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
Teaching
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
Fluting the Covid Way
Who in 2019 would have thought that 2020 would see the music profession having in-depth discussions about the risk levels of playing a wind instrument? Indeed, that there would be
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