1.
Please be on time - your scheduled lesson time is the time slot you have paid
for. If you are late, your lesson will still end at the designated time so as
not to disrupt the schedules of other students.
2.
Warming up is essential. You may warm up at home just before your lesson, or arrive
a few minutes early and warm up in one of the other rooms.
Flutists, in order to spend your lesson time wisely, please assemble and
disassemble your instrument outside the studio room.
3. Come to your lesson prepared! Students are expected to practice 5 to 6
days a
week. Please aim for around 30 minutes each day... but those 30 minutes can be broken
up into smaller sessions (an especially good idea for younger students). As students become more advanced, practice time will increase.
4. All students are encouraged to participate in studio recitals.
There are many other wonderful events
you are
encouraged to consider: PMTA Sonata Contest and scholarship contests, FSMTA Concerto
Competition, Music Study Club Scholarship Auditions, FBA Solo & Ensemble, and
various other events, masterclasses, and music camps.
When they meet the required criteria, flutists at Ransom Middle School are
encouraged to audition for the school flute &
clarinet choir. You are very fortunate to have
an opportunity to play in a chamber music ensemble with other woodwind players
at this stage in your music learning - this ensemble is a worthwhile
goal to work toward!
5. Parents should budget for lesson books, solos, and instrument
repair/maintenance. Parents of advanced students should also budget
for professional accompanists.
6.
Competitions and contests are wonderful experience, and a bit of friendly
competition between students is natural. However, I am not
tolerant of "cut-throat" competitive students/parents.
Members of my studio are expected to be encouraging and supportive one
another.
The
parent/student will be responsible for purchasing and obtaining lesson books and
solos as the student progresses. To make this as easy as possible, the teacher
will be responsible for providing, in writing, exactly which materials are
needed and where to find them.
Piano students
are typically placed in the Faber series Piano Adventures. Flute students usually work out of the Trevor Wye Beginners Practice Book. However, each student's
materials are tailored to his/her individual needs. These items can be
purchased locally at Dollarhide's Music, Schmidt's Music, or online byvisiting
the studio store.
Students should bring a blank journal or spiral notebook to their weekly lessons. This
journal will be used to record assignments, progress and practice tips for the
week.
All students are encouraged to purchase a metronome for use during their
practice time at home. Intermediate and advanced students (flute only) will also
need a tuner. All flute students should have a music stand
at home, to encourage proper posture when playing.
Children younger
than 6th grade can and do learn to play the flute!
There are
plenty of flute playing
possibilities for younger students:
1.
Jupiter makes a flute called the Prodigy
model. This flute is perfect
for the young player who isn't quite big enough to hold a standard flute.
It has a lovely sound and is a solid, sturdy instrument. From Jupiter's
website:
2.
We
can start on the Yamaha
fife (YRF-21) and in The
Fife Book by Liz Goodwin. The notes students will learn on the Yamaha
fife are the same fingerings as what they will use on a standard flute - and
the fife costs less than $10. The Fife Book is a lot of fun and truly
geared for younger students! It even taps into the creative mind of the child
through exercises in composing their own tunes. Both the Yamaha fife and The
Fife Book are available locally at Dollarhide's
Music, or online by clicking the images below.
Click
here to read the article "Using the Yamaha Fife as an Introduction to
the Flute" (from the FluteWise website)
3.
We can also start lessons on a soprano
recorder,
which shares its most basic fingerings with the flute. Producing a tone
on the recorder is completely different (yet much easier) than making a
sound on the flute. This option is ideal for the very young student who
needs to learn basic note reading and finger coordination before tackling the
challenge of producing a tone on the flute. You can buy a plastic
soprano recorder at any local music store for well under $10.
