Dear Ingrid, My child has been told that they have a "great sound" with the flute and the right lips. They like to play but wont practice especially if left for a while. Should I persevere with the lessons as they are expensive for us, or maybe leave it for a year so they appreciate what they had?

Dear Ingrid, I have been learning the flute for a bit more than a year and am finding it more difficult than I perhaps expected. I’m quite a good pianist so have no problems reading music, but controlling my breath is a real nightmare! So I need all the help I can get!    

I have heard talk about something called ‘throat tuning’ and am not sure what it is exactly or how it might be useful to my playing. I am an adult student and wonder is this something I should be aware of? ...yes, ‘throat tuning’ is definitely something of which you should be aware as a player since working with this concept is very helpful in developing richness and resonance in your flute tone.

I have a new flute which is a silver model. Can you give me any tips on the best way to clean it? ... Thank you for your question, Heather. It is easy to take for granted that we all know just what to do, or not to do, in the care of our flutes – so perhaps this is a good time for a reminder. First of all, keeping the inside of the flute dry after playing is essential. Moisture collected inside the tube can damage the keypads, and it is not so healthy either!

Our regular Puzzle Page courtesy of Owen Auger. Do you have what it takes to solve these?.....

What a player! John Amadio was to the 1930s and '40s public what Sir James Galway is today. Of course, the flute was not so popular then and not everyone had access to a radio or a gramophone, but still, John Amadio managed to record many records of popular flute pieces for the ordinary music lover.

"But the teacher said..." Sometimes advice can be taken too literally...

We continue our consideration  of  this problem, looking to better understand Baroque style and common practices of that time so we can better perform such music on a modern flute....

Our regular Puzzle Page courtesy of Owen Auger, containing a flute fingering puzzle, a notation puzzle and a riddle. Do you have what it takes to solve these?.....

We love this piece. Besides being a real flute piece by one of the best known composers (and not a transcription), this is a wonderful example of French impressionism beautifully written for the flute....

This particular duet is short, cute, and in a jazzy style (a good introduction to swung rhythms), ideal for an encore or one of those ridiculously short talent quest items at school. There aren’t any page turns, and it won’t take up too much of your lesson!

Following last issue’s exploration of internet-related things, I decided we’d branch out in the “How To” column to cover some pieces that one can get, free of charge, on line - if you have access to the internet you can download a remarkable amount of music that is being posted by musicians for sharing with other musicians! ... Cecile Chaminade’s Concertino is a very popular piece for auditions, demonstrating a little of everything and very pleasing melodies. I expect many flutists own this piece, but maybe there are some who don’t, so I found a Russian edition of this piece  

This Baroque-era work is a real favourite with flutists; a beautiful tune that seems familiar, and you can just play the bits you like! ... Marin Marais’ original was published in Pieces de Viole, 2e livre (Paris, 1701). It was also published for other melody instruments, and the solo version for flute, in E minor, is available for free (hooray!)

We’ve begun looking at more standard works and exploring what is available from the internet for free. This “How to” column continues from the last issue; we’re referring to a Russian edition of Cecile Chaminade’s Concertino for flute and piano that one can download piano score. We’re continuing from the passage I referred to as the “dazzling middle section”.

Shaina Rush shone recently as soloist with the Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Orchestra. This busy youngster is obviously a talented flutist with the potential to make a career as a soloist. I contacted her and suggested an interview - here is her story!

Doubling on saxophone presents a variety of challenges for flutists. Many find themselves motivated towards doubling for reasons that are either suggested by school band directors or to increase opportunities in the professional workplace. Such decisions are quite often made without properly researching the best course of action...

Having just completed another year of competitions and contests, flute festivals and masterclasses, I will share some of my observations with you and the students of the southern hemisphere as you gear up for another school year...

Once upon a time there lived in the other side of the Earth a young lady who loved her flute. They had the best fun together, tooting away on beautiful music, shining in band and orchestra. And yet sometimes her beautiful flute would refuse to move as fast as the young lady wanted. She was very frustrated; she thought she was alone in the world with her problem. She was in fact being persecuted by Three Little Devils...

Recently I received a letter from one of Mary’s students, Emma, asking me questions about writing music for film and other associated professional music issues, and while answering I realised that I have been working within this industry for many years. So I decided to develop some of the written discussions I had with Emma, and begin to share these with you....  

It takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at anything. However, the investment of time is only part of the story; the practice must be meaningful and mindful. The Suzuki Method includes by design a rich variety of opportunities to practise with other people...

As teachers, we want our students to know what to do and how to do it right. Sometimes this gets in the way of helping them learn to think the way a musician thinks. One of the best ways to do this is to ask your students questions rather than giving them instructions.

“Beautiful tone, beautiful heart”: being more than a role model"
“Beautiful tone, beautiful heart” is a phrase that Dr. Suzuki wrote in calligraphy on certificates given to teachers who studied at his school in Matsumoto, Japan. In just four words, it expressed his belief about what is revealed in a musician’s tone - someone who invested the effort in developing a lovely sound was also, in Dr. Suzuki’s view, demonstrating a commitment to becoming a finer person.

Imagine learning French without ever hearing it spoken. Imagine next that you travel to Paris to test out your new skill. Will you be able to manage in French? Will your pronunciation and inflections be correct? Unlikely. You might be able to read a bit – signage in shops, names of things – but as far as genuine communication with other people, to speak even rudimentary French, you need to hear it spoken. That is the only way to absorb the nuances, tone, and other sound-based qualities of the language.

Do you ever wonder why your student Brittany doesn’t practise the things you ask her to, things that will make her a better flute player? Or why you end up spending Peter’s lesson time on the same issues over and over? When this happens in my studio, I find it rather wearing – it’s pretty clear my students aren’t exactly thrilled about it either. An advantage of Suzuki method is that a parent attends the lessons and knows what the current work is all about. With younger students, the parent is expected to be actively involved in the practice, and we provide all kinds of activities and games to make practising effective. Still, many families find that their child will accept a lot more direction from the teacher than from Mum or Dad.

Something so close to our heart as music we want to teach children from an early age. The development of children's flutes has brought much younger pupils into the flute classrooms than before. Unlike the concert flute, little is known about ergonomy and balancing of these flutes...

As a young student, I would occasionally page turn for the pianist in my teacher’s trio. Within the programme of standard repertoire for flute, cello and piano – works by Haydn, Martinu, Weber and Gaubert – was a collection of short movements entitled “Five Impressions of a Holiday” by Sir Eugene Goossens. The memory of these short cameos lingered and I was very delighted when, years later, I came across a copy and was able to perform them...

FLUTE TRIOS for FESTIVE OCCASIONS - Brian Childers, who is well known for his choral compositions and music for handbells, has taken simple, well known tunes and has developed them into more complex and reasonably challenging ensemble pieces, suitable for intermediate level students...

In recent years there has been somewhat of a revival of interest in the music of British composers from the 1940’s to 60’s – composers such as William Alwyn, York Bowen and Sir Lennox Berkeley are again being performed and recorded after a period of relative lack of interest in their music. I am happy to see this as there are many fine works in the flute repertoire from these composers and others of the era...

Playing related injuries among musicians, including flautists, have been widely reported in the literature. While a clear link has not been established between early teaching and later manifestations of pain, it is reasonable to assume that placing the neck, shoulders, hands, or back in awkward positions for extended durations, especially over a period of years, may result in cumulative trauma (overuse/repetitive strain) injuries.