This blog was first written in September 2018 and has been updated for 2022. September is such an exciting time for flute teachers with new young beginners raring to go.
Teaching
Starting Your Child on Flute: How Young is Too Young?
Playing a musical instrument is amazing. It develops so many skills, and not just musical ones: it can build confidence, patience and self-reliance and can enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning
Pieces to Play Before Taking Grade 6 Flute
There’s more to flute-playing than taking exams – these pieces will convince you to make space between the grades to explore new music. Dargomyzhsky and Tchaikovsky arranged Olga Ivusheikova: Two
Special music for early grades players
Ring the changes with these great albums that are sure to please. Alfie Pugh: Dioramas Book 1 for Flute and Piano This is a great book for young players just
Finding resonance on the flute
“How do I get a big sound?” is often a question students will ask. Indeed, developing one’s sound and dynamic range is part of a musician’s daily practice. So, apart
What does “support” mean?
As a teacher, I like to ask questions to my students to get them to think about what they are doing, as awareness is key to improvement and inhibiting bad
Tips on ABRSM Grade 8 pieces: Poulenc Sonata 1st movement
My next few blog posts will be tips on some of my favourite pieces from the ABRSM Grade 8 repertoire lists. Even if you aren’t working towards your Grade 8,
So you want to be a piccolo player?
Buying a piccolo is so exciting! It may be small in size but it is a powerful instrument, and eventually, you will be able to dominate everything! It can also be a very beautiful instrument and – in the right hands – an utterly magical one.
Chaminade Concertino – Practice Tips
Following on from my Taffanel blog, here is a practice guide for another great French work: Chaminade’s Concertino. This piece is played a lot, but quite often with some important
Taffanel’s Andante Pastoral et Scherzettino: A practice guide
Taffanel’s Andante Pastoral et Scherzettino is a gem in the French flute repertoire and one of my favourites. Indeed, I played this piece for my entrance exam at the Royal