February 2021 Archives - The Instrumentalist

After An Absence of 30 Years Joseph Mariano Visits Eastman

theinstrumenta — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 01:11:37 +0000

   After an absence of 30 years, legendary flutist and teacher Joseph Mariano returned to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York on November 15, 2003, where he had taught for almost 40 years. Many of his former students attended this extraordinary homecoming and paid tribute to the man who had helped them to become distinguished flutists. Four current students at the school participated in a masterclass with him. At the unveiling of his portrait in the Cominsky Promenade, an amazing flute choir performed a work written and conducted by Katherine Hoover. Most in the flute choir were former students of Mariano, and the group of about 35 included Walfrid Kujala, Philip Swanson, Leone Buyse, Patricia George, Gerald Carey, Glennis Stout, and Susan Levitin. After a buffet dinner, Mariano and clarinetist Stanley Hasty, hornist Morris Secon, and bassoonist David VanHoesen, all former Eastman colleagues, discussed the evolution of wind playing from the mid-20th century to the present. The evening concluded with a gala concert by the Eastman Philharmonia Chamber Orchestra conducted by Neil Varon and concerto competition winner, Hilary Abigana, who performed Carl Nielsen’s Concerto for Flute.
   Mariano was born in Pittsburgh on March 17, 1911 and began flute lessons on an instrument that his father had received in payment for a favor. Later Mariano studied with William Kincaid and Marcel Tabuteau at the Curtis Institute of Music and played in the National Symphony Orchestra for one year. He left in 1935 to become the flute professor at Eastman, and six years later he became principal flute of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra while continuing to teach at Eastman. Although courted by Fritz Reiner and Arturo Toscanini for positions in the Chicago and N.B.C. symphonies, Mariano remained in Rochester until his wife became ill. He requested a leave of absence for one year, but Eastman offered him just one semester of leave. Mariano was so upset that within a week he had sold his house. He moved to Massachusetts and for the next 29 years never even visited the campus until last November.
   Sporting a black beret, gray goatee, and mustache, the dapper, 92-year-old walked on stage at Kilbourn Hall using a cane to a standing ovation from the audience of alumni and present Eastman students. He was obviously moved at the tribute, and after gathering his emotions, thanked the crowd saying, "It’s a distinct pleasure, I am sure. This is the place where I grew up musically." Bonita Boyd, who studied with Mariano and now teaches at Eastman, talked with this grand old gentleman for the next 45 minutes. His responses were articulate, heart-felt, and punctuated by the subtle humor for which he is known. The following excerpts from their conversation capture some of the flavor and emotion of the occasion.

What are the qualities that make an artist?
   Dig deep inside to be the best you can be. Study all the parts that make an artist, the melody, the architecture, the painting, and do it in depth. That’s the secret to being an artist – dedication every day until you die.

When I asked that question on the telephone, you mentioned practice.
Practice makes perfect. It is not perfection just to do things you need to do to express a piece of music, which was written by an artist. You have to dedicate yourself to the same standards as artists like Bach, Brahms, or Beethoven, which is a tall order.

On the phone you said something about six hours a day.
Practice comes first. Players should practice as many hours as they can in a day. Eight or nine hours would be normal, but to be an artist they should pay attention up here (pointing to his head). Marcel Tabuteau, one of my teachers and probably the greatest oboe player who ever lived, said, "Play mentally." I think like that.

What kind of training did you receive from William Kincaid and Tabuteau?
It was like no training you would ever get from anyone other than a Tabuteau. When he turned a phrase, it was like God gave it to him. Kincaid was a bit different, more modern, and less rigid in his attitude with pupils. My first year in Curtis the newcomers had three-hour-long classes in the basement with Tabuteau, who lined us up like Indians to play scales. Look out if you played out of tune; you would receive a big lesson on what to do about pitch.
Kincaid was different and assigned etudes, Bach, and Berbiguier, often only touching on the etudes and skipping the last half of one to move on to another. I gained my love of Bach’s music from Kincaid, who emphasized Bach. I even warmed-up with Bach sonatas, never scales. After all, there are scales in Bach. There you have it in a nutshell.

I guess it would be easy to guess who your favorite composer is.
Bach. Brahms, yes, Beethoven, yes, but Bach is the foundation of music. I own records of Bach by the great performers of our time and play them every day. I never tire of them, especially if the performers are great. Have that name emblazoned on your heart and on your mind. I think all students, no matter what instrument they play, should play Bach every day – even before scales.

How do you describe the process of creating a great flute sound?
Sound is very easy if you hear it. If a player can sing it, they should be able to play it. Flutists hardly ever practice pp because they become so enamored of their ff. I remember asking a very talented Eastman student to start a sound from nothing, crescendo up to a point, and diminuendo down to nothing. It took months for him to learn to start a sound from nothing. It’s easy if you practice.

When we talked earlier you mentioned that flutists should practice six hours a day, seven days a week. How you would spend those six hours?
Players should adopt practice policies that suit them. You stop practicing for one day, and you know it. Stop practicing for two days, and your friends know it, but if you don’t practice for three days, everybody knows it.

What lead you into a lifetime of music, and where did your musical passion come from?
My mother was a frustrated singer, and she got married too soon to develop her song. She sang in Italian all the time and even sang along with me when I practiced arpeggios. She sang in tune with a nice, untutored voice. I loved my mother, and think I got my love for music from her … although I had uncles, who played instruments also.

[When the audience could ask questions, a former student asked Mariano to describe the essence, a term he frequently used in flute lessons.]
That’s a tough question. I think one feels the essence, but I can’t describe it. It is something that you are born with. Ask DiVinci what the essence was of the works he painted in Italy. God, the ages, something eternal, magical. It is tough to describe that one.

I think we all remember lessons when the essence was missing.
I remember those days. Play the Syrinx. You all know the Syrinx? If you don’t you should learn it (laugher). Syrinx is a beautiful piece of music. Debussy must have been in seventh heaven when he wrote it. I played it often. It’s one of my favorite pieces, along with the slow movements of the Bach sonatas. Not the fast movements, but the slow ones. You have to work up to the fast ones after playing for two or three hours. You could give up playing the flute or anything, but never give up the slow movements by Bach.

I remember when you assigned Syrinx for the next lesson and asked me to play it ten different ways. After I got through the first six or seven you said, "That’s enough."
Syrinx is hard enough to play the real way but to transpose it is another job. It is almost impossible to transpose it up a half a step. I’ve tried it and had to write it down. The effort was what counted.

[Mariano also spoke about conductors and orchestras.]
   Jose Iturbi was a "great pianist and dear friend of mine, who conducted our orchestra for many years. He always crossed himself before he came out on the stage and said a little prayer prior to that. When soloing with the orchestra, he took a moment at the piano before he played, maybe 20-30 seconds, and the same thing happened when he conducted the orchestra. Iturbi used a baton and was not a gentle conductor. There were other conductors with a more legato, sedate beat and who were more reflective than he was. All conductors are crazy.
   I loved and unloved most conductors; some were not nice people. When I played Afternoon of a Faun, there was always a battle between me and the conductors, and I wondered whether they would start it properly. Some defied me to play that opening C# well, and others helped. I always said a little something under my breath to those who defied me. That C# entrance should be as beautiful as it can be and set the entire tone of the piece. It is one of my very favorite pieces of music.
   We had a foreign conductor who gave me a speech about Faun. I can’t remember his name, and probably have forgotten him because he told me the whole Greek myth and how to play every note. Finally I said, ‘If you want to play it, come along and you play it. You have a lot of nerve telling me how to play that solo. You try it. Sing it, if you can’t play it.’
   Most conductors are not like that. The whole orchestra makes that marvelous sound, like a warm summer day. An orchestra is an orchestra of many people, not just the flute or an oboe player. That’s why you have the Philadelphia Orchestra, because they are all very fine players, down to the last violin player at the second stand. The Boston Symphony too. Orchestras are slowly beginning to rise to this level of performance all over the country, because the big ones, such as the New York Philharmonic, and Philadelphia, and Boston have set the tone, the standard.
   There were stick wavers and conductors. When Pierre Monteux came to play with our orchestra for the first time, we could hardly see the baton because he was a short little man with a very small baton. He scheduled a French program, Daphnis, Faun and some other things, and was one of the most beautiful concerts we ever played. We had a minimum of trouble. He just conducted his part, a well-trimmed beat, and didn’t wave like some conductors do, who get all excited over nothing, I treasure the memory of that concert.
   Toscanini never conducted in Rochester, fortunately. He was neither here or there, and he was frightened of death. His ffs were too loud, and there were no pps. I believe in pps, which set the tone for the range of the sound.

[During a short masterclass with four students he urged them to keep going and never stop.]
These students are all on the right track and very musical. The trick is to keep on track musically to integrate the whole thing. Vibrato is sin. It should never have been invented. Vibrato should be incorporated into the sound itself. So many pulses, according to the individual. We all have a different sense of what vibrato should be. These talented students are in the right place and studying with this young lady here, Bonita Boyd. Tone and vibrato all came naturally to me. I had nothing to do with it.

(Boyd) Some days you said, "You’re a good flute player; now be an artist."
That sounds about right. Phrasing and musicianship are lost today. Everybody plays technically as if they were crazy. Tabuteau was a fiend for the right sound and phrasing, which were his forte. He played superbly, like a song, even in fast passages. He did not emphasize technique and believed that as long as players moved their fingers, technique would develop. Musicianship, on the other hand, never comes easily. There should be a song in your heart and soul; it sounds like baloney, but it isn’t.
It has been a joy to be here, and you have been a very receptive audience. I think you [the four students] are all well-trained. Stay that way. God bless you.

The post After An Absence of 30 Years Joseph Mariano Visits Eastman appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Hand Strength and Coordination

theinstrumenta — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 00:46:12 +0000

A smooth, fluid finger technique relies on a good, relaxed hand position and a balance of tension between the hands. To feel that equal balance, hold the flute over your head with the keys parallel to the floor and finger high Eb. While counting slowly to 10, return the flute to a normal playing position. Although performers can’t raise the flute high during a performance, between movements they can stretch their arms out in front to feel the balance, then bring the flute back into playing position.
Another way to establish balance between the hands is to practice this trill exercise, which divides the flute length in half by starting in the middle of the flute between the G and F keys. Trilling at the bottom of the flute on low D might cause players to hold the flute with the right hand more than the left.

   Play second-octave right-hand trills between F and G and left-hand trills between G and A. With the fingertips close to the keys, move the fingers lightly, quickly, and precisely from the hand knuckle, keeping the flute still. The fingertips should touch the keys in exactly the same spot each time. After approximately eight repetitions, proceed down the flute to trill E to F and up the flute to trill A to B. The last trills are between D and E and B and C.
   Stand with the left foot about 10" in front of the right while practicing this exercise. During the right-hand trills shift the body weight over the right foot, and for left-hand trills place the body weight over the left foot for a more balanced feel.
   Finger strength and coordination differs for each finger. The F finger is much stronger than the G finger, but with this exercise the strong finger will bring the weaker finger to a higher level of coordination. The E and A fingers are usually equal in strength, but the D finger is often less coordinated than the left-hand thumb. The exercise will develop equal strength and coordination for all fingers.
   Articulate the beginning of each trill with the tip of the tongue and establish the first note well before proceeding to the second note. A strong puff of air will fill out the sound.
   Another exercise that will train the fingers to move precisely is #17 in Big Daily Exercises by Taffanel and Gaubert. I play it in five-note chunks and repeat each chunk four times. Taffanel suggests trill fingering, but standard fingerings are a greater challenge.

   Whole steps followed by a half steps make up the pattern, but Taffanel omits several of the intervals in the third octave. I ask students to maintain the pattern and include the missing intervals.
   Students should practice these exercises each day in a three-day rotating schedule. Several finger combinations will challenge even advanced performers. When the five-note combination is going well, try the same notes in a seven-note pattern of two triplets. A metronome will keep track of progress and provide a feeling of accomplishment.
   A three-octave, chromatic scale is the final test of excellent balance, and a tape recording will show any tone shifts that occur with changes of weight from the right hand to the left. The goal is to be smooth, legato, and balanced.

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How to Use Moyse’s Melody Book

theinstrumenta — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 00:27:42 +0000

   Flutists who studied with descendants of the French school of flute playing are undoubtedly acquainted with Marcel Moyse’s collection of vocal melodies from various operas, Tone Development Through Interpretation, and its many applications. Those who developed using other pedagogical materials or left school before the book was published in 1962 may be aware of the compilation but are unsure how to use it.
   Most students today are unfamiliar with many of the tunes in the book, but these were very popular with average Parisians in Moyse’s day. Moyse performed most of these pieces at the Paris Opera, and during the early 20th century Parisians from every walk of life went to hear the great singers and knew the music well. Music students in that time would surely have known the standard opera works as well.
   The background of Tone Development is interesting but hazy. In an address to the British Flute Society, Trevor Wye stated that the 24 and 25 Little Melodious Studies were probably predecessors to Tone Development. In a Moyse Society Newsletter Robert Aitken wrote that the book developed out of woodwind coaching classes that Moyse held at Marlboro. While various flutists voice multiple sources for the compilation, that the work represents a lifetime of musical experience seems more than clear.
   Two prefaces exist for Tone Development that differ but share similarities. The most detailed and probably the one intended for inclusion with the McGinnis & Marx publication of 1962 is translated by Robert Langevin and edited by Nancy Andrew. She discovered it in 1985 amongst other Moyse papers when she was cataloguing his estate for the New York Public Library. The publisher chose to print suggestions about how to use this melody book.

John Bailey: It is a well-known fact that Marcel Moyse was principal flutist of the Paris Opéra-comique, but it is less known that his major musical experience as a child was going to the opera with his grandfather in Besançon. By age ten he had seen 40 operas and knew many of the arias by heart. At that time in Paris the two major musical institutions were the Opéra and the Opéra-comique. Concerts provided by the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire and the three concert series of Lamoureux, Calonne, and Pasdeloup, were fewer and much less prestigious. Opera was at the center of musical life for musicians in Moyse’s day, as it is for European musicians today. For example, the Vienna Philharmonic performs only ten subscription concerts a year but plays opera as the Vienna State Opera Orchestra every night of the opera season from September through June. The Dresden Staatskapelle performs on the stage of the Semperoper, for which it also functions as the opera orchestra, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, known internationally as a concert orchestra, plays nightly for the Leipzig Opera. The Berlin Philharmonic is one of the only orchestras in a major German-speaking city that is not connected to opera.
   Moyse explained that he had listened to and modeled his singing sound on the great operatic performers of his day, including soprano Nellie Melba, with whom he toured in America for six months in 1913-14. Because undergraduate students can graduate from American music schools without ever attending or studying opera in any depth or hearing the artistry of great singers, my students prepare three of the melodies from Tone Development each semester, but they do not learn them from the page alone. They listen to a recorded performance and attempt to imitate the nuances of the performer, including rubato, phrasing, breaths, and dynamic shaping.
   As beautiful as the melodies are, Moyse did not intend for them to stand alone, but to be the starting point for nuances that fit with the texture of the accompaniment and the traditions behind the tune in a manner that is similar to a lead sheet for a jazz standard. Students should learn to vary the dramatic context and content of the text to add expression to the melodies.
   The book is organized by range for players to explore and add expression in the low, middle, high, and mixed registers at various dynamic levels. The repertoire includes excerpts by early 19th-century Italian bel canto composers Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, some middle-period Verdi operas (Trovatore, Traviata, Rigoletto) and compositions by late 19th-century French opera composers (Massenet, Delibes, and Bizet) and a few little-known French gems. Several instrumental works with obvious vocal models by Bizet, Saint-Saens, Mozart, and Chopin are also included, but operatic works by Mozart, Puccini, late Verdi, and 20th-century composers are absent.
   After students have studied these pieces for several semesters I encourage them to compile a melody book of arias that they love and can use to work on musical expression. Moyse encouraged students to transpose the melodies and often wrote the initial bars in several keys. This practice technique gives students a basic understanding of the melodic structure and forces them to conquer the idiosyncrasies of particular intervals or note responses. Students who study these melodies on a regular basis will gain a firm knowledge of operatic literature, a better sense for melodic tension and shape, and a better understanding of the tonal, dynamic, intonation, and vibrato control to play expressively. The melodies are such a joy to study, hear, and play, that I look forward every semester to a new set of performances.

Julia Bogorad-Kogan: Moyse toured the United States and Europe with many great singers, including Enrico Caruso, Amelita Galli-Curci, Luisa Tetrassini, and Nellie Melba. They inspired him with varied expressions, the ability to convey emotions, and control over lines, colors, and rubatos. Moyse believed that wind instruments should be able to produce the same expressiveness as singers, and he chose vocal material to develop greater powers of expression on the flute. Later he used these pieces in teaching of other wind players. The ability to shape a beautiful phrase is the most important skill a musician can develop, then to connect a series of phrases into a larger segment. I require each student from junior high through doctoral candidates to prepare one melody from Tone Development each week, and in the process they learn general rules that can be applied to any music. First they study phrase shaping in the first piece in Moyse’s Twenty-four Petites Etudes Melodiques. It has a standard three-part phrase structure, which is present in everything from Mozart to Schoenberg and beyond.
   Moyse spoke of ‘les regles immuables de la musique’ or the unchanging laws of music, and he meant that music has a syntax similar to speech; upbeats (like articles), downbeats (nouns), weak endings (weak syllables), and peaks or climaxes (conclusions). It would be impossible to interpret Shakespeare, for instance, without knowledge of the English language. In the same way, knowledge of the structure or language of music is essential to musical interpretation.
   My students use the melodies to study structural versus ornamental notes, appoggiaturas, syncopation, and other musical devices. They learn to recognize typical shapes and elements of musical language and discover how great composers departed from these shapes to create surprise, excitement, or drama. When a composer writes an unexpected note that is not in the key signature, we can talk about tone color or timing to set that note apart.
   Once students have the physical capability to shape phrases with their lips and air they can play these melodies, which Moyse purposely transcribed into difficult flute keys so that students would learn to match the tone colors and correct the pitches on such troublesome notes as middle C# and D#. Students can then transpose the melody into other keys, putting the troublesome notes at different points in the melody. With this knowledge and these skills, each musician can come up with a particular interpretation.

Barbara Leibundguth: Moyse played in the orchestra pit night after night and could not wait to get home to his Montmartre apartment after performances to attempt a recreation on the flute of the same magical expressiveness he heard from the singers. The book grew out of his striving to transfer to the flute the emotions, subtle color variations, and phrasing he had heard. Besides working with singers in French opera productions, Moyse played flute obbligatos with some of Europe’s most celebrated vocal artists, many of whom toured extensively in the early part of the of the 20th century. The arias in Tone Development offer a welcome sense of freedom and introduce students to the heart and soul of music, as almost no other book does. Students can just sing beautiful melodies that are not full-blown, slow movements from the solo repertoire.
   Students can play the melodie just for fun or use them as a bridge between exercises and solos to work on tone quality, intonation, phrasing, rhythm, dynamics, breathing, different registers, transposition, memorization, posture, hand position, and embouchure. Simple melodies at the beginning of a practice session can lead students naturally to their best sound and ground them musically. I find that the melodies towards the back of the book can tie everything together at the end of a long practice session.
   Tone Development gives advanced beginner and intermediate students examples from a mature and exciting musical world, which expands their creative imagination. The arias include the added bonus of words and stories to help students connect to the music in a personal way that can be quite revolutionary if they have never experienced the feeling of the music coming from inside before. Most of all, Tone Development develops a desire in students to play with artistry. Those who regularly and consistently play these melodies as beautifully as they can will reach for all the subtleties and emotions they can summon from all the music they play.
   Students who have not heard the operas performed will benefit from working with the book, but only with knowledge of the text, plot, and accompanying harmonies can they fully benefit from these melodies. After many years of working with the book I decided to listen to every opera in it. If recordings were available I taped each melody, summarized the story of each scene, and copied the relevant section of the libretto. This was the only way I could fully explore the emotional shades expressed in each excerpt, and I think this study brought my playing to a new level. Students should at least find a few recordings with full libretti. Perhaps some enterprising person will write a companion volume to Tone Development and include piano reductions and a C.D.
   If all flute students could experience firsthand the incredible resonance that great singers and instrumentalists generate, it would change everything for them, just as it did for Moyse. I once heard Mario Sereni, a Metropolitan Opera baritone, sing an aria as I left the opera house stage door and was awed at the richness, ease, and presence of the sound that just burbled out of him, even from just that little snippet. I later played Gounod’s Faust with tenor Jerry Hadley, and I will never forget how he sang the first word of the opera (why) with such anguish, clarity, and fullness of sound. Imagine doing that on the flute, without any words. This is the key to Tone Development. Flutists should get right up close to fabulous singers and instrumentalists, whether it means finding the money for a front row seat at a performance, or sitting in on a chamber music rehearsal, going to a singer’s master class, or maybe even eavesdropping at someone’s studio door.

Susan Levitin: The aria collection introduces students to the world of opera as teachers explain the stories and encourage students to experiment with tone colors and dynamics to create a mood. Students will learn about interpretation by listening to recordings and imitating the vocal performances. Some of the melodies, such as #59, "Il Trovatore," represent two different vocal lines, which should be played in different styles. When students understand the plot and characters, they will play more expressively.
   These studies are excellent for teaching students to transpose and to determine how many lines or spaces to move each note to play in the new key signature. This is a visual and cerebral exercise and does not entail just playing by ear.
   Moyse chose keys that are resonant and enhance the tone quality. Many of the tunes use numerous accidentals, particularly those in Db. l ask students to learn the melody in the original key, then transpose them into all keys and play them an octave higher to imitate the tone quality of the original key using the same principal found in De la Sonorite to match one sound to another. A tuner is useful to determine how the intonation differs from one to key to another.

Nancy Andrew: I believe that Moyse intended his collection to be an example for future flutists to create their own set of beautiful melodies. In fact, in the Robert Langevin translation of the preface Moyse wrote, "You have in this book 92 melodies. Listen to them – compare. You can augment the value of this book by adding melodies that you love, that inspire you, and that seem likely to help you progress."

* * *

Bios:
John Bailey is professor of flute at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and principal flute with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. He was President of the NFA 2003-04 and Program Chair for the 2016 NFA convention. He studied with James Pellerite and Walfrid Kujala.

Julia Bogorad-Kogan, Grammy- Award winning principal flutist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, combines an orchestral career with regular recital and solo performances. A frequent soloist with the SPCO, she has also served as guest principal flutist of the Boston Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the National Symphony and the Minnesota Orchestra, and has appeared at the Grand Teton and Marlboro music festivals and on the St. Paul Sunday and Performance Today radio shows. She is on the faculty at the University of Minnesota, and taught at Oberlin Conservatory. Her CDs are of Handel Sonatas and French repertoire on the Fullharmonic label. Her teachers included Marcel Moyse, Thomas Nyfenger, James Pellerite and Robert Willoughby.

Barbara Leibunguth was a menber if the Minnesota Orchestra for 20 years, 14 of which as co-principal. She teaches at Gustavus Adolphus College. Her teachers include Walfrid Kujala, Susan Levitin, Donald Peck, and Marcel Moyse.

Susan Levitin formerly taught at the Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago and consistently produces prize-winning students. She has recorded and performs extensively throughout the Midwest. Her teachers include Joseph Mariano, Ralph Johnson, and William Kincaid.

Nancy Andrew teaches privately at the North Spring Flute Studio in Colorado Springs, Co. She has recently compiled, arranged, and edited The Paris Conservatory Album for Flute and Piano (Southern Music Publishers). She is a student of Robert Willoughby, Samuel Baron, Frank Bowen, and Marcel Moyse.

Sources:
Marcel Moyse, A Musical Biography by Trevor Wye, Winzer Press.
Marcel Moyse Society Newsletters McCutchan, Ann, Marcel Moyse: Voice of the Flute, Amadeus Press.

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Michel Debost, Flutist, Teacher, Recording Artist

theinstrumenta — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 23:47:07 +0000

   In the years before World War I, a young woman from a well-to-do California family wanted to travel and study voice in Europe. In those days a young lady did not travel alone anywhere, and this girl’s older brother would not approve of her plan. When the war broke out he did allow her to join the American Red Cross, which led to her serving doughnuts and driving ambulances in France. At one point she was stationed in a chateau near Dijon, and there Elizabeth Witter met young Henri Debost, a French Army lieutenant, when he was home on leave. He met the lovely girl, and soon they "played tennis and no doubt other games. The rest is history." In 1934 the couple, who knew Calder and other artists, had a baby boy, Michel. Now 70 years later he will celebrate his 70th birthday. In the intervening years he has performed with the Orchestre de Paris and throughout the world, written extensively about the flute in this magazine and in The Simple Flute (Oxford), and currently teaches at the Oberlin Conservatory.
   Debost recalls, "When I was nine, W.W. II had been raging for four years. I remember sirens in the night, talk about bombardments, numerous disappearances, and long food lines. All of these became normal occurrences for a child who had never known anything else. Finally les Americains came, and the people of France were grateful for American generosity and liberation."
   At first Debost played the piano, but he states, "The piano didn’t like me, I think. However, when I picked up the flute, it was love at first lip. A few years later I also played tenor saxophone for afternoon dances as a way to make a little bit of money. It was so long ago that I had forgotten about it until now. My first flute teacher was a friend of my father’s, Jan Merry, who loved the flute and played very well but decided at an early age that music would be just an avocation for him. His family thought that playing the flute was not an appropriate job, so he became an electrical engineer and taught at the institute in Paris. He had a curious spirit and was among the first flute players to perform old French manuscripts on the traverso.
   "Merry was also quite fond of contemporary music and knew Andre Jolivet, Olivier Messiaen, and Charles Koechlin well. He performed many of Koechlin’s works, including his last opus, Les Chants de Nectair, which is a collection of 96 solo flute pieces inspired by nature and mythology. Some of Les Chants has been published (Billaudot), and I have recorded seven of the the pieces. I have a copy of Koechlin’s Sonata, Op. 75 for two flutes that he autographed in 1944 or 45. I was at Merry’s house for a lesson when Koechlin appeared. He had a great beard that went practically down to his chest and looked a little bit like a prophet. He liked Merry because he played and promoted his music."
   The original publication of Incantations by Jolivet includes a dedicatory inscription to Merry, but the publisher dropped the dedication line when they printed a second edition. "I think Merry’s feelings were a bit hurt by that, but I have the original edition with the inscription. I worked in the Altes method before lessons with Merry, and he continued with it. The method book is very progressive, complete, and teaches students about music and the flute at the same time. Merry stressed note reading, first from the Altes and then with Baroque and Classical duets, particularly those by Mozart. I believe the skill of note reading is essential for musicians, who can avoid many of the technical hurdles in solo repertoire when they can read music well.
   At the age of 13 Debost came to visit his American relatives in California. "I arrived at my uncle’s Nevada ranch on the Fourth of July, and the usual Western celebration of cowboys with pistols, mail coaches, horses, herds of cattle, and Indians was in full swing. I thought I was stepping into a dream and that this was normal America. I attended Tamalpais High School in Marin County in the San Francisco area for one year, which also seemed like heaven after the rigorous French Lycée, which had no sports, music, or girls. The schedule was liberal and the homework light. I studied flute with a former William Kincaid student and member of the San Francisco Symphony flute section, Merrill Jordan, who must have been less than impressed with my playing. When I called him 20 years later while performing in the Bay area, he could not believe that I was a professional flutist."
   After returning to France and completmg his high school education, Debost enrolled as a medical student. "Like many young people I didn’t think I was good enough to be a professional flutist. The first year in a French medical program concentrates on chemistry and biology, and I have a degree in experimental science. However, the next fall I was accepted into the Paris Conservatory, which was a great relief. I loved it and was happy."
   The flute professor at the Paris Conservatory before W.W. II was Marcel Moyse, who feared arrest when Germany invaded France in 1940 and did not call the Conservatory or meet with his students. At that time the Conservatory had only one flute professor, and without Moyse they had to find a new teacher. "Gaston Crunelle got the job and had tenure by 1945, when Moyse returned to Paris. Then he wanted his class back and sued the French government, which led to strife between the two flutists." In the class of Crunelle, Debost won two first prizes in flute and chamber music and graduated at the age of 20. "Years later at my first lesson Moyse said, ‘Oh, you studied with Crunelle’, to which I replied, ‘Monsieur Moyse, I must tell you with respect that I have never heard Monsieur Crunelle say any wrong words about you.’ I think that comment jarred him a bit.
   "Crunelle was a thorough, business-like teacher, who was intent on building technique and preferred contemporary and conservatory pieces; he assigned very little music from the Classical or Baroque eras. He had studied with Philippe Gaubert and taught with materials such as the 17 Daily Exercises. My fanatic interest in scales came from Crunelle, and I have great respect for him because students who completed a course of study with him played at their best possible level when they left. They were not all stars, but they were at their best. This was true for me as well. Because of his work and care, I was playing at my top level upon graduation.
   "I served in the French army, most of it in Algeria under a tent. Two years is a long time when you are 20, and the experience was similar to that of young American soldiers in Vietnam, with the same result: defeat and casualty. Somehow I managed to return physically unhurt, although I felt morally and musically worthless. During this time I did not play the flute for two years and was very depressed when I returned to France. I almost took a job with Boeing Aircraft, but an old peasant friend in Dijon said that flute playing must be similar to riding a bicycle: you never forget. Luckily he was right.
   "A good background was an obvious asset, but like many people, there were ups and downs as I tried to regain my playing ability, and this caused me to analyze everything I was doing. Vladimir Horowitz, Artur Rubenstein, and Pinchas Zuckerman also had musical, mid-life crises; I just had mine at a younger age than they did. There was nothing else to do but to rebuild my playing slowly, from the ground up, and alone. Much of that work became the basis for the way I play and teach today. Comfortable music made me feel good about the flute again, and basic exercises and music that I loved filled the time. I tried to discover what worked and what did not, and self-imposed deadlines made me practice.
   "I have always been against musical dictators who say, ‘Students should always do this and never do that.’ If a particular fingering works better than the traditional one, use it. If you need to breathe twice instead of once, do it if it makes you feel better. You can work the passage up to a single breath later. When teachers declare absolute laws, students feel they must observe them, which creates a condition that is terribly refrigerating. I studied with Moyse for a short time, and he was terribly dictatorial. Many things were forbidden, and students did not know what the taboos were until he jumped on them about something. JeanPierre Rampal had a great influence on me, and we became great friends, although he never gave me a real lesson. He said, ‘If you want to learn from me, just listen to me when I play.’ He was my son’s godfather, my wife’s professor at the Conservatory, and eventually, contributed to my appointment there."
   Debost’s early career attempts should be heartening for students, who are rejected repeatedly after auditioning for orchestral positions. The Paris Opera turned Debost down six times, and he now jokes about drinking wine to relieve the disappointment. He won competitions in Moscow, Prague, Munich, Turin, and Geneva, but states with humility, "I lost most of the competitions and jobs that I auditioned for. I congratulated the winners and moved on. It is arduous to work in an opera orchestra, so failure at the Paris Opera was ultimately good for me. Can you image playing 14 Carmens and 25 Fausts? Some opera orchestra musicians are crazy, you know.
   "Finally I won second flute in the Societe des Concerts and later became principal, although the orchestra declared bankruptcy in 1967. Out of that financial demise, the city of Paris and the French Republic took control of the orchestra and created the Orchestre de Paris. This was the beginning of what I think of as my golden age of orchestra playing. The conductors were Charles Munch, Herbert von Karajan, George Solti, and Daniel Barenboim, and the guest conductor list was extensive. Barenboim conducted there during my last 15 years. He was a terrific musician, and one of his greatest assets was his sheer concentration. He conducted the orchestra and played concertos from memory. When he looked directly at a member of the orchestra, his concentration level was so intense that it seemed as if his eyes crossed.
   "The only way to teach students that type of concentration is to require short bursts of memory and sight-reading. Players who concentrate intently for one minute, the normal length for standard sight-reading, are forced to read ahead of where they are playing. There is no time to look back or apologize for mistakes, just to keep going and look at the next measure. I ask students to play all excerpts and basic flute pieces from memory and do the same for them. Sometimes I goof, which makes them feel good. During the second semester at Oberlin, when students think they can breathe again because they have played the required pieces and exercises by memory, I ask them to sightread, usually easy pieces, and I sightread with them on occasion."
   Debost came to the United States to teach at Southern Illinois University for a few months in 1967, the year that the Orchestre de Paris was formed. "I came as a bachelor and left married to Kathleen Chastain. She was the best student there, and I told her mother that Kathy should come to study with me in Paris, although her mother did not buy it. Thus began the second chapter of my American experience." During the following years, Chastain studied at the Conservatory, and Debost played in the orchestra and began recording for E.M.I.
   In 1957 Rampal, who was under contract to a record company that would subsequently declare bankruptcy, played the world premiere of the Poulenc sonata. "E.M.I. asked Rampal to record the Poulenc, but his company would not release him from the contract, so E.M.I. asked me. I jumped at the opportunity. Poulenc loved all the woodwind instruments, but especially the flute. He was 60 years old at that time but very entertaining, nice, and quite adorable. The record company decided that Poulenc would be the pianist on the record, so I rehearsed with him at his little flat above the Palais du Luxembourg on the Left Bank in Paris. We also performed a tour of three or four concerts. However, early in 1963, Poulenc died suddenly, and his friend Jacques Fevrier played the piano in my recording.
   "In those days I was an admirer of the metronome, which I no longer am, and took a metronome to the first rehearsal with him. Before ringing the doorbell, I set the metronome to 84, the tempo of the first movement, and walked up the five floors to his apartment with the pulse ticking in my ear. After the usual amiabilities, we began to play, but Poulenc stopped and protested, ‘It’s way too fast, way too fast’, to which I replied with metronome in hand, ‘It is your tempo.’ He explained that 84 was not his tempo, but the publisher’s tempo. ‘They asked me to put a metronome marking on it, but it means nothing. Don’t worry about it. Don’t play so fast.’
   "In 1962 I planned a debut recital in Paris with Christian Iraldi and although I do not remember the exact program, the second part included the sonatas by Prokofiev and Poulenc. I sent a recital invitation to Poulenc, and he sent the following telegram: ‘Do not play me after Prokofiev, because it will dwarf my music. He is so much stronger than I am.’ Poulenc was such a nice guy that I switched the sonatas on the program."
   Debost played in the Orchestre de Paris for 30 years and had the opportunity to work with the world’s most accomplished conductors. "My impressions have changed from what they were when I was a young man in the orchestra. At age 25 I loved every piece because I was discovering the masterpieces for the first time. I enjoyed the conductors, too, even though some didn’t turn out to be the greatest. However, I have marvelous memories of playing with these people.
   "I thought Bernstein was great because he was a wonderful musician with a personality that inspired us. He added a dimension to everything he did. It bothers some musicians when conductors are a little off the wall, but I always thought Bernstein was fascinating. Rafael Kubelik was wonderful with Mahler, Bruckner, and of course Dvorak. He was basically a classical conductor. Istvan Kertesz was a terrific, young Hungarian conductor but drowned while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. I liked Bernard Haitink very much. He was a deep but extremely vulnerable person and subject to depression; but he was touching. The best Beethoven I ever played was with Joseph Kripps, and his conducting of the Leonore Overture #3 was just breathtaking.
   "I loved Munch and thought he was so great that I named my son Charles after him. Munch had an almost mystical approach to conducting. Andre Cluytens was a Belgian conductor who was highly regarded as a fine interpreter of French music. I liked Carlo Maria Giulini, also a mystical conductor, and we thought he was always praying because his face became almost transfigured when he conducted. I didn’t like Karajan as a person, not only because of his Nazi past, but because he was such a prima donna conductor.
   "When Karajan was our musical director in 1975, he was scheduled to conduct the Ring Cycle at the Metropolitan Opera, but they went on strike; and he couldn’t stand having a month with nothing to do. He called Paris, said he was free, and the orchestra was assembled to record some music they had never played with him before. We gathered on a Tuesday morning and started recording as soon as the red light came on. As we listened to the playback, I asked him, ‘Maestro, why do you so carefully rehearse for a concert but not for a recording?’ I remember once spending an hour rehearsing the first 16 measures of a Beethoven symphony with Karajan for an upcoming concert. His reply in fluent French was, ‘It is very simple. The only thing that you will never do again is a concert, but if you are not happy with a recording session, you can do it again tomorrow.’ I have always thought that was such an intelligent statement." [These comments about conductors were part of an interview with John Knight in The Instrumentalist, May 2003.]
   In 1990 Debost was still first flute in the orchestra but decided it was time for a change. "I wanted to do something new, and because Kathy is American, we planned to come to the U.S. for a year. A former Paris student, Judy Mendenhall, called to say that Thomas Nyfenger, who was teaching at both Yale and Oberlin, was in bad health and wanted to retire from Oberlin. I auditioned for what I thought would be a one-year sabbatical and wound up staying for 15 years. Everybody told me that I would be bored to death in rural Ohio after living in Paris, but Kathy and I fell in love with the place, probably because the contrast was so great. After all, I am from peasant stock in Burgundy. When I get homesick for Paris, I just get on a plane and go; it is only a 10-hour trip, unlike the big undertaking that it was when I was a child."
   American flutists became acquainted with Debost through , which he admittedly stole from Gaubert and wrote for students working on technique. "The scales that Americans play are a perfunctory scale line that consists of two octaves. This is not quite enough to develop breathing, tone, intonation, and of course the fingers. Students often come to Oberlin to look at the college, and when I ask them to play a scale, they play a two-octave band scale. Scales not only teach technique and fingerings but also teach students about music, articulation, breath control and management, sound, and intonation. These are all vital to good flute playing. Oberlin students play all assigned literature, including scales, in front of me, just as it was at the Conservatory, where the level is unbelievably higher. The only difference is that in Paris students play scales and arpeggios in front of a class of students instead of just the teacher."
   When auditioning new students for the college, Debost looks for intelligence and a performance level that indicates previous practice and a desire to succeed. "Teachers can accomplish something with a student who has a little bit of intelligence, although it’s not that common. We admit as few as two students and as many as six or seven, depending upon how many graduated the previous year.
   "I sat on the jury for the competitions in Lyon and Stuttgart last June and thought the performance level was very strong, even musically. I often hear musicians say that players have great technique but are not musical, which is not always true. Regardless of the lofty interpretation, if the instrumental skills are not solid, forget it. On the other hand, players should have a musical goal for the technical skill they want to develop. The two are closely related. You can’t just say, ‘Today I will practice technique, and tomorrow I will practice sound.’ I don’t agree with that."
   Articulation is another aspect of flute performance that tends to vary from country to country. "The way flutists from France and the Latin countries speak definitely makes the tongue wag a little bit faster, but I think differences in articulation styles are more a matter of taste. America flutists like a mushier articulation, and perhaps they are right. French is a dental language, and very forward, while English is a mouth language. English speakers roll their vowels around, while French vowels are more crisp. German, Spanish, and Arabic are throat languages, which of course affects articulation. However, given all of these differences, players can certainly learn to articulate any way they please, if they have a desire to do so."
   Debost approaches flute literature in a way that might surprise other teachers. "The book, Flute Music by French Composers, is very good for intermediate players. These little romantic pieces are easier and more understandable than music by Handel, Blavet, and Bach. Many people think Baroque pieces are easier than music from the French book, but I think they are terribly difficult. The Six Pieces for flute and alto flute by Boehm are tuneful and contain very few style problems. I believe that Baroque music should wait until high school or college, but perhaps I learned that from Crunelle, who thought Bach was too difficult for conservatory students. However, we were a group of strong players, and perhaps he didn’t teach Baroque repertoire because it is ambiguous, subjective in nature, and allows for various interpretations.
   "When Rampal took over Crunelle’s class he changed in the other direction and thought the pieces commissioned for the end-of-year exams were worthless. He assigned Baroque music and Classical concertos, not conservatory pieces. Although I loved Rampal, I thought that he was wrong to do what he did, because it destroyed the commission system that gave us some of the best 20th-century pieces, including Sonatine by Dutilleux, Le Merle Noire by Messiaen, the Ibert Concerto, etc. A few years after Rampal joined the Conservatoire faculty, the school discarded the commission system, and nothing has been composed for the year-end exams since then. Of course, some pretty bad music emerged out of the commission system, but out of approximately 60 or 70 pieces written for the Paris Conservatory, at least 15 have entered the realm of standard repertoire and are still played today."
   Disabilities that fall under the umbrella of arts medicine, such as T.M.J. and carpal tunnel syndrome, are more prevalent today than at any time before. Debost admits to being puzzled why this happens. "When I arrived in Ohio, T.M.J. was the latest fashion, but we don’t see it much anymore. Carpal tunnel is popular at present. Some people think that carpal tunnel starts from the cervical vertebrae (neck) and moves on down to the fingers, but I think it is the other way around. When a hand rests on a table, there is no stress until one, then two or three fingers are raised. This is when the stress begins. Flutists who press down on the keys, particularly with the right hand, create even more stress when they lift the fingers. I believe that this is the origin for some of the strain that leads to carpal tunnel problems. I call that hard, finger action ‘slam and squeeze’, and the stress from it moves from the fingers, through the arm, and up to the neck. These are my thoughts on hand and arm problems, although I have never had any of these disabilities."
   In a 2002 interview for the Oberlin Alumni Magazine Debost stated that the most valuable lesson teachers can convey to students is to never separate the instrument from music. "You have to practice technique and instrumental playing with a musical idea, but you cannot play music properly without instrumental knowledge. It is a two-way street. Many students say, ‘I didn’t come here to do this or that,’ and ‘I want to play this; I don’t want to play that.’ This is not a good approach. Students should learn about technique with a musical idea and should play music with technical solutions. Not everybody agrees with that. In the closing chapter of my book I write, ‘Do everything. If you succeed you are no better than when you fail – and when you fail, you are no worse than when you succeed.’ Just do it. Tum the page, say bravo, and go on."

The post Michel Debost, Flutist, Teacher, Recording Artist appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Welcome Audiences with a Smile

theinstrumenta — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 23:00:02 +0000

   Performers spend long hours preparing for the moment when house lights dim and the audience becomes quiet. Although eager to perform many players walk on stage and appear ill at ease, even before the first notes are played. They miss the opportunity to connect with the audience because of their apprehension and lack of confidence. Early on singers are trained in stage demeanor creating a vivid impression on an audience, but few instrumentalists receive training in this area. Music lovers attend concerts rather than listen to C.D.s at home because concert performances offer the excitement of unexpected, spontaneous interaction among the musicians onstage. Because many audience members enjoy watching performers as much as listening to the music, performers should learn communication skills that create a favorable visual impression.
   Well in advance of recitals or competitions, teachers should acquaint students with the physical and mental skills of good stage deportment. Groups of students can practice stage entrances, exits, and bowing, and exchange comments. A video camera can be helpful during these rehearsals. Students will begin to feel comfortable in front of an audience when these movements become second nature. Performers should walk onstage at a pace that is neither hurried nor deliberate, smiling naturally and making eye contact immediately with the audience. Standing tall they should feel themselves being reeled onstage by an imaginary pulley with its rope attached to the top of their breastbones. Confident posture generates confident performance and also projects good preparation. If there is a stage manager to put the music on the stand, it will reduce awkwardness during the entrance.
   The art of taking a bow is an essential part of stage deportment. A gracious bow is unhurried and reaches out to the audience. Performers should count to three slowly while bending forward, meanwhile remembering that too deep a bow will look awkward. The top of a performer’s head should be visible to the audience. Be sure to step away from the music stand to take a bow. Ensembles should bow after all players have reached their places. In a woodwind quintet formation, the flutist and clarinet should step well to the side so that the oboist and bassoonist are visible to the audience.
   Unless a piece is unaccompanied, performers should tune after bowing. If playing with piano they can rotate slightly toward the pianist for a tuning note, remembering not to tum their backs to the audience, which is rude and makes the tuning process seem embarrassing or secretive.
   When the music is forgotten, audiences will remember the physical demeanor of a soloist just as sports fans notice athlete’s behavior throughout a game. Whether standing or sitting, musicians should maintain an erect, flexible posture while onstage. Lessons in the Alexander Technique can help to develop physical awareness, freedom, and upward direction.
   Performers should stay calm and focused in the moment, resisting urges to dwell on missed notes or cracked attacks. Conversation about any unexpected glitches that occur will interfere with concentration. Actors learn to remain serene despite any unexpected or momentary annoyances, and musicians should do the same because complete preparation develops a good mental image and confidence. These strategies are a powerful formula for easing nervousness or performance anxiety.
   At the end of a performance the players respond to applause with a warm smile but without mouthing a thank you, which looks strange. Be sure to acknowledge the pianist, and both should bow, exit the stage briskly, and return promptly for a curtain call when the applause is strong. It is best to leave music onstage and have the stage manager retrieve it after the applause has ended.
   Plan stage exits and returns carefully when performing several pieces in succession. The audience appreciates a brief pause between lengthy works, and a pause gives the players a moment to prepare for the next piece. While offstage performers should avoid making any noise that is audible to the audience, and post-mortem discussions are taboo because this is a time to remain focused and mentally prepare for the next piece.
   Before a performance, chamber ensembles should discuss group choreography and decide who will lead the group on and off the stage, who will lead the bows, and where to stand for curtain calls. The musician with the farthest distance to walk usually enters first, and the last to arrive onstage usually exits first. Groups should form a line and bow behind the chairs for curtain calls rather than returning to a performance formation. For second curtain calls it may work well for the ensemble to form a line in front of their chairs near the edge of the stage.
   Before performances the musicians should rest and eat lightly. Concentration and coordination will suffer without sufficient sleep the night before, and in some people too much sugar or caffeine causes unpleasant mental and physical side effects.
   Concert attire, hair style, and talking to the audience are also important considerations. It is particularly important for female players to choose concert attire that will not inhibit breathing or bowing. Ensemble members will want to coordinate color choices so that listeners don’t have to cope with a brilliant orange dress next to shocking pink. Solid colors are preferable to polka dots and wild prints, which will soon tire the eyes of any audience. Although concert clothing should be stylish and attractive, it should not distract from the music. Even concert shoes may be a problem if they squeak or the heels are too high, and hair that falls into a performer’s face is distracting.
   These days classical musicians struggle to attract and build audiences, but performers who share their excitement about the music with an audience will do well. Musicians should take time to learn about the composers and pieces on their concert program, and then relay some of this information to their audiences. Listeners generally appreciate this gesture and as a result feel more connection to both the music and the performers.
   Musicians perform because they love to play, and it’s important for an audience to sense a performer’s passion for music. Any musician who talks confidently and exuberantly onstage to share the joy of music will be recognized as a performer who truly owns the stage.

Recommended Books
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, Putnam, 1996.
Power Performance for Singers by Shirlee Emmons and Alma Thomas, Oxford University Press, 1998.
The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey, Random House, 1974.
Peak Performance by Charles A. Garefield, Warner Books, 1984.
The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green and T. Gallwey, Anchor Press, 1986.
Performance Success: Performing Your Best Under Pressure by Don Greene, Routledge Press, 2001.
Fight Your Fear and Win by Don Greene, Broadway Books, 2001.
Audition Success by Don Greene, Pro Mind Music, 1998.
Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel, Vintage Books, 1971.
Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson, Simon & Schuster, 1995.
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, Ballantine, 1987.
The New Toughness Training for Sports by James E. Loehr, Plume, 1994.
Toughness Training for Life by James E. Loehr, Plume, 1994.
Breathe In, Breathe Out by James E. Loehr, Time-Life, 1999.
Body Mind Mastery: Creating Success in Sport and Life by Don Millman, New World, 1999.
A Soprano on Her Head by Eloise Ristad, Real People Press, 1982.
Notes from the Green Room by Paul G. Salmon and Robert G. Meyer, Jossey-Boss, 1998.

The post Welcome Audiences with a Smile appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

2021 Directory of Summer Programs

theinstrumenta — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 21:51:27 +0000

One sad effect of the pandemic is inevitable changes to summer music programs. Some have virtual sessions planned, while others are gearing up for in person classes. Still other programs have canceled for 2021 or are awaiting a final decision as they see how the next months progress. Because of the uncertainties ahead, the details in this directory may change over time. We will update the online listing as new information arrives. We encourage summer camps and masterclasses who wish to be included to send any developments to editor@flutetalkmagazine.com. You may also be included in the Addendum in The Instrumentalist magazine by sending information to or by filling out the form .

California
Northern California Flute Camp, Carmel, is a one-week, intensive program for serious flutists ages 12-18. Curriculum includes solo performance, private lessons, flute choirs, chamber music, electives, seminar classes, guest artist events, and recreation. Tuition w/housing $1,450. July 5-13. (Deadline April 1, 2021). Unlimited participants. Masterclass teachers Catherine Boyack, Karen Johnson, Britton Day, Gary Woodward, Karen Van Dyke, and Miles Graber. Guest Artist: Sarah Jackson, piccolo, L.A. Philharmonic. Flutecamp@hotmail.com.

Illinois
Dr. Cate’s Flute Camp, Naperville. Dr. Cate’s Flute Camp will be online for summer 2021. Choose junior ages 11-14 or senior ages 14-18 in June and July. Ensembles, special guests, daily technique classes, final camp video. Tuition alone $100. Session dates TBA. Up to 30 students per session, 2 teachers. Contact: 630-428-3278, dr_cate@fluteline.com.

Maine
Camp Encore Coda, Sweden. We are a unique musical community offering daily instruction in diverse styles, including private lessons, orchestras, jazz bands, wind ensembles, rock bands, jazz combos, chamber music, chorus, jazz choir, theater & many concerts. 2021 is our 72nd year! Supportive, non-competitive atmosphere. Also sports, swimming, boating, arts & crafts. Ages 9-17. Tuition with housing (all-inclusive) $3,500-$9,200 depending on session. 6/30/21-7/24/21, 7/25/21-8/15/21, 6/30/21-8/15/21. 120 participants, 50 teachers. Contact: 207-647-3947, jamie@encorecoda.com.

New England Music Camp, Sidney. New England Music Camp, Enriching the lives of young musicians ages 11-18 for 85 years. High-quality intensive music education blended with traditional camp recreation and social activities. Orchestra, Band, Choir, Jazz, Musical Theater, Piano, Harp, Guitar. Scholarship and F/A available. New intensives for chamber music, jazz, musical theatre, jazz, early strings. Tuition with housing: Core NEMC $6400, Intensives $1400-$3000. Core NEMC: 6/27-7/26, Intensives: 7/26-8/9. 190 students per session, 50 teachers. Contact: 610-659-7634, info@nemusiccamp.com.

Massachusetts
ARIA Online Summer Academy, South Hadley (Online). Three intensive 10-day sessions for flutists aged 15 to 30. Each session provides 8 full hour private lessons, 4 master classes, and one Talk to the Pros class with all participants and faculty on career issues, auditions, and competitions. Tuition alone $995. Session 1: July 1-10, Session 2: July 14-23, Session 3: July 27-August 5, 2021. 12 students per session, 3 teachers. Contact: 765-212-0327, mtetel@yahoo.com.

Michigan
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Twin Lake. Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp offers four two-week sessions in band, orchestra, jazz, choir, harp, piano, art, dance, and theater for students in grades 5-12. Advanced programs for Winds/
Percussion and Strings require placement by audition. Significant scholarships available and based on merit or financial need. Tuition with housing $1,490-$1,580 depending on major. Session 1 6/23-7/4, Session 2 7/7 -7/18, Session 3 7/21-8/1, Session 4 8/4-15. Contact: 800-221-3796, or admissions@bluelake.org.

Interlochen Arts Camp, Interlochen. The nation’s premier multidisciplinary summer arts program. Led by distinguished faculty and renowned conductors, music campers perform in Kresge Auditorium, Corson Auditorium, Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall, Interlochen Bowl, and other locations around our scenic, lakefront campus. Multi-week programs for grades 3-12 and one-week instrumental intensives for high school students. Tuition with housing $1,625-$9,750 depending on session length, tuition alone $650 per week for day camp. Varying dates from 6/19-8/8. 2,755 attendees, 285 teachers. Contact: 231-276-7472, admission@interlochen.org.

New York
Eastern U.S. Music Camp, Hamilton. Located on scenic Colgate University campus. Two, three, and four-week sessions. Since 1976 for students ages 12-18. Bands, orchestras, choirs, jazz/rock ensembles and combos, chamber ensembles; all instruments, all levels, private lessons, daily classes, workshops, guest artists, weekly concerts and recitals. More than one instrument/voice may be studied. Daily recreation. Tuition with housing $2,449-$4,898, tuition alone $995-$1,990. Session dates: 6/27-7/25. Contact: 866-777-7841, summer@EasternUSMusicCamp.com.

Summer@Eastman, Rochester. Summer@Eastman offers an individualized, world-class music education experience: programs and workshops for high school students, weeklong institutes devoted to various instruments or specialties, and collegiate classes in Music Education, Music History, and Music Theory. All programs will be ONLINE for Summer 2021. Visit summer.esm.rochester.edu for details and application information. Tuition alone $150-$5370 (varies by program). Sessions range from 6/28-8/6. 6-60 attendees per session, 75 teachers. Contact: 585-274-1564, summer@esm.rochester.edu.

North Dakota
International Music Camp Summer Programming, Dunseith. Programming and plans for 2021 have not been finalized yet. For the latest updates please see our website. June and July 2021. Contact: 701-838-8472, info@internationalmusiccamp.com.

Ohio
Oberlin Virtual Flute Academy, Oberlin. For those who will have repertoire ready and be comfortable working on it with their peers in two master classes each. This intense schedule involves six one-hour master classes focusing on technical critique, while allowing for additional open-ended discussion. Tuition alone $200. 7/9-11. 10 participants, 2 teachers. Contact: 440-775-8044, ahoffman@oberlin.edu.

Oberlin Virtual Flute Boot Camp, Oberlin. Open to flutists looking for an intense week of work on their flute playing. Daily warm-up sessions, technical workshops and twice-daily 20-minute private coachings on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday which focus on goals set in the beginning of the week. Tuition alone $350. 6/21-26. 10 participants, 2 teachers. Contact: 440-775-8044, ahoffman@oberlin.edu.

Pennsylvania
High School Flute Camp at Mansfield University of PA, Mansfield. Explore core principles to improve anything you are playing, add expression through engaging and creative approaches. Fun and challenging for all levels. Participate in chamber music and flute choir. Live, face-to-face camp with safe, protective means necessary to ensure everyone’s health (successful in music department the fall & spring semesters). Tuition with housing $335, tuition alone $285. Sunday, June 27, 2021 to Thursday evening, July 1, 2021. 30 participants, 3 teachers. Contact: 570-662-4710, cmoulton@mansfield.edu.

Washington DC
Summer Flute Choir, Washington DC. Meet other flutists and play arrangements of popular tunes, orchestral pieces, and flute repertoire. This course is open to those with a minimum of 2 years playing experience and meets over Zoom. It will culminate with a layered “virtual” performance. Please check our website in mid-February for tuition pricing. June 16-30, 2021 (M/W/F) from 5:30-6:30PM EST. 2 teachers. 202-686-8008, rcarey@levinemusic.org.

Wisconsin
Lakeland University Music Camp, Sheboygan. For 64 years, Lakeland has offered a Music Camp for high school and middle school music students. At less cost than many other week-long camps, Lakeland’s Music Camp offers opportunities including: large ensembles, daily sectionals with master teachers, daily music theory classes, camp choir/orchestra, elective options, and nightly entertainment. Tuition with housing $500 early/$600 regular, tuition alone $400 early/$500 regular. 7/18-24. 200-250 students per session, 25 teachers. Contact: 920-565-1000, musiccamp@lakeland.edu

Master of Music – Kodály Emphasis, Kodály & Orff Certificates, Sheboygan. Lakeland is pleased to host the Kodály/Orff Summer Graduate program, previously housed at Holy Family College. This program enjoys a coveted reputation for excellence. Music educators from across the country work with faculty who are national leaders in the field, to grow their pedagogical, musicianship, and research skills. See website for more information on housing options, tuition alone $667 per graduate course credit, workshop course fees vary, scholarships available. June 28-July 9 Kodály Workshop, July 26-August 7 Orff Workshop. 30-50 graduate students and workshop course attendees, 10 teachers. Contact: 920-565-1000, carltonrj@lakeland.edu.

Outside the United States
Austria
FLUTEinWIEN – Intensive Masterclasses, Vienna. Unique intensive masterclass with up to 3 hours of classes every day, including 1 hour technique and sound daily class, for one or two participants. The masterclasses are offered in-person in Vienna and online as well. You can choose how many days you wish your masterclass to last (3-7 days). Tuition alone €490. Session dates available year round. 1-2 participants, 1 teacher. Contact: 660-758-4889, contact@fluteinwien.com.

Belgium
International Flute Seminar Burges, Burges. The IFSB Summer School (July 15-20, 2021) in monastery school Zevenkerken (Bruges) is open for flute and piccolo players of all ages and levels. Teaching staff (with flutists Aldo Baerten, Blaz Snoj, Peter Verhoyen) offer warming up, masterclasses, piano rehearsals, workshops on different topics, audition training, Alexander technique and concerts. Tuition with housing €680, tuition alone €560. 7/15-20. 4 teachers. Contact: 324-752-8185, info@ifsb.be.

Italy
InterHarmony International Music Festival, Italy/Online. InterHarmony International Music Festival, from August July 5 – August 15, 2021, invites students to study with its internationally renowned faculty of soloists and chamber musicians for up to six weeks of string, piano, woodwind, brass, percussion, or vocal instruction in one of its gorgeous European settings. Tuition with housing $3,100. 7/5-15. 170 participants, 100 teachers. Contact: 561-288-0046, festival@interharmony.com.

Camps with red type have paid for a promotion in either The Instrumentalist or Flute Talk.

The post 2021 Directory of Summer Programs appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Defining the Controls of Flute Playing, Air Pressure, Air Support, and Air Angle

theinstrumenta — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 19:46:19 +0000

When I was a student in high school and college, I sometimes felt anxious before starting my morning warm-up. Would today be a good or a bad tone day? I felt I had no control over sound production, and it was luck when my sound was resonant. There were days I got so frustrated that I put the flute away because I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
At some point, I decided to look at my practice room as more of a lab. I experimented with different elements of my playing and attempted to piece together how to make a consistently good sound. Since then, I have come to focus on three controls we use as flutists as well as basic adjustments that act as a software upgrade.

Overachiever
I tend to use too much air pressure when I play. Subconsciously, I associate expressive playing with more air. However, more is not always better when it comes to playing the flute. It may feel expressive because I’m putting forth more effort, but the sound is not necessarily better.
Throughout my career, I have recorded myself on a daily basis. At first, I feel overwhelmed listening to these recordings because I hear so much I don’t like. So, I’ve come up with a solution: focus on one element at a time rather than noticing everything at once.

1. How is my tone quality?
2. How is my intonation?
3. How is my rhythm?
4. Is my interpretation convincing?

When I was an undergraduate, I was recording and listening to the opening of the fourth movement of the Prokofiev Sonata. I immediately recognized that my sound didn’t consistently have a core. I also noticed I was breathing more often than usual. Could it be that I was using too much air pressure? When playing in front of a mirror, I saw that my aperture was bigger than usual. This was most likely to accommodate the amount of air I was using. In order to conquer element #1, I needed to investigate further. What if I used less air (in terms of volume) and tried keeping it more consistent? I recorded a few more phrases of the Prokofiev. It was better, but it was still inconsistent. One note would sound supported and beautiful and the next could be flat and dull. This was when I questioned my support’s efficacy.

What is Support?
I eventually found that if I made sure to engage my abdominal muscles while releasing my air, it was more reliable. To test this further, I attempted to sustain a whistle tone on a high A, twice above the staff, without allowing the pitch to slide between partials. It was much more stable when I engaged my abdominal muscles. That was something I wasn’t able to do before and proof that my air speed was more consistent this way. Yes, now I realize this was the moment I confirmed what supporting my air actually meant. I suppose to really take on your teacher’s advice, you needed to clarify it for yourself.
As I went back to recording and listening, my support seemed to be intermittent. It wasn’t enough to keep engaged in the same way throughout a phrase. Depending on the contour of the line, I needed to adjust my air pressure and air support accordingly. My support needed to be relentless and specific to whatever line I was playing. I needed to think ahead and prepare for larger intervals, and extremes of the low and high ranges. No wonder the 4th movement of the Prokofiev was especially difficult. The line changed direction often, and there were many large intervals. Different articulations also seemed to present a new challenge.

One More Control
In addition, as I improved my air pressure and support, I was experiencing symptoms similar to when I was overblowing. This was mostly cracking or splitting notes. I started to think about what a crack actually was: a higher partial of the note. For this issue, I practiced playing up the harmonic series. In order to have more control, I focused on my air pressure increasing and maintaining where my air was hitting the front wall of the headjoint. I started to pay more attention to my top lip being in front of my lower lip.

Learning to Fly
Now that I had a new approach, I was overwhelmed. Clearly a revision of my process was in order, but where to start? I reminded myself that simple was always best: I needed to find predictable shapes of lines. For example, Taffanel et Gaubert 17 Big Daily Exercises, No. 1.

The line goes up and down, stepwise. Start with the first note. Make sure you like the sound of the note as a long tone and gradually go to the second note. Since the line is going up, your support will need to increase. Go between those two notes (increasing support when descending and ascending) until you feel they have sonority. Eventually you will be able to play the first eight notes and feel comfortable using the controls. Note: when trying new things, celebrate small victories. You will not be able to play the entire exercise with this new relentless support all in one session! Give yourself time to develop muscle memory.
As you improve, go on to Reichert Op. 5, #1 (all slurred).

This one is a challenge because the descending intervals bring up other aspects of flute playing that improve our control’s functionality. For example, you may crack the lower note of the larger intervals in the first three big beats of each key. To avoid this, make sure you are using an “ah” vowel instead of an “ee” vowel when you play. For flutists, the oral cavity is a concert hall. Imagine playing a recital in a concert hall where the walls are moving while you play. The acoustic would be strange, to say the least. Keep the “ah” vowel sound, and, in addition, keep your soft palate up, and the back of the tongue down. Make sure there is never any tension involved.
At this point, I also noticed it was difficult to keep my oral cavity open without allowing it to change with the line. I spent a lot of time playing simple scales or melodies maintaining this space, no matter what happened. Playing in front of a mirror also helped, keeping an eye on my embouchure. No need for it to move too much, either.

Pilot’s License
Once I became more comfortable with Taffanel et Gaubert and Reichert, I started to learn to use the controls in repertoire. The opening of Faure Fantasie, Op. 79 presented the challenge of a soft dynamic in the high register that eventually dipped into the middle.

I realized I used to rely on gripping the air with my aperture to maintain the speed of air, causing my “ah” to drift to an “ee.” This hindered the quality of sound and tended to make my face tired. I needed to start trusting my increasing support when the line descended and maintaining the space between my teeth. I designed a simple exercise to help me maintain my air speed in ascending lines that I use to this day (on piccolo as well). Starting on F2, I ascend to G, A, B flat, and C, sustaining the C for three counts (all slurred). Going up chromatically from the F2 in F Major, I move on to F# Major. This exercise helps me increase my support several beats early in preparation for the sustained note.
I was finding that each register required slightly different settings within the controls. The middle register, for example, was easily overblown. I reduced my air pressure by another 5% or 10% and increased my support. It also seemed sensitive to air angle and keeping space between my teeth. The lack of resistance in this register made it easy to forget to support! The extra support seemed to create an artificial form of resistance. Meanwhile, the high register forced me to use my core because of its natural resistance. However, the shape of my oral cavity got smaller as I ascended, helping the speed of air again. It seemed I would do anything to avoid actually working my abdominal muscles when I needed them the most. I also found myself working my abdominal muscles and not applying enough air pressure, causing other issues. Sometimes I had to remind myself to actually release air.

After Years of Smiling in the Low Register
Today, as I learn Valerie Coleman’s Danza de la Mariposa, I realize I would not be able to play the presto at bar 15 without a reliable approach to the low register.

Even though I changed my process a long time ago, I still go through several phases in passages like this one. First, I slur the first two bars at a slow tempo, focusing on my controls and keeping my jaw dropped. From the downbeat of bar 15, I am already preparing for the low C with my support. I make sure I feel confident in my air angle so there is no chance for anything to jump up the octave. Once I’m happy with that version, I use the articulations Coleman has notated, allowing myself to lengthen the dotted notes. This gives me space to keep the air going. Finally, I play what is written, still at a slower tempo. My legato playing always sounds better than my articulated passages because there is far less multi-tasking, allowing air angle to be a focus.

Going Down the List
   Going back to my four elements when listening to recordings of my playing: all of these will benefit from using controls. Without a supported sound, intonation is, of course, affected. The first and last notes of phrases tend to be neglected and therefore out of tune. I have made taking a breath, engaging my abdominal muscles, and releasing air all one motion, making sure support is present before I play my first note. I often check my first notes of a phrase with the tuner, thinking of the pitch beforehand but also memorizing the amount of pressure needed to play it in tune (especially in the middle and lower registers).
   Surprisingly, rhythm is affected quite a bit. Support contributes to evenness of notes and helps my habit of compressing larger groups of notes in my playing. When double and triple tongued passages are not supported, the tongue has more work to do, therefore making the articulation heavy and cumbersome. Controls also help with response, preventing my old habit of coming in late.
   Finally, my interpretation is much more convincing. If I use the controls correctly, I must look ahead in the phrase so my support is prepared. Because of this, my phrases are longer. Notes that act as bridges need very clear direction so that the melodic material they eventually lead to sound like a coveted goal.

The Most Important Thing
Another quote that always helps me, “Musicianship will fix any technical issue.” While I was focusing on learning to use these controls, sometimes my playing just needed clearer direction. Scales are phrases; they have a beginning, middle, and an end. Always remember that in every step of the process, you are a musician. Technique and sound production are something we need to develop but expressing the composers and ourselves more clearly is the ultimate incentive. If I can’t seem to make one note sound to my liking, I ask myself if it is leading anywhere. Don’t forget that there is direction even within a note.

The post Defining the Controls of Flute Playing, Air Pressure, Air Support, and Air Angle appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Buying A New Flute

theinstrumenta — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 01:29:11 +0000

   During this year of staying in, many of us have had more time to practice than in the past. In these practice sessions we have gotten to know our instruments better on a different level. We have discovered things that we love and also things that we wish were improved. I decided it was time for an upgrade and wanted to share some thoughts on flute shopping. Buying a new flute is one of the most exciting events in a flutist’s life.
   When I was a young student, flutists played on one of a handful of brands of student model flutes. Mine was a sturdy instrument that survived my repeated attempts of taking it apart and re-assembling it. I was sure I could make it better. Of course, it was not the flute, it was the pads. The pads were ghastly, and the only time they seated well was in the first few hours after an overhaul.
   There were no step-up flutes then. The closest thing to a step-up flute was the choice made when ordering a professional model flute. You could either select a commercial model (extruded tone holes) or a professional model (soldered tone holes). At that time, I knew of only two flute makers, and both had waiting lists. One had a wait time of several months; the other was several years. When your name came up on the list, the company contacted you, and half of the payment was due before they began making your flute. The other half was due when the flute arrived. If you no longer wanted the flute, then you could sell your place in line to a friend or colleague. When the flute arrived, this was your flute. There was no testing to find the best match. There were no headjoint choices. You simply learned to play well on the flute you had. Over the next eight years I repeated this process four times before I found a flute that was a good match for me. I have played this flute off and on for 57 years.
   In more normal times the best places to select an instrument is at the National Flute Association’s annual convention or at one of the regional flute fairs. With COVID-19 though, flute specialty shops have stepped up to offer free shipping both ways if a flutist wants to try flutes. This is an excellent opportunity because you can play the flute in a location that you are very familiar with. At conventions, the exhibit hall floor is quite noisy and dead sound wise. At home, you can also try out the instrument in your church, in an auditorium or another performance venue. You also have the ears of your teacher and colleagues who know your playing and can offer advice.
   One of the mysteries of playing the flute is that you never hear yourself as others hear you. This means that when selecting an instrument, you must find a listener whom you trust to offer feedback. Besides a teacher, this might be a band or orchestra conductor or members of your chamber ensemble.
   When purchasing a new instrument consider the various types of instruments on the market. These include: professional or handmade flutes, pre-professional flutes, mid-line, intermediate, step-up and student models.

Do Your Homework
Before beginning to shop, learn the terminology the flute makers and dealers use when making and selling their instruments. There are videos online including on YouTube that talk about the different aspects of making flutes and piccolos.

Pitch: Flutes today are made to the pitch of 440, 442, and 444. The standard in the US is 442 while in Europe the pitch is higher at 444.

Tubing: Flute making begins with the tube. Tubes may be made of silver (.925, .998), gold (19.5K, 18K, 14K, 10K, 9K. It is important to remember that the magic number is 24. If the flute is 14K, then 10 parts will be another material), platinum or fused combinations. The thickness of the tube depends largely on the material used with gold tubes being in the range of .010, .012, .014 and silver at .014, .016, .018. The most popular thickness is .016. Often the keys are made of another metal i.e., a gold flute with silver keys.

Soldered or Drawn Toneholes: Soldered tone holes take more time to make so are more expensive. Watch the videos suggested above to see the difference in the manufacture.

Inline or Offset: This refers to the alignment of the keys specifically the upper and lower G keys. It is an even toss today as to which is preferred. I have always played an inline flute and continue to do so because the flute feels smaller in my hands and is slightly less heavy. Flutists who have had hand, wrist, arm, or shoulder issues may find the offset to be more comfortable. For the keys themselves, pointed arms are standard on professional flutes.

French Model: The term French model refers to the openings in the A, G, F, E, and D keys. Most professional flutes are French models rather than with closed keys.

Pinless Mechanism: Most professional flutes made today are with the pinless mechanism or a combination of pinless and pins.

Springs: Flute makers offer the option of white gold springs, yellow gold, stainless or steel springs.

Special Options: While the C# trill used to be a special option, it has become a standard on most flutes made today. I have had flutes with and without the C# trill and find that I do like the special fingerings that are possible to improve playing certain passages; however, I am not pleased with the extra weight. I have also noticed that the C# pad often is one of the first pads to leak.
   Makers have various ways of constructing what is known as the split E. Probably the more correct name for this option should be the split G since it allows the upper and lower G keys to move independently. A split E helps in slurring from the top A to the top E. Placing a donut or crescent shaped piece of metal in the lower G is another option. There are fewer moving parts on this solution so it is less likely to have adjustment issues. The donut or crescent may be added at a later time if necessary.
   The D# roller on the footjoint is a lovely option to have. It certainly eases the movement of the fingers down to the lowest keys on the flute. The other option is to rub the little finger on the side of your nose to take the natural grease on the nose onto the finger. This nose grease makes moving to the lowest notes easier.
   The gizmo key on the footjoint is pretty standard on most flutes today. This key is used in sensitive fingerings to play upper notes more softly and with better control.

Footjoint: Most flutes made today have a B footjoint. However, some players enjoy the C footjoint especially in the use in playing Baroque and Classic style music. Several makers make a convertible footjoint.

The Headjoint: In recent years we have seen the rise of instrument makers who specialize in making headjoints. This revolution has produced some of the best improvements to the modern flute since Boehm’s work in the middle of the 19th century. Remember it is possible to buy the body and footjoint of a flute from a maker and add the headjoint of your choice.
   Headjoints are made in a variety of materials from silver to platinum with the lip plates and riser/chimney each being a different material. For the most value for your dollar, invest in the riser since that is where the blowing edge is cut. The size of the embouchure hole is an important concern too. The smaller the hole, the sweeter the tone and the more agile it is when moving from one note to another. The larger the embouchure hole the larger the sound; however, the headjoint loses some of its agility. If you can afford it, you may want to invest in one of each.
   Most headjoint makers have a yearlong headjoint exchange program. Be sure and ask the details before you purchase.
   Often a headjoint by another maker will be loose in the tenon of the flute. It has been my experience that a headjoint that needs a lot of sizing will ultimately play and sound differently than before it was sized. I have been told several times that sizing doesn’t make a difference, but to me, the headjoint certainly responds and sounds different than it did before sizing. Whether I am right or wrong, consider this option. If you prefer to not have the headjoint sized, there is tape that may be purchased to make the headjoint snug.

Flute Specialty Shop or Manufacturer
In the United States, there are several flute specialty shops that offer a wide selection of brands of flutes and headjoint makers. The advantage to shopping at a flute specialty store is the ability to compare models from more manufacturers. If you already know which brand you want, however, then going directly to a specific maker’s shop allows you to test more flutes by the same manufacturer.
If you are going to select a flute from one of the flute specialty shops or makers, make an appointment to try instruments rather than just showing up. Besides this being a courteous thing to do, it allows the store to have someone there to spend time with you who is knowledgeable about flutes and their construction. The shop also makes sure the inventory you are looking for is in stock and not out on approval.

Practice
Generally, when you are upgrading your instrument, there is something about your current flute that is wrong or limiting. At least a month before trying instruments, go into practice mode so your embouchure is strong and flexible; your breathing is relaxed and controlled; your articulation is clear and expressive; and your fingers are even and fluent. If there are problems when you play a new instrument, you want it to be obvious that it is the instrument’s problem and not yours.

What Do You Need?
If you primarily play with a microphone, then a low resistant headjoint may be the best choice for you. A low resistant headjoint has a quick response and an interesting range of colors, but lacks the projection to perform successfully in a large concert hall. If you are looking for projection, then select a higher resistant headjoint.
If you primarily play chamber music in a small, intimate location, then there is a flute for this setting too. Most of us do not have the luxury to have one flute for chamber music, another for large concert halls and another when playing with a microphone, so we compromise and select a flute that fulfills as many of our desires as possible. Remember that every flute will have a flaw someplace. It may be one of tuning, timbre or dynamic control of a certain note, or the way the flute responds when slurring an interval. Your goal is to choose a flute with the fewest flaws to work around.

What to Play
Harmonics: Since the flute scale is based on the overtone series, play several harmonics to explore how the flute overblows. Start by playing three harmonics on a first octave F, F# and Bb. For the Bb, use both the long fingering (TH, 1000/1004) and the Thumb Bb fingering. Listen carefully for the quality of the sound of the third partial.

Scale: Play a slow, two-octave F major scale ascending and descending. Do not adjust for pitch problems because the goal is to discover what the flute will do, not what you can do on the flute. Listen for a homogeneous sound throughout the range. Choose a flute where you have to make few adjustments to play in tune. Use a tuner throughout the flute audition process. If you are selecting an A=442 flute, set the tuner on A=442. Listen to the timbre of the scale as you play. If there are dull or bright notes here and there, then this is not the flute for you. Use a recording device or a friend in the selection process.

Octaves: Play slurred octaves beginning on the first octave F. Proceed chromatically up the flute. Listen for timbre and intonation. Again, use the tuner and a recording device.

Low Range Articulation: Each of us wants a flute that articulates quickly in the low range. Play four sixteenths=144 on each pitch, chromatically down from the first octave F to C. Check the clarity of the sound and the quickness of response. Repeat this exercise using contrasting dynamics.

High Range Articulation: Likewise, clarity and response of articulation in the top notes is necessary for artistic performance. Repeat the above exercise, beginning on the third octave F, ascending chromatically. Repeat this exercise using contrasting dynamics.

Tapers: Explore the tapers or the endings of the notes. The most difficult ones to do are in the third octave. Begin on the third octave D and taper or diminuendo the note over 12 counts. Repeat on each note ascending chromatically. Try to play from something to nothingness. Check the pitch with the tuner as you perform these tapers. Successful tapers require you to be in practice, which is why I suggested being in practice well before the day you try flutes. Remember you are trying the flute, not auditioning your skills.

Ghosts Tones: This exercise has the flutist finger a third-octave note. While playing the note, the flutist retains his embouchure position, but changes the air speed to produce the lower partials. While doing this exercise with many of my students, I realized that the quality of the tone on the lower partial affects the quality of tone of the fingered note. If the lower partial note is airy and unfocused, then the fingered note was generally quite good. However, if the lower partial note was clear and focused, then the fingered note was poor. When doing this exercise pay particular attention to the pitches of Ab, F# and E. The goal is to find a flute where all the lower partials are fuzzy and unfocused. This means the fingered notes will be terrific.

Note-Connections – Intervals: Play the third and sixth exercises slurred. (See .) Few flutes play fast thirds easily in the top octave. Most makers do not have the personal flute technique to execute the technical questions this exercise asks; so, do not realize their flutes perform poorly in this task. However, if you are going to have agility in the third octave, the ability to play fast, slurred thirds are a must. The instrument should not hold you back.
Playing slow intervals is also important to learn how the response of the instrument is. Be sure there are no “wolfs” in the interval. Most flutes with the old scale had a wolf from the third-octave A to the third-octave E. Many of the new flutes no longer have a wolf on these notes, but do have a wolf on the third-octave G# to E when slurring. The weight of the crown affects the wolf, so if you like everything about the flute except this one wolf, experiment by playing with a different crown. Be careful though, as a heavier crown can make the flute’s overall pitch flat and the tone dull. It is all a compromise. When playing the slow intervals (4ths, 5ths and 6ths), practice making a diminuendo into the second note, followed by a taper.

Excerpts: If the flute checks out through these exercises, it is time to begin playing your favorite excerpts. Have you noticed that most flutists start with the excerpts first and then may never proceed to asking the really basic questions of how a flute overblows, responds in articulated passages, and allows beautiful note connections and tapers? Testing flutes takes time and effort. Since this may be one of the largest purchases of your life, take the time to do it well.

Repertoire: Play something from each style period and determine if you are pleased with how the flute changes color from early music to Romantic music and contemporary. Finish the session playing something you love.

Bottom Line
   Look at the construction of the flute. It is also an object of art, and the workmanship should echo that of a fine piece of jewelry. There should be no solder smudges or scratches. Many craftsmen have specially designed tools to allow you to look at the construction of the soldering of the lip plate onto the headjoint tube.
   If money is not an object, then you may want all the bells and whistles; but if you are on a budget, decide what extras are actually needed. The one upgrade that offers the most improvement is in the choice of the material for the riser or chimney in the headjoint. Most makers offer silver, gold, and platinum. If funds are limited, consider a pre-owned instrument.
   If the flute checks out, then ask, does this flute make me feel creative? If it is not an instrument that you can hardly wait to play, then it may not be the flute for you. I wish we could try flutes without knowing what the flute was made of as too many of my students have “gold on the brain” and have not chosen instruments that actually played very well.

If there is one thing to be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is to consider resale value of the flute. So many flutists purchased flutes on credit, and then when underemployed, as many have been in the last year, find themselves with a flute that is not easily sold. Several college students have told me that their newly purchased flute is the “flute of their lifetime.” I cringe when I hear this because at their age, they are just beginning to find their flute voice. It takes years to master your voice and individuality, so more than likely, in just a few years they will realize that a different flute would match their current playing style. Most teachers suggest high school and college-aged students buy a well-made silver professional model flute. Then as their playing grows, upgrade to another headjoint. Then once established in a career, this instrument becomes a backup flute, and the flutist then purchases the instrument of their dreams.

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