Have you ever stopped to look at your right hand pinky? Try it right now. Is it short, long, curvy, straight? What kind of a pinky do you have? I think the poor little guy is often over-looked. Our flute pinky is a very important part of playing our flute. But, I think the poor little guy is often over-looked. When positioning our right hand on the flute, our right hand has a special […]
Ah, the age old question. How long should I practice? Well, my answer is always: It depends. Questions to be answered first: 1. How old are you? 2. How advanced are you?’ 3. What are your goals? 4. What are you preparing for? A beginner should start with about 10 – 20 minutes. This of course, depends on how old you are. Very young children should begin with less than 5 minutes (twice daily).
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Have you ever been learning a certain piece and had it almost all completed and polished except the practice spot? I have. And I know my students have as well. I spend large portions of my teaching time helping students make it through these elusive trouble spots. Some students even ask me if they can play the whole piece except that part. (funny, but no) Take your repetition number all the way to 100 Here
Every year beginning on January 1st I ask my studio to begin a 100 day contest. During this contest students must remember to practice each and every day without missing a single one. Hard? For some. But, you’d be surprised at the number of winners I have each year. The first year was a test to see who could actually do it, and of the 30 students I challenged I had 2 winners. I gave
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I was involved in a 4 hour master class yesterday at a University here in Utah. During the master class on 2 different occasions, students had troubles with the entrance into their performance pieces. The first time, the student just continued on after all the blurping at the beginning, and continued to blurp the whole song long. (blurp = messing up) The second student however, blurped (on the 3rd note and not able to
I get this question every once-in-a-while. Do I bow or not at the beginning and the end of my performance – or just the end? Answer: It depends. If your audience is applauding as you enter the performing area (ie; stage), then yes, you do bow. It is your courteous acknowledgement of their applause. If your audience is not applauding when you enter, you do not need to bow. (unless your teacher told you to)
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When I first started teaching flute many years ago, I had the benefit of teaching part time in a nice music store in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. The staff there was very friendly and knowledgeable. One thing I did often was walk into the sheet music section of the store and find my friend Roger. Roger seemed to know everything. He always knew! I remember using him as my “What Is
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So, I have an older son (18) who used to only use the metronome in practice if I told him he had to. He didn’t fight me on it, he just didn’t prefer it. I used to explain to him the benefits of letting it help him find a steady beat. I also encouraged him to learn to “feel” it within his body or use his foot… or arms… or anything to help him keep
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The best age for learning the flute is: (drum roll…..) Almost any age! I began my middle son when he was only 2 years old. He cried and begged every day for me to “poot” with him. (poot meant flute) He was jealous of the time I was spending with his 5 year old brother while practicing. So, I did it. I purchased a plastic baroque recorder and we began lessons right away.
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