This issue: July 2007 (Issue 11)

Starting a Student Flute Choir


Shelley Collins

I gave a downbeat, and the student ensemble played their first note. Except for one student. She was a strong player, but from the look on her face, something was very wrong. I stopped the group and asked if I could help her. She started sobbing. When I asked why she was crying, she said, “I don’t know how I’m messing up, but I know I’m wrong, because all the other kids are playing different notes!”

I asked what she meant, and she explained that in her school band, all of the flutists played the same unison part. I gently asked, “Do you know what a flute choir is?” Subscribe to read the full article

Flute Choir Touring


Barbara Eberhart

Fun? Yes! Exhausting? Absolutely! Touring with a high school flute choir is not for the faint of heart. It requires a tremendous amount of work, attention to detail, infinite patience and the ability to stay in good humour despite stress and exhaustion. While it is a huge amount of work and there is tremendous responsibility associated with taking youth on overseas tours, the gratification of showing young flute players other countries in the world makes it all worthwhile. Coming from Alaska, the rest of the world seems very far away, so it is especially gratifying to provide the opportunity for my students to begin to develop a world perspective.

The first step in setting up a tour is to choose a destination. I select destinations based on several criteria. First, it must be a place to which I am excited about traveling. Considering the amount of work it takes to set up a tour, the element of excitement is very important. Excitement is contagious and is part of the fun of any travel adventure. Subscribe to read the full article



Body Mapping – Part 2: Safeguarding Our Hands


Lea Pearson

For three years, while teaching Body Mapping lessons, I carried an outline of the body. Everywhere I went, I asked flutists to put a dot where it hurts when they play. (The results are included in the article)

What is your initial reaction to these images? Mine is shock and horror. Why are we, as flutists, experiencing so much pain in the same areas? I believe that by looking at the ways we use our hands, arms and bodies we can begin to sort out the answer. An understanding of how the body is designed to work will inform our exploration of bones, muscles, and nerves. Subscribe to read the full article


How To Play…Sweet and Sour - John Ritchie 1984


Alexa Still

Another of the “Little Dancings” Collection of flute music published by SOUNZ, this is one of those pieces that you should learn now so you can have it ready to go at short notice. Conveniently unaccompanied, the immediate audience appeal of this work is typical example of John Ritchie’s composing style. This is a treasured gem, perfect for just about any performance opportunity! I’m not absolutely certain, but I think I know the flutist for whom these pieces were written, a woman with a stunningly beautiful tone. Written for her to play in a restaurant to entertain the patrons, I can imagine her sound filling up the legato of this first movement perfectly, causing utensils to be placed aside, chatter to stop, and probably even glances of annoyance towards the sounds of cooking in the kitchenSubscribe to read the full article

Choosing Music For Trinity Guildhall Flute Examinations


Helen M Colthart

2007 welcomes in the beginning of a new and innovative examinations syllabus which gives teachers and candidates choices that are stimulating, creative and in line with contemporary thinking in Music Education. This syllabus will remain in place until 2011. The repertoire is a strong mixture of standard solos, from the established repertoire for flute, to music by contemporary composers that range in style from atonal to Jazz. Subscribe to read the full article


Other features & columns


Interest articles:
The pen is Mightier than the Flute – James O’Brien
Heavenly Flute Players No. 3 - Trevor Wye 

The Way to Blow… with a Microphone – Michelle Scullion
Boxwood NZ 2007 Review – Rod Cameron
Inspiration… Antares Bolye interviewed by James O’Brien
And more…

Columns:
Teaching notes - Helen M Colthart
Jim on Jazz - Jim Langabeer
Irish flute - Brendyn Montgomery
Indigenous Flutes- Brian Flintoff
Dear Ingrid - Ingrid Culliford
Piccolo notes - Rosamund Plummer
Suzuki Flute – Pandora Bryce Powerhouse Museum Flute Collection – Danielle Eden, Michael Lea
FFF Fluzzle – David Smith


Recent CD reviews
Happenings in the World
Junior section

And more....

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Contact us:

Flute Focus Ltd, 112 Postman Rd, RD 4, Albany 0794, New Zealand
email: mary.obrien@xtra.co.nz