Teaching Notes - Flute Masterclass: What Can I "Let Slide" For The Time Being?

Teaching Notes – Flute Masterclass
 Go around room – have them put name on name tags.

o Tell me your name and your favorite food.
 How to assemble and disassemble the flute by holding only the smooth
parts of the tube and not bending the keys and rods
 How to know where to line up the headjoint and footjoint (put stickers on--
-if they fall off, clean with some alcohol to remove finger grease first)
 Where the fingers of the left hand go: put on stickers with names of notes if
you need to
 How to breathe so your belly button goes OUT, and your shoulders stay
down and relaxed (bellybreathing)
 How to play with no footjoint and the right hand on the barrel (if the flute is
too heavy for her. The right palm faces away from you.
 How to tongue by saying "tu tu tu" while holding a long note.
 How to play many simple tunes using very few notes at first.
 How to keep a steady beat while clapping
 How to read simple music
 How to set up a music stand at the right height
 How to sit or stand (little kids are often better at concentrating when
they're sitting, but they need to keep their bodies TALL while they sit.).
Sitting flutists should have chair angled at 45 degrees to the right, so the
right elbow isn't anywhere near to or hooked over the chair back.
What can I "let slide" for the time being?
 Don't worry too much about hand position especially on a little person. Her
G-finger hitting the edge of the keys might because of her size.
 Don't worry about great tone. Tone work comes later after a year or so of
daily playing. The student will often improve their own tone after imitating
you so play back and forth all the time with them.
 Do remind about breathing and posture every chance you get.
 Do put the emphasis on fun first!!! Kids this young (unless very serious and
studious) only like things that seem fun and make them laugh and gives
them tunes that attract their ears.
 Do get help from your own teacher with week-to-week questions you have.
You can't teach what you don't know yourself.
1. Problem:
Flute put together wrongly causing angular and uncomfortable arms and fingering positions,
bent necks, distorted embouchures, and hand-arm strain. Difficulty with changing notes rapidly
results especially when moving to fingerings where all fingers are up (flute wobbles and
becomes unstable)
Solution: Teach to assemble correctly using stickers or nail-polish blobs as markings. Ask own
teacher to explain the various set-ups that are common and how they relate to physique.
For more info. On this see: lineup.htm
_______________________
2. Problem:
Flute keys leak and flute is difficult to play due to bent keys and rods from rough handling
during assembly and disassembly. See video on the correct method to put flute together to
avoid damage and future repair problems. When the flutist has been assembling incorrectly the
keys of low C and C# are most likely to be affected due to footjoint being difficult to hold
touching smooth tube only.
Solution: Flute may need slight or extensive repairs. Teach to grasp only non-moving parts
when assembling. Have your own teacher go over the method of putting flute together and
care of tenons, joints, keys and pads.
Also see: care.htm
________________
3. Problem:
Flute pads destroyed by overzealous polishing, lack of drying out after use, or use of "pad
papers" or other home-made means of getting them to stop making "sticky noises".
Solution: Flute may need to be repadded before it can be played.Teach to avoid cleaning or pad
abrasion, and how to avoid pad wear and tear by careful swabbing and regular visits to repair-
shop at least every 1-2 years. See articles on flute care at above link.
________________
4. Problem:
Student's posture is very poor either putting all the weight on one foot while standing, leaning
the torso over in any direction, poking out the hips, standing too straight (too tense), curving
the neck downward, poking head forward etc.
Solution:
Have your teacher take you through the stages of proper flute posture (like a singer) and give
you pointers and corrections on each area of the body so that you can explain using the best
imagery
for children/teenagers. Also see: posture.htm
___________________
5. Problem:
Tone production is weak and fuzzy. Embouchure is distorted, off-center, constantly changing.
Solution: Ask own teacher to show the steps of a developing embouchure and how to gradually
assign exercises that build up both the discriminating ears of the young student, and also the
fine, lip-area muscles. Usually staying in the low register for long held notes is a good stabilizer
(longtones)
Embouchure development is also made far more difficult if any of the above problems exist
numbers 1 to 4 above.
______________________
6. Problem:
Wrong fingerings/sloppy fingerings. Student does not look up fingerings on a fingering chart or
doesn't own one.
Make sure they have access to printed fingeringcharts.
Most common fingering errors:

- INCORRECT: Fingering D2 or Eb2 (middle register) with left hand index finger left down.
-INCORRECT: Fingering high register notes using middle register fingerings and blowing very
hard
-INCORRECT: Insisting on only one Bb fingering when there are three choices of Bb and various
situations in which to use them.
-INCORRECT: Using middle-finger F# instead of ring-finger F#
-INCORRECT: Letting the Ab/G# pinky dangle below the Ab key and then having to hurriedly lift
it up when an Ab suddenly appears in the music.
-INCORRECT: Leaving the right hand Eb/D# pinky key off unless there is a good reason to do so.
-INCORRECT: Having the footjoint put on at such a strange angle that reaching the right-hand
pinky keys causes the whole hand to strain and pull out of position
-INCORRECT: Trying to force yourself play an open-hole inline flute when you're a complete
beginner or a very small person/have very small hands or very long fingers, large palms.
-INCORRECT: Leaving the thumb on for high G and G# in the top register.
- INCORRECT: Trying to trill using REAL fingerings when a good solid trill fingering exists (I've
actually seen band-teachers teach REAL fingerings for C to D trills.)
- INCORRECT:Leaning the fingers on the rods and trying to move tips of the fingers only instead
of whole finger moving from the palm-knuckles.
Correction:
Have your own teacher show you the correct hand position and common flaws and their
corrections.
Supply fingering and trill charts that are easy to read and have your young beginners learn to
look up fingerings on them from the very first. Refer the student to the chart each time they ask
you for a fingering to insure they continue to use it daily for their own research.
Downloadable fingering charts can be found at:
fingering.htm
____________________
7. Problem: Misuse of the Tongue.
Typical problems:
- No tonguing; student uses "hoo hoo hoo."
- Indistinct tongue strikes: Student uses: "thoo" "dwoo" or "rooo" or other indistinct syllable.
- Anchor tonguing: student leaves tip of tongue anchored behind lower lip, or behind lower
teeth and attempts to tongue using middle of the tongue humped up like a camel
- Student breathes between every tongued note
- Student insists on playing double or triple tonguing (want to play at difficult band-levels) even
though their tone production is very poor and notes sound fluffy and indistinct
Solution: Have your own teacher go over "how to teach tonguing" with you, and show you
typical problems and solutions. When you teach children, start with longtones first, then add
simple "Tu tu tu" strikes during a longtone, and finally, after two years or more, teach other
syllables. But the child should use a simple, clear and well-defined "Tu" for quite some time
before expanding into other more complex patterns.
See additional tonguing solutions here.

_______________
8. Problem: Flute student breathes too shallowly, runs out of breath too soon, has weak or
diffuse tone.
Solution: Have your own teacher teach you breathing and how to insure good breathing in a
younger student.
Also see: breathe.htm
____________
9. Problem:
Student can't read music.
Solution: Have your own teacher go over how to teach simple-music-reading.
_____________
10. Problem:
Student does not play with steady rhythm.
Solution: Have your own teacher go over how to teach simple rhythms in clapping, dancing,
speaking syllables, pre-singing rhthms, and how tos on using metronome, and other rhythmic
exercises. There are remedial rhythm-specific books listed on the net and in various educational
sheetmusic catalogues. Look up titles, and ask for recommendations.
____________
This should be enough to get most people started on thinking about what it takes to become a
student teacher. Other flutenetters please add more insights if you've the time and inclination .
I will add them to the list above.
Jen :>)

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Teaching Notes – Flute Masterclass

 Go around room – have them put name on name tags.

What can I "let slide" for the time being?

Make sure they have access to printed fingeringcharts.

Most common fingering errors:

- Student breathes between every tongued note

See additional tonguing solutions here.

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