. A friend and I listened to the recording six years later, and it was HYSTERICAL. Just AWFUL! Full of fweeps and blatts and squeals. We could NOT stop laughing.

Yep, just like Zoe, never can keep quiet.

A few days? Hasn’t she been playing every day for months?

To some people anything they don’t like is noise. I’m a musician and I find myself thinking this.

Good artwork today!

Oh, Zoe on the horn, I thought Wanda had gas.

I come from a family of musicians and that would be my mom’s house when my brother and I were that age, my instrument is pretty quiet as it’s a classical guitar (no electronics) but my brother had the drum kit so by the time we were teens my guitar was amplified and he was mic’d, add another guitar and another mic… our neighbors loved us lol

The first 3 panels had me thinking that Darryl had (to be polite) a gas problem. Glad it was cleared up in panel 4.

“Never look at the trombonists. It only encourages them.”

I’ll bet Louis Armstrong’s parents said the same thing! (I know he played a trumpet.)

That would be a good for me to go for a long run.

That last score is called “Hammie Does Beans!”

Ah yes, the iconic “GWAN GWNN” of African buffalo.

…but you’re gonna love it (my kids are now grown) !

I grew up hearing all kinds of trombone students, as my dad made his living playing and teaching low brass (mostly trombones). I played it while in high school but unfortunately didn’t have a lot of talent —but I had a lot of fun playing it.

Unrecognized talent.

This is funny! And the art work is great.

Where are the OTHER 75 trombones??

I’d almost forgotten that Zoe had taken up trombone. I thought it went the way of Hammie’s ukulele.