Flute 103: Have We Mastered the Basics Yet?

Here it is, the final installment of the Flute 101-103 trilogy!  And I thought I would throw in a couple of teasers at the end for The Scale Book and Advanced Flute Studies: The Art of Chunking because I've come this far, might as well.  I am so excited about the Flute 101 series and I hope that in the brief time I have spent on them I have given a good presentation of what they contain.  By no means do I think Flute Student should be shunned from society or lost to the flute civilization; I am the product of Flute Student and I think I turned out pretty great.  I merely get excited about the exploration of flute method because there is no one right answer.  Every student learns differently and for some of my students, Flute 101 will be more effective than Flute Student (or Suzuki - I feel like people might think I am attacking Flute Student :(  )

Highlights:
- continued structure of key signature themed chapters
- even more integration of standard repertoire
- use of extended techniques in each chapter to improve overall playing
- suggestion of working towards giving a solo recital, with sample programs
- more in-depth look at composers and their music, including performance guides

To give you an idea of what the performance guides are like, I will talk about the information that can be found in the guide for Gluck's Minuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirits.  First, this is an obvious choice to include because it is the definition of standard.  Like the Mozart, if you have dreams of becoming a professional flutist, you will play this at nearly every audition. And even if you don't have that dream, if you take private flute lesson, at some point your teacher will pull this gem out.

So what light is shed on the Minuet?  Here you are:
- A brief background on Christoph Willibald Ritter von Gluck
- A plot summary of the opera from which the Minuet comes, thank you(!)
- The musical context, what is going on in the orchestra during the solo
- A few basic reminders on the simpler aspects of playing musically (the piece is in 3/4 so strong-weak-weak)
- The musical structure, ABA, and how the sections differ
- Helpful cues/tips on how to play the written "grace notes"
- Many examples showing how subdivision in the B section is the key to rhythmic perfection
- Suggestions for musical gestures, i.e. sighs
- Concluding thoughts on the difficulty of the piece and the best ways to go about working on it (like, with a METRONOME)
- Once you get to the music, the A section includes the other flute part so that the teacher can play with the student; knowledge is knowledge is power

I think what I like about this series is that it makes it easier for students to do more investigative work on their own.  This is a basic all-in-one method.  That being said, I don't think that any flute student's education is complete with these books alone. No, no, no.  Everybody needs to experience some Andersen op. 33 action.  And they'll love it...I mean, we all did, right?  Just consider this a thrilling new venture in the world of flute pedagogy!

Now, as promised, here are quick looks into The Scale Book and The Art of Chunking!

The Scale Book: A Path to Artistry is a book meant for any level musician.  Seems like a good idea to me.  But how do you make scales "friendly" to a beginner?  Well, it helps that this book looks, physically, exactly like Flute 101.  Something that looks familiar is always less of a headache than something foreign.  The third page details how the authors think elementary, intermediate, and advanced students should tackle the book respectively.  Not only does this book introduce scales beyond major and minor, it makes references to musical examples like The Swan from "Carnival of the Animals" and the book correctly suggests that scales are the backbone of flute playing from technicality to tonality and musicianship. Here is what the authors say about why they made The Scale Book:

The Art of Chunking explores, well, the art of chunking.  Chunking is one method for learning music.  It is the idea of breaking large chunks of music down to smaller, more manageable portions.  In this book, the authors want students to focus on one group of sixteenths at a time, meaning one beat in most cases.  These beats are separated by a rest and this method, according to the authors, benefits the flutist in numerous ways including, but not limited to, eye coordination/short-term memory improvement, opening the throat during rests, and helping the flutist recognize patterns in the music.  In order to do this, the book contains a comprehensive daily warm-up, 48 lessons in major and minor keys, etudes, cadenzas, and solo works by Telemann, J.S. Bach, and C.P.E. Bach. This book is meant to follow the completion of Flute 103 or "any intermediate method." I do think students should at least dabble in this book because it presents many good concepts.  This book is somewhat on the honor system though because as any lesson teacher knows, we can't make our students practice the proper way.  We strive to teach and show them the importance and benefits in doing so, but in the end it is entirely up to the students themselves.

Excelsior!

Flute 102: A Flute Method Book that Acknowledges D7?! Insanity.

Welcome back to my gushing all over the flute method books by Patricia George and Phyllis Avidan Louke!  Today we briefly explore the features of Flute 102: Mastering the Basics.  If the blog posts I am doing on these method books pique your interest, I suggest you go to Amazon.com or Fluteworld.com to order these books.  They aren't that expensive, in fact I would go so far as to say they aren't expensive at all, and they are a great investment for your studio!


Let's jump right into my highlights of Flute 102:
- there are daily warm-ups
- there is a page dedicated to the circle of fifths
- the fingering chart goes from low B to high, high D
- lessons have been put into groups of five which comprise a chapter
- each chapter is titled something like, "F Major & Friends"
- there is a methodical but strong push on learning scales
- each chapter introduces standard solo repertoire (for example, in C Major & Friends, your students get their first look at Mozart's Andante in C!)
- there is a supplement at the end titled, "Contemporary Technique Solos" - yes, they introduce extended techniques!
- throughout the book, students are asked to focus on their tone, vibrato, and techniques like double tonguing

In short, this book continues where Flute 101 left off.  It promotes the practice and learning of essential musical concepts, like scales, while drawing attention to things that intermediate students will begin asking you about, like vibrato.  I am also thrilled that the chapters are done by key because it will give students the opportunity to briefly focus on key signatures which are still relatively "new" and difficult to remember.  I also think it is fantastic that students will be introduced to the standards of the flute repertoire.  A little Telemann, Mozart, Bizet, and Kuhlau never hurt anyone...much. :)  It should also be noted that with each standard piece comes a brief paragraph of music history.  This feels like a double win for me; it teaches the students about the composers and their music.  It gives them a better understanding of what they are working on.  Think about it, said no musician ever, "Eh, who cares about that dead guy and the world in which he was living; surely neither had any impact on his compositions."

But, not shockingly, what I think I am most excited about is the fact that extended techniques are introduced!  Students will begin to learn flutter tonguing, key clicks, harmonics, sing-play, microtones, timbral trills, pitch bends, and multiphonics through short pieces.  The pieces aren't too challenging and give a nice introduction to each technique.  Even better is the guarantee that the students will feel accomplished and think that the pieces sound cool.  That is a successful recipe for encouraging practicing!  Besides, it makes learning techniques seem more manageable.  There are so many great pieces out there now and most young students are listening to recordings wondering when they will be able to tackle Ian Clarke's "Great Train Race", for example.  Well, here is a great place to start!

Flute 101: The Obvious Title of a Flute Method Book

For most of my flute teaching career, I have used the Flute Student method book series.  However, at the suggestion (a very strong - one might say nagging - suggestion) of a fellow flute teacher, I ordered Phyllis Avidan Louke and Patricia George's "Flute 101: Mastering the Basics" book off Amazon.com.  Obviously, I have some thoughts to share because I am blogging about it, and here is the long and the short of it: I think it is utterly brilliant!

Here is a bullet point list of what I consider highlights of the Flute 101 method system:

- The first lesson - sort of a pre-lesson - is called "Fun with the headjoint"
- Lessons 1 and 2 teach G, A, B, and C
- Starting in lesson 3, if the fingering for low and high register notes are the same, you "learn" both notes
- Especially in the early lessons, many of the music selections are repeated in different registers and keys as the student learns more notes (in my experience, young students are more excited to practice and play music they already know)
- There are duets in nearly all, if not all, the lessons (I've never met a student who didn't think it was more fun to play with me and for more "social" students, this keeps the lesson interactive)
- Many of the lessons begin with warm-up suggestions (introduction of the importance of warming up? Be still my heart!)
- Constant bombardment of recognition of playing in a specific key (they do exist!)
- Extremely clear and repetitive introduction to rhythm
- Suggestions and tips throughout on how to play musically in a language easy for younger students to understand
- The book is spiral bound.  This is huge (meaning awesome - not a size reference)...believe me

Okay, okay, I seriously could go on and on and on...but I won't.  My plan for the remainder of the blog is to showcase in more detail one of my favorite aspects of the book.  Here we go!

So, the "pre-lesson" I spoke of:  "Fun with the headjoint" is an organized and accessible introduction to playing the flute with which all of us fine flute teachers are familiar.  The student focuses solely on producing a sound consistently with the headjoint alone.

They are simultaneously introduced to simple rhythms and counting.  Once they have mastered producing a sound, the authors introduce two songs, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and "Hot Cross Buns", but having the student stick their index finger partially and fully into the end of the headjoint.

In part II of the pre-lesson, the students produce upper and lower register B's with their headjoint by placing their right hand over the end of the headjoint.

From here, there is more practice with ryhthms and playing both registers.  The pre-lesson closes with a teacher/student "Snake Charmer" duet in which the student plays upper and lower B's while the teacher plays the melody.  Super ingenious and super fun!

I highly recommend this book, especially for younglings!  The introduction to sound production, the repetition of songs, and the duets will keep any student excited and focused on learning the flute.  Blogs talking about Flute 102 and Flute 103 to follow! :)

End of the [Academic] Year Hustle

The last few weeks have been very busy for me.  The Columbia Community Band had its last concert for the season and it was a lot of fun to play!  We played Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral by Wagner, The Whistler and His Dog which featured myself on piccolo and Dr. Manzo from the University of Missouri, and Sparke's Tuba Concerto (also with Dr. Manzo).  With the conclusion of that concert, CCB prepares for MU commencement ceremonies and our summer programs.  At last night's rehearsal, we read an arrangement of selections from The Wizard of Oz (see video)!  I was overjoyed to play it because it took me back to Jr. High as that piece was played often.  We also read my absolute favorite march, National Emblem.  The trio section is just amazing if you've got the low brass for it.  In short, it was a fantastic and fun rehearsal.

I also had a lot of fun making a flute lamp out of my aunt's old, run-down beginner flute.  My dad (and mom) came to visit a couple weekends ago and on a whim I decided it was time to turn that unplayable flute into something useful!  With my dad's help, it was surprisingly easy to make the flute into a lamp.  A flute is already hollow and the circumference works perfectly with the light bulb and lamp kit.  The most difficult aspect of constructing the lamp was finding a lamp base and then, once I found one, weighing the lamp down because the base was hollow and the flute is, of course, top heavy.  It was a fun project to do with my dad and every time I sit at my desk, I smile because it is just so awesome and beautiful.

The next big project I took up in order to make my life easier and better my studio was to create a catalog of my music library.  I have  A LOT of music.  Some might think I have a music buying problem, but really, I just like owning my own music and I can't help it if I find something called "Fun Flute Duets" while searching for something else.  What am I supposed to do?  Not buy a book of supposedly fun flute duets?!  And for the record, that book is, indeed, fun.  It has a lot of cool, and conveniently short, arrangements of duets in the following "categories": food, animals, traditional Irish, traditional American, and Halloween.  Anyway, back to the music library.  I started by creating an Excel file and putting in the title, composer, instrumentation, and group type (solo, duet, etc.) of each piece.  Then I went back in and gave each piece a letter (A,B,C, etc.) to represent various categories like "Flute Method" or "Flute Unaccompanied Solo" and then a number (1, 2, 3, duh...).  This might seem excessive, and maybe it is, but it will keep me sane and help me find music and keep track of music if I lend it out to a student or friend - yes, I created a "Checked Out"  column.  I am currently in the process of putting the ID (i.e. A-5) into a return address label template so I can print them out and place them on the proper pieces.  I also got 8.5x11 Alphabet Tabs at Staples (love Staples) to further my OCD organization system.  Super excited.

Leaving my nerdiness behind, I finally got around to planning and organizing the first annual Crecelius Flute Studio Recital!  My students will be sharing the stage with the students of Katie Smyth Flute Studio; this is Smyth Flute Studio's first recital as well.  I've got the programs printed, the venue secured, and my music in order.  It will be a wonderful afternoon of flute solos, duets, and a quartet.  It is my hope that this will be an annual tradition.  I remember playing in my Jr. High/High School flute and clarinet lesson teachers'  studio recitals growing up.  It was fun to have the opportunity to perform for my parents and I, as a music educator, believe it is important for my students to have the same opportunity.  Not only is it fun and makes parents happy because they get to hear their children play, but if my students continue to play music through high school or even go on to major in music, they will need to develop a stage presence and become accustomed to playing solos in front of people.  And obviously I hope that my students will, at least, play through high school.  I cannot wait for Saturday!

These are but a few things that have been happening in Crecelius Flute Studio - I love being busy.  In the near future, I hope to give a recital of my own.  It has been far too long since I gave a solo recital.  I have some pieces in mind, but I am definitely open to suggestions.  Sometimes, I think it is easier to just have someone tell me what to play.  Ah, the pains of not being in school anymore!  I also plan to be better about blogging again.  I would blame how busy I have been, but I really need to be more committed.  I have a few ideas for upcoming blogs and I hope to have exciting experiences this summer to inspire me!

Learning New Music Challenge

This post is a challenge to any musician it reaches.  Here are the guidelines:

1.  Find a new piece of music to work on, a piece of which you have never played a single note.

2.  Before looking at this piece for the first time, assess your practice technique.

3.  Listen to the piece, score in front of you (if possible), regardless of whether you have never heard the piece before or you have heard it more times than you can count.

For all three of the above mentioned guidelines, your flute, or whatever instrument you play, should still be stowed safely in its case.  That's right.  Don't even touch the instrument.  Bad habits are far more easily attained than good ones.  The best way to fight off bad habits is not to touch your instrument until you've put some good thought into how to go about working on the piece.

So, now that I've brought up the elephant in the room, how do you practice?  Here, my good friend and fellow flutist, Katie Smyth, discusses one method.  And this lovely post is why I am here today writing the post I am writing.

What really stood out to me from the second link is the following:

1. The set-up: The students were given the music, a metronome, and a pencil.  A metronome and a pencil...

2.  The time of practice varied from 8.5 to 57 minutes.  Hmmm.

3. Some of the mentioned practice techniques from the top 8 practicers:
- "Practice was thoughtful, as evidenced by silent pauses while looking at the music, singing/humming, making notes on the page, or expressing verbal “ah-ha”s."
- "Errors were preempted by stopping in anticipation of mistakes. Errors were addressed immediately when they appeared."
- "The precise location and source of each error was identified accurately, rehearsed, and corrected."
and finally...
- "The number of times they played it correctly in practice...had no bearing on their ranking...What did matter was home many times they played it incorrectly. The more times they played it incorrectly, the worse their ranking..."

You really should read the whole post, it is quite good,but here are my takeaways.  Practicing doesn't have to be an all day nightmare affair.  If you are smart, you can get a lot accomplished in, say, 8 and a half minutes.  Studying the music before you play it is important.  It not only gives you the bigger picture, as in where your part fits in with everything else, but it also can help you identify the tricky parts you will probably spend most of your practice time working through.  You really shouldn't, at any point, just run through the piece over and over and over again.  Most likely, that will lead you to many bad habits.

Instead, isolate problem areas before they occur.  Discover what sort of technical issue you experience: fingerings, tonguing, vibrato/tone quality, breathing (if you are a wind instrument in particular), or dynamic.  Here are practice tips I know I have given before, but let me do it again because as a mother and a teacher I will spend my entire life repeating the same things over and over and over again.

1. Have a pencil with you.  Mark in anything that you need to, including accidentals.  If you missed the note more than once, just mark it in.

2. Practice with a metronome.  Practice way under tempo.  If you can play it perfectly slowly, you have an infinitely higher chance of playing it at tempo perfectly.  Slow practice is everything.

3. If you are having a fingering issue that slow practice doesn't cure, use rhythms (remember from practicing scales for district and state?  I'll post it again.), loops, anything that takes the measure or even one beat out of context so that you can clean up and finesse the part.

4.  Only practice one given problem at a time and for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time (or even a day).  Let's pretend that you have five problem areas.  Now think about it. If each problem area was isolated and received 10 minutes of intensive care, you'd get a lot of work done in under an hour.  An hour! Not 4 or 5 hours of making the same mistakes as you repeatedly do meager run-throughs of the piece.

5. If you are having an air support, or tone clarity problem, get rid of the vibrato in the practice room.

6. Need to work on double or triple tonguing?  Then do that.  Don't continue to hammer away at a passage your tonguing isn't ready for.  Single, double, and triple tongue scales during your warm up.  Flip the double or triple tonguing to engage the back half of the technique ( KTKTKTKT instead of TKTKTKTK).  Ever play a scale with just the back half (KKKKK)?  It's miserable, but it makes you better.

7. Listen to the music!  Honestly, it might be better to spend more time listening to someone play it correctly than you spend playing it yourself.  Also consider listening to, not just the piece you are working on, but other pieces by the same composer and works of other composers from the same period.  This will deepen your understanding of the composer's composition technique and it will make you aware of the proper playing styles/practices.

Learning how to practice well, efficiently, and successfully can take years to master, but once it's done, the results speak for themselves.

Back to my challenge, care to try it?  Want to take it further?  I had an amazing musician, conductor, and educator once suggest that I listen to and study a score for at least three months before I played a single note.  To this day, I haven't been able to wait that long.  But I'll do it if you do it with me.  What do you say?  Come on, jump in the pool with me!  It will be fun, and you'll be the better for it.

Performing in the Community: Singing with Full Heart and Voice

I am currently discussing the idea of putting together a sacred music performance at my parish.  Ideally, this is something that would grow into a more regular occurrence, perhaps with more musicians (not counting the congregation) participating over time.  It could create a choir that performs for and with the congregation, playing music they know but don't hear often and teaching them new music that could be incorporated into regular services.  Either way, it is a bonding experience with the members of my church that I really want to happen.

As I attempt to put together a program to present to the church music director, I am trying to balance well-known pieces with new pieces.  I am trying to create a theme of sorts.  I am trying to make the program fun, filled with songs that the audience will want to sing along to and will continue humming long after the performance ends.

This could be tricky though because every parish has its own musical identity.  I know that Queen of the Rosary in fair Elk Grove Village, IL had its own identity solidified in the foundation created by a musical director that had been there for years.  There were songs you anticipated hearing regularly and he had a set list for holiday masses.  The same goes for Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, IN.  Not shockingly, their identity had a strong Irish lilt to it.  The Celtic Alleluia was a standard and with the presence of fantastic in-house sacred music composers, the parish was set in its musical ways.

In both of my previous parishes, there were certain aspects of sacred musical practice that stick with me today.  QR makes me desperately wish there were a guitarist playing with me and then ND's choir came equipped with not only a guitarist, but a flutist, two violins, a cello, and a percussionist.  Of course, I can't expect Sacred Heart here in Columbia, MO to morph into either of the previously mentioned parishes.  I wouldn't want that either.  But I would be lying if I didn't say there were some itches I'd like to scratch that involve some more instrumentalists!  And from my experience, give the right percussionist the right percussion instrument and the music takes on a whole new life and, generally, the congregation seems to enjoy the addition.

As I progress in the planning and realization of this idea, I will keep you posted and, obviously, invite you!  Two things I know for sure:  It will begin with "All Are Welcome" and close with "May the Road Rise to Meet You" because really, could you do it any other way? :)

An Email From Robert Dick

This morning, I woke up to find an email from professional flutist Robert Dick in my inbox.  It was his response to the "Do Not Read" segment on Monday night.  (begins around 2:18):

He wants to go on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon and I think it is a great idea!  How awesome would it be for him to pull a Lou Malnati's/Daily Show and prove how awesome he is at playing flute?  If it happens, I would expect (and hope) that Robert Dick would not even mention or go into the tasteless joke - that would only put the focus on the joke.  Instead, go on, talk about what you do, laugh and have fun, and play the flute in a way most people are completely ignorant.  But that's just my humble opinion. Here is his email with instructions on how you can help him play "The Other Flute"  on the show!

"Robert Dick Newsletter – March 19, 2015

This is an appeal for YOUR HELP to respond to a horrible sketch on the TONIGHT SHOW mocking me, my name and my book “The Other Flute”.

On Monday, March 16, Jimmy Fallon, host of the TONIGHT SHOW, the most watched TV show in the United States did an infantile “Dick joke” sketch about me and “The Other Flute”. 

Here’s the link so you can see this for yourself.

Do Not Read – THE OTHER FLUTE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG1Q2SkpttI 

 After taking counsel with a wide range of friends -- I have decided that a lawsuit is pointless. Bad taste isn't against the law, and Jimmy Fallon was within the bounds of protected free speech. He was certainly way out of the realm of good taste or respect to fellow humans. Very many of you have suggested that I go on the Tonight Show and I'm giving it my best shot. I NEED YOUR HELP. Go to the Tonight Show website, or the Tonight Show FaceBook page or to their YouTube page --and tell them that they just have to have me on and that I'll play the flute in a way that really is "The Other Flute" -- and in a funny and entertaining way -- will blow their minds. Here are the links:

www.facebook.com/FallonTonight?ref=br_tf

You tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG1Q2SkpttI   start at 2:20

Tonight Show website: www.nbc.com/contact/generalgo to "I have feedback", then "I have a comment or suggestion"

PLEASE WRITE YOUR MESSAGE TODAY AND SPREAD THIS FAR AND WIDE -- THE TONIGHT SHOW NEEDS TO RECEIVE THOUSANDS OF COMMENTS AND REQUESTS.

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.

Robert"

What do you think? Is this an appropriate response and should Robert Dick go on The Tonight Show? If you think he should, let The Tonight Show know!  

Rehearsals: Performance in Disguise!

I have fond memories from Junior High of early, and I do mean early (6:30am), rehearsals the week leading up to the Concert Band Contest.  These were additional rehearsals outside of the already allotted band rehearsals scheduled during 5th and/or 6th period.  We were expected to get there on time, fifteen minutes early, so that we could warm up and be ready for the down beat.  Remember, "If you are early, you are on time; if you are on time, you are late; if you are late, you are early for tomorrow".

What did we do at these rehearsals?  We didn't play more than two notes, maybe.  We rehearsed standing as a ensemble, sitting as an ensemble, uniform (by section) instrument placement depending on where the conductor was or what his arms were doing, bowing as an ensemble, and "NO[T] GAWKING"  at the audience.  Basically, we rehearsed the performance minus the playing.

Why do I bring this up?  Well, in every ensemble I have been in, ever, I wished and continue to wish that such etiquette was practiced on a rehearsal to rehearsal to performance basis.  I find the older I get, the less the ensembles I play in are lectured about such things.  Posture goes by the wayside and performances seem less prepared.

The following are my two cents on rehearsal to performance etiquette.  Much of this is from my Jr. High Band director, but it is an important part of performing.  Music is a form of entertainment and therefore theatrical in many ways.

Posture:  I was told, very early on, to sit near the edge of my seat so that my feet could comfortably rest flat on the floor, providing the rest of me a solid foundation.  Sitting near the edge of the seat made it infinitely more difficult to slouch against the back of the chair.  I had to sit up straight; this is good for breathing, so not much to complain about there.  Sitting that far forward also made it difficult to rest my right elbow on the top of the chair - this is primarily a flute problem.  Lazy players will put their elbow on the back of the chair to help support their arm, because, you know, the flute is a super heavy instrument.  All you other instrumentalists can laugh, but every section has its bad habits.  One more thought: when you are playing your flute, the flute should be, roughly, parallel to the ground.  No odd angles, please, as it will mess with the rest of your posture and your ability to breathe.

Stand Placement:  Your stand should be set up so that it is high enough for you to read music easily, but low enough that 1) your sound isn't blocked, 2) you can see the person across from you (in my case it is always a clarinet player. Unless I am in orchestra and then it is the back of the heads of the viola section), and 3) you can easily make eye contact with the conductor.  There is a happy medium stand height range in there.  And remember, your eyes can move up, down, left, and right.  Your head shouldn't move.

"Silence is our canvas":  This was said in the middle of a rehearsal while I was in college.  It made all of us laugh because of the timing and delivery of the line, but it is so very true.  Talking and unsolicited noise prior to the beginning of a piece ruins the atmosphere.  It also creates an unstable foundation for the first note of the piece.  And of course, it is a distraction that could cause someone to miss their entrance.  It would be unrealistic to have no talking during a rehearsal, but keep it to a minimum.  And as soon as the conductor raises his arms, you should be able to hear a pin drop.  Furthermore, being aware of the need for silence and observing it will make it easier to transition into the performance atmosphere.

Beginning and Ending the Piece:  Each piece begins and ends with silence and minimal movement, if any.  When the conductor's hands go up, you ought to immediately prepare to play.  Your flute goes up to playing position and you take a breath to prepare for the entrance.  At the end of the piece, after the last note, you maintain playing position until the conductor lowers his arms.  If the piece ends and you immediately drop your flute, the moment is ruined and the ambiance is gone.  Finally, before the piece begins, make sure that you are ready to play.  What I mean is that there is a process that many young musicians ignore.  The flute comes to playing position, you take a breath, you set your embouchure, and then you begin to play.  I have been guilty of the following and I see/hear it a lot as well: the breath, and then simultaneously set the embouchure and begin playing.  Has anyone ever gotten a clean articulation that way?

Uniform Instrument Placement:  This is perhaps a bit nit picky, but theater is theater.  When you are "at ease" and the piece has yet to begin, the flute can lay across your lap.  That's a natural and comfortable position.  Once the piece begins, if you are not playing, I like to see the flute standing on the right thigh.  It shows that you are alert and that you are part of the music that is happening.

Rests during the Performance: NO GAWKING!!! So you aren't playing because you have the piccolo part and there are at least forty measures of rest before you come in - whatever you do, do not stare mindlessly out, anywhere really but especially at the audience.  They are here to watch and listen to you.  Not the other way around.  Try to look at either your own music or the conductor (occassionaly - don't awkwardly stalk the conductor).  Look like you are still part of the music being heard even though you aren't necessarily contributing to the sound.  However, there are times when you acknowledge the audience, usually when they are welcoming someone on stage or clapping at the end of a piece. Those would be appropriate times to turn and face the audience and smile at them.  They should feel like you are excited to be playing for them and that there is nowhere else you would rather be.  Besides, that's true, right?

As tedious as it may seem, thinking about these tiny details during each rehearsal will help you in the performance because they will become second nature.  Break a leg in your upcoming performances!

Another Busy Week: Preparing for the Weekend

This Friday I have the honor of participating in the Four '15 Quartet Flute Fest which benefits the Voluntary Action Center's Youth Enrichment Fund.  I will be co-hosting an extended technique workshop with Katie Smyth and Justin Cook; considering the topic and the amazing flutists with whom I am working, I cannot imagine this workshop being anything less than just a bunch of fun!

In general, I am excited to have the opportunity to participate in this event because, quite simply, I think the whole idea is outstanding!  What an opportunity for anyone involved including, but not limited to, the four young flutists throwing the shindig, the local flutists who will perform or teach workshops, and all in attendance.  If you are able to take part in the evening's various activities, you really, really should.

On Sunday the Columbia Community Band has its "Winds of March" Concert.  There will be another featured soloist and I get to revisit a piece that I haven't played since high school!  It is one of those pieces that you play and you later wonder if you will ever have the liberty to do so again.  Here is a hint as to what the piece is:  it opens with a delicious melody set in the lower register of the flute and then flows seamlessly into a presto section that could not exist without the percussion section.  Any guesses?  It's really something and if you have no idea to which standard band literature I refer, you definitely need to come to the concert!

I hope I will see you at least once this weekend!

And Until We Meet Again

I know that this post has nothing to do with playing flute, but last week a community with which I deeply identify lost an inspiring and loving figure.  Father Theodore Hesburgh, former president of the University of Notre Dame, was an educator and man who demanded the absolute best from his students.  There are many who are grateful to have known him, to have known of him, and to be part of the loving family he fostered.  It was during his tenure as the university's president that women were first admitted and it goes without saying that I would never have been able to study at Notre Dame without his belief in a good, well-rounded education for everyone.  My roommate said it best, but I will paraphrase: I am so fortunate and honored to have been, in my own very small way, part of Fr. Hesburgh's life.  I only met him once and he very politely asked what I was doing in the back of an NDSP SUV (for the record, someone stole my bike and I cannot remember why I was in the NDSP SUV).  I choose to celebrate your life, your love, and your influence Fr. Ted.  Thank you for everything.

Sitting in the Flute Section

Last week's CCB rehearsal got me thinking about all of my ensemble experiences and in particular the way I felt sitting in the flute section of any given ensemble.  I feel as though I have spent most of my life just "sitting" in the section rather than actually being a member of the section.  What I mean is that I was there physically, but my mentality and preconceived notions on how I should behave kept me from fully integrating myself into the group.  Up until graduate school I was uptight and closed off from building relationships with my flute peers.  This sounds awful, and it somewhat is, but it is more normal than you might think.  I wasn't mean or rude, but I didn't always go out of my way to get to know anyone who wasn't immediately to my left or, more preferably, to my right.  

I may have missed out on relationships that I could still have now and relationships that could have made me an even better flutist.  It is not that I want to be best friends with every flute player, but I want to know them and I want them to know me.  I didn't talk much during rehearsal, which is not a bad thing.  In fact, if more people would stop talking during rehearsals groups could get more done.  Talking, unless it directly pertains to rehearsal, is for breaks and time outside rehearsal.   Okay, mini rant over.  Back to the topic at hand.  When I say I didn't talk much, I mean, not really at all.  I probably couldn't name most of the people I have played with over the years even if you showed me their picture.

At my first University Philharmonic rehearsal in grad school, I sat down and pulled out my flute, warmed up, and then sat there until Maestro began rehearsal.  Except that this other flute player, who will remain nameless (although anyone who has played with them probably knows who they are), sat down next to me and as they put their flute together they turned to me, introduced themselves, and started talking to me about, really, random things.  They were so chill and so comfortable being in rehearsal.  The funny thing is that I didn't realize how uncomfortable I was in rehearsals until I realized how comfortable they were.  And I became instantly jealous.  Why couldn't I be that chill and relaxed?  Was I so uptight that I was alienating my peers? (Yes, I was.) 

The more I played with this flutist, the more I began to relax and enjoy rehearsing with the people around me.  I started to know other flute players in my section.  They challenged me and pushed me because some of them had the nerve to be better than me in various aspects of flute playing.  And I realized that this was the best situation.  When I think back to high school band I remember how tense I always was in rehearsal because I rather disliked the other talented flute player in the band.  Yes, she made me work hard because I wanted to beat her in reseatings, desperately, but I missed out on improving in a far healthier manner.  We probably still wouldn't have been best friends because of her mentality, but I would have been happier.

So, finally, back to CCB rehearsal.  I can name everyone in the front row of the flute section.  I am not sure I can say the same for the back row.  And that makes me feel horrible.  Fortunately, some of us in the front row have been considering coming an hour early for rehearsal and playing quartets and flute choir music (depending on the number of people that show up).  This is exciting because I love playing music in any ensemble setting.  But I am also hoping to get to know the flutists I play with in band better.  Some of them have been in the band for a decade and this is only my second year.  I want to know them and I want them to know me. 

Besides, a flute section that plays together [outside of rehearsal], plays together [better].  :)

A Bit of Music History for You: The Oldest Instrument and the Oldest Song

So, I ran across this little gem on Facebook (I will admit that social media has its advantages)... here is the link to the full article.  I think this is fascinating!  The flute and drums are allegedly the first instruments, other than the voice, and here is a flute that verifies that flutes have been around for a very, very long time.  The Adam/Eve of instruments.  Yep, I said it.  All the other lesser instruments came from a humble baby cave bear bone flute beginning.  Enjoy this cool piece of history!

And here is a little bonus.  The earliest known, as I understand it, song.  At least the earliest recorded, via writing, song.  It is generally assumed that singing/music was an oral tradition prior to written notation.  The rhythm is an educated guess by the smart people who researched this, but look at the original notation! I am impressed they got anything out of it at all.  But then, that is why I probably wasn't asked to consult on this little project.  Maybe next time...

Sometimes I really think I should have been a music historian anthropologist.  That's a thing, I'm fairly certain.

For more flute history, read this blog post by my friend Katie Smyth.

Educational Performances

Recently Pipes & Keys has been putting together ideas for things we could do at elementary school visits.  It is a bit tricky because we are trying to create programs and activities that will engage the young audience, involve music for two flutes, and exhibit good use of materials in the time allotted.  Playing for younger audiences can be especially challenging due to their general lack of attention span.  Unlike in a recital, when playing music for children the program needs to be more interactive, unless you want the children to stop listening after the first five minutes.

So I read excerpts pertaining to such events in "The Savvy Musician" and "Beyond Talent".  Both books gave the same general guidelines.  For instance, consider using musical excerpts or shorter arrangements of the music so that attention is more easily maintained and the excerpts can be repeated and more easily facilitated in the performance.  Only plan on a 30-45 minute presentation/performance, again for the attention span.  Try interweaving other school subjects into your musical presentation: writing (or English, as it were), Math, Art, etc.  Stick to one theme/concept for the whole presentation.  You don't want to overwhelm them and, despite the most well thought out lesson plan, too many details will be just too much.  I say this with experience as I taught Italian while working on my Masters degree.  Even college kids can only handle so much information in 45 minutes.

As I thought about things Pipes & Keys could do, I tried to treat the whole affair as a call and response activity, or as interactive an experience as I could make it given the musical pieces I was considering.  Here are a few of the ideas that I came up with:

A) We could play a piece, any piece, and ask the students to respond in some manner.  It could be something as "serious" or "dense" as Bach's Partita and we could have them write a story while we play, or it could be as "fun" and "light" as RK's Flight of the Bumblebee and we could ask them what makes it sound like a bee.  Is it the speed?  The buzzing sound created by flighty half steps in constant eighth note rhythm?  Is it the shape created by the melodic line?  Or does it not sound like a bee at all to them?  There is a chance that could be the case, especially if they have never heard it before and therefore don't associate the melody with a bee.

You could also take this time to give a brief, but fun, music history lesson on the composer of the piece you are playing and an introduction to the world they lived in when they composed the piece.  There are fun music history books out there geared towards younger audiences.  There are also theory books of the same mold.  And there are also just hilarious books like "Bach, Beethoven, and the Boys".  Seriously, just read the first page and if you aren't laughing then I am a bigger music nerd than I already thought.

B) We could play short excerpts of music from their favorite movies or play excerpts of Carnival of the Animals or Peter and the Wolf and introduce the idea of a musical motif.  If we play music from, oh I don't know, How to Train Your Dragon, do the students associate a particular melody with a particular character, place, or event?  After going through all the characters in Peter and the Wolf musically, can we tell the story, or even have them make up a story with those characters?  Finally, at the end of the day, do the students understand what a motif is?

C) Using theory, we could make work sheets with rhythms written out, a string of varying lengths of notes and have them tell us the total beats.  For example, they will see an eighth note, a quarter note, and a doted quarter note and they will add that up to equal three.  This is basic math in a musical context.  You can work on addition, fractions, greater/less than/equal to all while using musical notation.  You can also write out rhythms, give them a time signature and have them insert bar lines.  The possibilities are endless here.  You can have them clap rhythms and play them yourself.

D) In relation to the above mentioned idea, we could delve into simple composition as well.  You would have to teach them the range of your instrument -- not a bad idea -- and if you're feeling up to it and you play multiple instruments, you can emphasize the fact that not all instruments have the same range.  At any rate, the composition can come into play by you giving them pre-written rhythms that they can copy and to which they can merely add pitches.  If you want to be extra crafty, give them famous rhythms they might not recognize without the proper pitches, Beethoven's 5th for example.  The kids will have fun hearing what they composed played out loud and it might inspire them to go home and compose some more.  Think about it, you may inspire a future composer in 30 minutes of playing!

It seems like the possibilities are endless.  Plus, it will be fun  and we can leave them some fun music related puzzles or activities for them to take home.  I loved doing music math, and using note names to finish stories when I was younger (see example below).  Actually, I still do.  That shouldn't come as a shock considering I got my degrees in music.  Why would I take music theory and history classes unless I enjoy it?  And now that I have a plethora of music stickers I feel more than ready to go out into the young educational community and participate in the simple joys of music making!

Do you have more ideas on how to engage a young audience?  I would love to hear them as well as hear about your experiences in the elementary classroom!  Teach on, my friends. :)

Engaging Young Students

Yes, I googled "flute sword".

Teaching younger students is a double-edged sword: on one edge, they are a, moderately or completely, blank slate for you to work with; on the other edge, you have the responsibility to teach them everything, starting from the very beginning [a very good place to start].  It can be intimidating because any bad habits they develop are partially, if not entirely, your fault.  Well, perhaps they are only your fault if you fail to notice them or opt not to address the issue.

If you are lucky, as I have been, you will be graced with students who are very enthusiastic about learning the flute.  Whether they are perfectionists or extremely competitive, my students are not taking lessons because their parents want them to; they are there because they want to be there.  Great!  But you can't forget that they are still young.  Their minds may wander and they may not understand what you are saying and, worse, may not tell you that they aren't with you one hundred percent.

So, how do you wrangle these young minds?  How do you keep them on track?  Here are my ideas:

1) Especially in the very early lessons, when they are just trying to figure out how to make a sound or building up strength in their arms to hold the flute properly, take breaks.  They are taking on a lot, whether they know it or not and whether you remember it or not.  Think about it.  You are telling them quite a bit of information just to get the embouchure correct.  And they have no idea what embouchure even means!  Overwhelmed minds tend to wander.  Give them breaks and during these breaks talk to them about anything.  In the first lesson I tend to ask them questions about themselves and their interests outside of music.  I want to get to know them and build a relationship with them.  Show interest in them, and it seems more likely that they will maintain interest in what you are saying when you teach.

seems harsh...

2.  Once they know enough notes, whatever that may mean, try giving them fun music to play.  Yes, method books try to put in "fun" tunes, but sometimes what the method book writers think is fun is outdated to the 5-10 year olds you are teaching.  Pull out some Disney, Harry Potter, Star Wars, or what-have-you.  Pop culture music reminds the young student that the more they learn, the more "fun" music they will get to play.  Knowledge is power, right?

3. Similarly, take cues from your student.  Around Christmas time, one of my young students brought her church's Christmas music booklet into her lesson.  For the first five minutes she talked to me about how she likes "these songs"  and how she "could maybe learn how to play them".  Not only did I have her play one or two songs from that booklet each lesson in December, I wrote out traditional carols in keys and registers she already knew and in which she felt comfortable playing.  Enthusiasm is the greatest tool in learning anything.  Take note of and latch onto your students' musical interests outside of lessons.  These interests get them to practice more.  That's a good thing. So is their excitement.

4. If your student is having trouble mastering a certain aspect or technique in flute playing and if they are either ignoring the problem, despite you commenting on it every week, or they are beginning to get frustrated, turn the problem into a game or a challenge.  Today, I sat down and ordered some fun music stickers and made a sticker chart on Word.  It isn't anything fancy, although I enjoyed making it immensely (the crazy things you can do on Word these days), but the basic layout will appeal to young students because the idea is obvious: "on this date, your challenge is..., here is where I will put the sticker when you do it".  And who doesn't like stickers?  And not just any stickers, music stickers?  I had a blast picking them out on Amazon and I can't wait for them to get here so I can start rewarding students appropriately!  If your students act like they are too old for stickers, broker some deal where if they earn 5 stickers, then in the last five minutes of their next lesson they get to choose what they are going to play or work on.  Or maybe they want to try playing piccolo, alto flute, or whatever flutes you've collected from your travels.  The point is to keep them engaged, right?  Everybody wins with sticker charts.

5.  Finally, never underestimate the power of music in live performance.  If you give a recital and your students hear you play, it might inspire them to work harder because they want to play a piece you play at the performance or if they are really young they might just want to sound like you do (never mind the fact that you've been playing longer than they've been alive :) ).  On the flip side, forcing students to set goals also keeps them engaged; host a studio recital in which your students play solos or duets, and maybe you play a piece too.  Giving your students the opportunity to play is good for them for the above mentioned reason, but they will also think it is fun and their parents will love getting to hear them play.  I think it might be about time for the Crecelius Flute Studio to give a recital.  Yes, indeed.

As I am always eager to learn, who else has some ideas about how to engage younger students?  Please feel free to share!