Tone Production – Relaxation is Key 
    When placing the piccolo in playing position, it should sit higher on the lip than the flute and the headjoint should not be rolled in too far. If the headjoint is rolled in, too much of the embouchure hole will be covered, which will squash the sound. The exact position will vary depending on the shape and size of the lower lip, and some experimentation will be required to get the best sound. 
    The piccolo sounds its best when the player is relaxed enough to create resonance within the body. The ability to open up and be relaxed is essential to developing good piccolo tone. Players should avoid the tendency to tighten the embouchure because the piccolo is small. A tight embouchure causes tension in the body, particularly in the throat. The piccolo, as well as the flute, does not respond to aggression. The instrument cannot be forced to sound good.  
    Unfortunately, the human body is not designed to spontaneously relax. Players should practice relaxing, just as they work on good finger technique. It should occur over time – from the beginning to the end of a warm-up, from one day to the next, or over the course of a week or a year. 
    Before beginning a practice session, take a full breath to open the lungs. This is crucial to a dark sound, whether preparing to play a long note or short note. It helps add lower harmonics to create a warm rich sound that will project and be pleasing to the ear. Jackson commented, “I like to take a full breath even if I am playing only one staccato eighth note.” 
    Next, make sure the throat is open. She advised, “Open the throat in two ways: making it wider and making it taller. Making the throat taller is accomplished by raising the soft pallet (like a yawn) in conjunction with lowering the back of the tongue. When doing this, the jaw drops a bit, too.” 
    Now, relax the lips, or embouchure. This allows the lower harmonics to resonate. The piccolo needs only a slightly smaller aperture than the flute, but one that is not too small or tight. Make sure that all of the effort to relax and open up in order to produce a rich sound is not negated by a tight embouchure. 

Slow Practice 
    When working on tone, practice slowly. (See Jackson’s Piccolo Warm-Up #1) Work on finding the sweet spot of every note to develop a beautiful sound that has low harmonics. The higher the tessitura, the more air is needed to find the sweet spot and to support the sound. Since more air is needed, the higher notes may have a louder dynamic. This is not the time to think about playing quieter in the high register or louder in the low register. 

Developing a Blending Sound 
    Try to make changes in the tone color to blend better with other instruments such as the oboe or the Eb clarinet. Anticipate the tone color of instruments and add lower harmonics. Use the embouchure to alter the pitch and tone color. Tone color can also be changed by changing the shape inside the mouth as well as the position of the tongue with various vowel sounds. 
    Frequently, pitch issues with other instruments are more about blend than intonation. Changing the tone color to one that blends better may entirely fix or at least improve the intonation problem. Just changing the pitch and not the tone color can narrow the embouchure, leading to a thinner sound that can worsen the problem.

Other Tips
    Jackson had some important advice for safely assembling and disassembling a flute. Hold the barrel of the flute with one hand, and the tube of the headjoint (not the lip plate) with the other hand. Avoid grasping the keys or the lip plate. Grasping the lip plate can weaken the solder where the lip plate is attached to the tube, causing micro cracks. This can weaken the solder to a point where the lip plate becomes detached from the tube. If this happens, the headjoint will never be the same again. 
    She also highly recommends wearing earplugs when playing piccolo or playing in a loud ensemble. She also wears earplugs for extended flute playing in the third octave. As a musician, it is tremendously important to do whatever you can to protect your hearing.      

* * *

    Sarah Jackson has held the position of piccolo of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2003. Prior to that, she was assistant principal flute and piccolo with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in British Columbia, Canada. She has taught flute and piccolo at the University of British Columbia and has presented masterclasses and recitals in Italy, Japan, France, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Belgium, Nether-lands, Venezuela, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States.

* * *

Sarah Jackson’s Piccolo Warm-Up #1
    The goal of this exercise is to warm up as well as improve tone and sound production. As you play the exercise, challenge yourself to become more and more relaxed and open. 

1. Begin by taking a full breath and open the throat. Maintain the openness in the body to put more low harmonics in the sound and maintain good tone quality. The higher in the tessitura, the more air is needed to use to find the sweet spot. Since more air is needed, the higher notes may have a loud dynamic. Do not worry about playing quieter in the high register or louder in the low register. 

2. Practice this exercise very slowly. This is a tone exercise. Find the sweet spot of every note and develop a beautiful sound that contains more low harmonics. 

3. Markings show the quantity of air to use. The crescendo and diminuendo markings are not dynamic changes, but a visual representation of the quantity of air being used. The higher the tessitura, the more air is needed to support the sound. 

4. Breathe after every measure. 

5. Start the exercise on line 4 (F major). This exercise should not be started on the first line, as the low D is not the easiest note on piccolo. Since the exercise is very slow, you will not be able to practice all the keys in one day. However, make sure you work on all three registers daily. For example, start on F1, then Eb1, move on to G1, A1, etc. playing every other key The next day, alternate the keys not played the day before. 

* * *

Swabbing Tips

    Jackson recommends using a wooden or plastic cleaning rod to swab the piccolo, as a metal rod might scratch the inside of the instrument. She uses a teardrop-shaped silk cloth, but cuts one side of it off, so it is not too bulky to pull through the piccolo, but has enough fabric to absorb the moisture. 
    She quickly swabs the moisture out of her instrument during a concert by taking off the headjoint and dropping the cleaning rod, threaded with a silk cloth, into the tenon end of the piccolo. She pushes the rod through, pulling it out the other end so the cloth can absorb the moisture. She then wraps the silk around the rod and swabs the inside of the headjoint. 
    She then quickly reassembles the piccolo, matching an alignment mark she has made on the metal of the headjoint tenon with the point of the metal rib at the base of the keys. (A spot of dark nail polish  will last much longer than a mark made with a fine point permanent marker.) 
    After swabbing, she slides the solid end of the rod onto the music stand behind her music so the silk is hanging like a banner off the edge of the stand. This allows the silk to dry out between swabbing sessions. 

    After playing, she uses a piccolo flag-type swab to remove any residual moisture from the crown end of the headjoint. She does not use this type of swab for regular swabbing of the body as she feels that swabbing quickly is more likely to sweep water into the tone holes than to completely remove it from the instrument. To remove all of the moisture from the piccolo, the piccolo flag should be turned while it is slowly pulled through the instrument, removing the moisture out the end of the piccolo.

The post Sarah Jackson’s Piccolo Tips appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    For nearly four decades I have been preparing students for evaluations. Whether it is a chair test in band, an audition for a local honors band, a regional or national competition, a solo festival, for college admission, or a jury, the key question for  teachers and students is, “What do the judges want to hear?”
    Each time a group of students returns from competing, I take a serious look at the results from the judges’ perspective, with or without jury sheets. I also take a fresh look at my own thought process after I serve as a judge. Here are some insights that I have gleaned over the years. You may vehemently disagree with the jurors’ decisions (or with my take on them), but there is much to be learned from taking a dispassionate look at a judge’s focus. 
    The dictionary defines the verb judge as to form an opinion or conclusion about. When sending students off to be judged, it is essential to let them know that the judges’ opinions are exactly that, a personal opinion. It is the opinion that matters for that particular event, but it is not a more learned or important opinion than their own or their teacher’s. 
    Usually the primary things judges respond to with immediacy, thus making them the critical components, are steadfastness in tempo and rhythmic accuracy down to the smallest subdivided dot and tie. Every judge I know, including myself, will deny this up and down, but the facts are there. When students go to state band evaluations, often the player with the best tone, musicality, speed, and intonation is seated lower than one who is not as mature. This happens a lot. The more musical student may have taken too many liberties with the tempo and rhythm. The lesser student may have played slower but waited and counted patiently for the rests at the end of the measure and returned in tempo, not rushing the runs and not slowing on the whole notes. Focus your teaching and their personal practice on keeping the tempo even and the rhythm perfect from day one, no matter what the tempo. 
    The next item on a judge’s agenda is articulation. Not just placing the tonguing and slurring exactly where the required edition indicates, but also making the articulation style historically and stylistically accurate. Bounce those eighths in Baroque, play legato on quarters in slow movements, and double tongue with synchronicity. A student can gain several chairs with a steady tempo, great subdivision and perfect articulation. 
    The third element that judges observe is the perceived confidence of the performer. Whether live or recorded, students who sell their performance can make a positive impression early in their audition. This can be achieved in numerous ways, including a firm tone, tasteful vibrato, articulation styles, and expression including dynamics, color, and phrasing. I tell my students that radiating confidence is a gift of preparedness, but anyone can be taught how to sound confident, even when their inner emotional state includes fear and timidity. This judging area also includes breathing (technique and placement), intonation (watch those C#s, crescendos, and phrase endings), and vibrato usage. A beautiful performance can be brought low by playing perpetually flat or by using an unattractive vibrato speed. 
    The next level of judging is playing the correct notes. All of the previous characteristics are immediate, emotional and physical responses to hearing music in the heightened, judging state of mind. Judges sense the joy (or fear) in players and feel their inner pulse (or lack thereof), tap their inner feet to the tempo, and bounce or sway to the articulation and meter. All of this happens simultaneously, often while looking at the music. If the judges are flutists, beware. Play the correct notes at the proper time. If the judges are conductors and music educators, a wrong note or two can be dismissed – as long as it is a one-off accident and not a consistent error. Judges can make this distinction. Playing faked runs is not an option at the competition level. Smooshing notes together because of fear or a lack of practice will affect your score negatively. 
    Fast and messy or slower and perfect? Judges definitely prefer the latter. A notch or two (not ten) under tempo with all of the above characteristics in place is far preferable to a performances with garbled notes that is virtuosic and at a showy tempo. Even a confident, musical interpretation performed with a technical jumble will not sway a judge favorably. 
    To memorize or not? These days, musicians are achieving mastery of their instruments at younger and younger ages, and many young flutists choose to memorize. Compulsory memorization is still in flux for wind players. Vocalists, pianists, and string players always memorize. For flutists it is an option. It can and does affect the outcome if the memorization is faulty or hinders the player’s ability to perform confidently and accurately. It is impressive when done well, but memorization rarely is the deciding factor for indicating the frontrunner. Ultimately, the winners are the players who play the most perfectly, musically, evocatively, and in tune, and who also positively influence the judges intellectually and emotionally. 
    Preparing for and assisting students for auditions and competitions is an exciting prospect and can add focus and drive to practice sessions and lessons. Use these events as a tool and measurement for improvement, and encourage students to assimilate the judges’ opinions, both positive and negative, for growth and development. In the end, however, students should learn to be their own judges. Everyone knows when and where the errors were, in practicing and performance, and each success can be an inducement that leads students toward more technically accurate and musical performances.      

The post What Judges Want appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

No. 1, C major

    This etude is based on a two-measure motive and focuses on playing ties. The idea is repeated many times throughout the etude. Most conductors suggest not playing the tie, but getting off of the tied note early in order to be in time for the following notes. Use the phrasing rule DDT or decay to the dot or tie to enhance musical interest. This means getting softer over the first two beats of the first measure. The sixteenth notes should be grouped 2341. Chunk the sixteenth notes in the 2341 group several times to develop flow. Since the phrase is going to 1, which should be the strongest note, begin softly on the 2 making an increase in volume until reaching 1. 
    In measure 32 (or in some editions, the second measure after the repeat, Andersen wrote a slur from a third-octave A to a third-octave E. With the regular fingering there will be a wolf or cracking sound between the A and the E. Removing the right-hand pinkie for the E and then quickly replacing it will solve this issue. If you have a split E mechanism on your flute, there will be no problem. When Andersen wrote these etudes, the split E was not common. 
    Beginning in measure 49 and in several other places, there are wide intervals that are more difficult to produce. Make the aperture smaller so the high notes can be played mf. Joseph Mariano, legendary flute professor at the Eastman School of Music, said, “Never leave an exercise un-tongued.” He explained that there were so few all-tongued exercises that flutists should tongue every etude at least once to practice articulation. When tonguing, fill in the notes of longer note value with sixteenth notes. Repeat using the T, K, Hah, and TK syllables. Do notice the word cantabile in the first measure.   

No. 2, A minor

This etude should be played in one, remembering that the first beat of the measure is the strongest. Phrase in eight-bar measures, breathing after one in bars 9, 17, 25, etc. Andersen wrote con grazia (with grace or gracefully) in the first measure. When I studied these with William Kincaid, legendary flute professor and principal flute of the Philadelphia Orchestra, he wrote several grouping patterns at the top of the etude and suggested I try each to figure out which one worked best for each measure. Here are his grouping patterns or think marks: 

1, 234561 (see m. 2, 3, 4, 7, 8)
1, 23, 4561 (see m. 2, 3, 4, 7, 8)
1, 2345, 61 (see m. 5)

    Chunking each pattern will help determine which works best for you. Rather than making a crescendo/diminuendo with the hairpins, try thinking of them as energy marks as there will be a natural increase in dynamic as the notes ascend and a decay as the notes descend. Place a mordent of vibrato on the first note of a slur. This is difficult to maintain throughout, but will make you sound more like a pro and less like a student. 

No. 3, G major

    Kincaid said this was an etude to practice playing first notes. He suggested shortening the eighth notes to sixteenths and placing a sixteenth rest between each note to create a definite articulatory silence. Single tongue each note with the tongue pulling back from the top lip or the hole in the aperture. It is difficult to maintain this articulated style throughout, but try because this will improve the quality of the attacks in everything you play. 
    In measure 12 the third note is a B rather than the printed D. This exercise is also about the right-hand pinkie. There will be a tendency to not put it down on notes following low D. Circle in red the notes following the Ds to remind you to use the correct fingering. The note groupings are very interesting. In measure one the grouping is 1, 23, 45, 67, 1. This produces a compound melody between an upper and lower voice. In measure two the grouping changes to 12, 34, 5, 67, 81. The middle section of this etudes is in G minor, the parallel minor key to G major. Notice the quick changes in dynamics and the accents over certain notes. Sometimes it is easier to make the non-accented notes softer rather than making the accented notes louder. This offers more control. Another way to practice this etude is to place two or three notes per each written eighth note. Use double or triple tonguing when practicing this. 

No. 4, E minor

    This etude is about playing softly and easily. The tongued notes are the melody, and the slurred notes are the accompaniment. Play the etude once through playing only the tongued notes and omitting the slurred ones to hear the melody. In the first measure group 1, 23, 4, 56, 789101112. In measure two group 1, 23 throughout. In measure eight, the slur is misplaced on the first beat and should be played tongue one and slur two. As you progress through the etude, it is easy to start to play louder. Circle in red all the pp as a reminder to pull back the dynamic.

No. 5, D major

     This exercise is about the right-hand pinkie. For notes following a middle or low D, the right-hand pinkie should be down. Play very slowly concentrating on using the correct fingering. The motive or pattern for this exercise is two bars in length. It will be the first bar of each pattern where playing the correct fingering is critical. Play this etude through, playing only the odd numbered measures. This measure features two-note slurs. When playing these slurs, the second note is a resolution and should be played softer than the first. Repeat playing the even numbered measures playing the sixteenth notes as one gesture, and not making smaller groupings. Every two or four bars Andersen changed the dynamic. As an orchestral player he knew how important it was to respect the dynamics. 

No. 6, B minor

    Written in 6/4, this etude should eventually be played in two which is a challenge. Andersen was still concentrating on the use of the right-hand pinkie which is a good follow up to No. 5. This etude is also about balancing the flute in the hands. The first note is fingered in the upper stack and the second note in the lower stack. The tendency is to let the flute move from a balance point to the left then to the right when what you want is for the flute to be balanced and still with only the fingers moving. Set the aperture for the upper note as it will be easier to play smoothly. 
    This exercise is easier to play at p rather than a louder dynamic. Notice the accents. Rather than playing them louder, try coloring the note with a smidge of vibrato to bring out the melody and play the non-accented notes softer. Practice by chunking by the quarter note – playing a certain number of notes on one blow of air followed by a rest, and taking a sip breath in each rest. Then chunk by slurred groups of notes. Andersen used the dynamic of pp a lot in this etude. Maybe the flutists of his time played too loudly much of the time too. 

No. 7, A major

    This etude is about playing in two measure phrases with varying articulation patterns. Each time you finish one slur and begin the next, place an articulatory silence between the groups. Otherwise it will sound like one long slur. For intervallic skips of a fourth or more, slightly lengthen the note before the slur (but still being in time) to make the skips sound easier. You may change your lips on the notes before the skip in preparation for higher notes. Kincaid changed the tempo marking for this one from dotted quarter = 72 to 60. It is more difficult to play at a slower tempo. 

No. 8, F# minor

    This etude asks the question about pickups. Do you want to play these in time or slightly slower? Kincaid suggested using the following tonguing pattern for the opening: TT, TKT etc. Mariano started with KT, TKT. The Mariano approach works well with the repetitions throughout the etude. Since the K stroke is always weaker than the T, practice the entire etude with the K trying to make it the same as the T. If you can go fast enough, breathe after eight measures. Notice the p dynamic is used throughout with a few exceptions. 

No. 9, E major

    While this Lento etude is marked half note = 50, practice by subdividing and playing in six at 100. I was taught to play the pickup grace notes before the beat, but after learning more about early music practice, I also practice playing these on the beat. The first problem in rhythmic accuracy occurs at the end of beat one. Where do you place the sixteenth note B? It should be on the fourth part of the second beat when counting in 6. This pickup recurs throughout and offers many opportunities to be accurate. There will be a slight separation between the pickup note and the third beat because it is best to separate repeated pitches for clarity. If you have a C# trill key, use it on the opening B to C# trill. If not, trill the left index finger and left thumb. Moving these two keys at the same time is something to practice in the mirror to be sure they are synchronized. Usually the thumb is the problem and moves slightly slower. On notes of longer value that are tied, follow the DDT rule (decay to the dot or tie). Release the end of the note with elegance. Carefully check each trill to be sure you are trilling to the correct pitch. 

No. 10, C# minor

    This etude is in da capo form. For the B section, Kincaid added poco piu mosso which means that it is played slightly faster. The opening features a pedal C# for two measures, then a pedal B# for one, returning to the C#. This C# is a sharp and hollow note, so experiment with alternate fingerings for it. Each flute is different in its response, so you may need to try several options. For the B section, double tongue lightly. Notice the sudden change in dynamics occasionally from p to f. Work to keep all these double-tongued notes homogeneous in sound. 

No. 11, B major 

    This etude is staccato throughout. Staccato means the notes are detached not just short. Practice first with the Hah syllable. The Hah or throat staccato is done in the focal folds, so there should be no movement in the chest or abdomen. If you have movement, try playing softer. Once you have conquered Hah, keep breathing the same way only add T and K. This will give each note vibrancy. The grouping pattern 1, 23, 4561 works well, but you may want to try the others listed for No. 2. If you are thinking of this etude as a dance, breathe on the bar line. If not, then breathe after the first sixteenth every four bars. I prefer breathing on the bar line so the first note is the main importance, and the others come away from the beat. 

No. 12, G# minor

    Rhythmic accuracy is a must for this etude. The beginning section is preparation for the section in E major that employs mordents. The rhythm is short, short, long which is a slower version of a mordent. Each slur should have articulatory silence before the next slurred group of notes. Notice that Andersen wrote con energico (strong, with energy) and be sure that the accidentals are carried throughout the measure. Slow chunking by beat will ensure success. The middle section con gusto is a study on placing mordents on the beat. Kincaid had me play this section for several lessons to be sure that I had control of the rhythmic placement of the first note of the mordent and that I played them in a short, short, long pattern rather than as a triplet. Check the fingerings for the mordents. C# to D# in the middle octave uses both trill keys. 

No. 13, F# major

    The notes in the opening are stepwise by fours; however, the beat is by the six beamed notes. Practice with the metronome to be sure that there are only three beats in the first measure. Breathe by four measures until measure 22. Breathe in the bar line after measure 22, after beat one in measure 25, after beat two in measure 26, after beat one in 27, after the C# in measure 29 and the finally after the C# in 31. Play very smoothly with a good legato following the tapers are the end of most measures. Color vibrato on the first note of the slur will add finish to the performance. For the final F#, use the middle F# for better intonation. 

No. 14, D# minor

    This etude is for embouchure flexibility. For success, either change the angle of the air, change the size of the aperture, or increase the speed of the air. There are places for each suggestion throughout the etude. The notes that come on the beat are more important than the notes that come on the and. Playing in two, feel more of an up and down motion like riding on a merry-go-round. For the F# in the top octave, the note may speak better using the middle F# fingering. Dynamics continue to be important in this etude. 

No. 15, Db major

    Play in a slow three. All notes spring lightly from the first note. In the last measure before the middle section the 13th note in the bar is a G natural. In the fourth bar of the middle section, the first beat could have been written more clearly. Basically, it is six sixteenth notes slurred by threes. This idea is repeated in bar 7. This section is marked dolce so play sweetly. 

No. 16, Bb minor

    While this exercise is written in two, better accuracy is obtained by playing in a subdivided four. The problem that Andersen is presenting is how to handle the trill when it begins on the upper note. Since these grace notes have a slash through them, they are played before the beat but as close to the beat as possible. Practice to treat each grace note the same throughout the exercise. Michel Debost has mentioned that when the French begin a trill, they hold the first note for a nanosecond to establish pitch before trilling. This idea works well here and will give the music a more finished sound. All trills throughout should be the same speed. Some trills are more difficult than others and will take practice to control them. 

No. 17, Ab major

    This exercise focuses on playing ascending and descending 10ths. The two-note slurs should still be played strong/weak or loud/soft which offers a huge challenge with the high notes. Start practice slowly and then speed up. To execute the tenth, you should either change the angle of the air, change the size of the aperture, or increase the speed of the air. 

No. 18, F minor

    Played in two- or four-bar phrases throughout, this exercise is about repetition. Each first beat is repeated two more times to fill the measure. So, before practicing the exercise all in a row, practice only the first beat of each measure until you can play each one well. The strongest note is the first note of the six. Group the motive 123456 with 1 being the strongest note. This is a great exercise to play with the Hah attack to find the exact placement of the aperture and jaw for ease in playing. The opening is marked dolce and the dynamic is p most of the time. 

No. 19, Eb major

    The A section of this da capo etude features notes of shorter value (triplet sixteenths) leading to notes of longer value (eighths). The eighth notes all have staccatos which in this case means to play them at half value. The pickup triplets should be softer than the eighth notes. Each fourth bar of the phrase is straight sixteenth notes that should be played as one group on one blow of air. While the first ending is a repeat ending, the second first ending leads directly into the B section. It is labeled un poco piu mosso (a little faster) and should be played in long phrases double tongued. In bar 18, the second note is an A natural. Practice breathing at the beginning of the B section, then again after the first sixteenth in bar eight, and then after beat two in bar 16. Repeat this structure in the next sixteen bars. 

No. 20, C minor

    First, play through this exercise without any grace notes to learn the structure of the melody. The exercise is in three with a triplet on each beat (long, short). This type of grace note with the slash is called an acciaccatura. It is played as close to the principal note as possible and begins before the beat. These intervals are wide so when encountering one that is difficult, practice those two notes slowly until you are proficient. Follow the dynamics carefully and think of the hairpins as energy marks. 

No. 21, Bb major

    This is an exercise of octaves. Before you begin to work on it, go through and place an asterisk above any two notes where the fingering changes. In the first measure this will be the D, G, and F. Octaves are not difficult to play if no fingers move; however, changing fingers creates coordination issues. Practice the octaves where the fingering changes until you are proficient with the interval. Seeing the asterisk above the pair of notes with the changing fingers will alert you so you will execute the interval well. Two-note slurs are played strong/weak or loud/soft. This is also a good exercise to double tongue. For variety, place two notes (TK) on the lower note and one on the top note. Then reverse for a challenging tonguing workout. 

No. 22, G minor

    This triple tonguing exercise features a secret melody. It is your job to bring it out. The melody is the first and the third note of each triplet. The second note is the accompaniment and should be played softer. Andersen labelled this con fuoco (with fire) with a staccato on each note throughout. Remember this is in 3/8 so the eighth note will receive one count in measures with two triplets. Notice the dynamic is p at the beginning and there is a crescendo for four measures. Andersen carefully labelled each phrase with a dynamic design. Be sure your listener (or teacher) can hear his plan. 

No. 23, F major

    The grace notes in the opening are played before the beat. You can tell this because of where he places them in the measure. Unlike No. 8, Andersen has placed the grace notes before the measure much like a pickup. The opening is based on three eight-bar phrases. The next section is an ornamented version of these three phrases. Sometimes I have students play the opening without grace notes while I play twenty-four measures starting in measure 25. Then we switch parts. The is one of the loveliest etudes in the collection. Play with a beautiful, singing, ringing sound following the dynamics. 

No. 24, D minor

    This last exercise features a rhythmic play on four sixteenth notes. First, they are played evenly, then in the middle section the last three sixteenths become a triplet. Be sure a listener can tell the difference. Rather than playing this in four, try playing in two so that there is a better line. Notice the p dynamic again. Andersen was an excellent musician and knew that the best players follow the dynamics to extremes. This exercise works well tongued, double-tongued, and then triple tonguing the triplets. 

    If you are just learning to play the flute, and this is your first time through these etudes, study one in depth for a week and then move on to the next. These etudes are so good for the advanced flutist that most put them in an etude rotation and play them throughout their lives. I first learned them as a teenager, but have cycled through them for years. Each time I find new challenges and musical ideas that I want to do with them both technically and with my sound.

The post Assigning Etudes appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Answer: When planning for sixty minutes of practice on the flute, keep it simple. Relax, unwind, let go of stress and be thankful for the one hour of practice time. Great things can be accomplished in an hour if you plan carefully. Try this SIMPLE acronym. 
 
S: Simplify 
    Set your mind, schedule your 60 minutes and then divide your hour into 15-minute blocks of time devoted to sound, technique, performing and playing.  
 
I: Intention 
    For the first 15 minutes, focus on sound production. The goal is to sustains tones in each octave, at various tempos, with different dynamics, and with a range of colors. If the sound on one note is warm, rich, resonant and inviting, that is terrific because that quality can be transferred to another note. Make a practice notebook noting your good notes and those that need improvement. Use the chart below to help you systematically vary duration, dynamics, density, and dimension of sound. 

    Fifteen minutes of sound production should be followed by fifteen minutes of technical practice that should  include: 
 
M: Make Music
    Make music when you practice your technique. Technical practice should include scales (chromatic, diatonic major and minor, whole tone, octatonic and pentatonic, etc.) with musicality in mind. Chords (triads, sevenths, etc.) should sound harmonically precise, with minute adjustments for major chords versus minor chords and diminished chords versus augmented chords. Whether you concentrate on one scale for fifteen minutes or many scales, make your technique facile, free of tension, and flawless in fingering. Vary articulation between all slurred, all tongued, and combinations of slurred and tongued notes. The fifteen minutes of technique will fly by because you are enjoying making music with your scales. 
 
P: Practice
    Practice does not make perfect; practice makes permanent. For the next fifteen minutes practice your performance. How you use this time will determine how you perform.
    Is there a technical passage in your solo piece that needs improvement? Practice just those measures with a specific goal in mind such as easing tension, correcting fingering mistakes, playing rhythmically, or perhaps playing slower or faster. Then ask yourself whether you solved the technical problem. You will either know whether you have done it, or you will realize you are not really listening or paying attention. If you have trouble listening and paying attention, practice in shorter segments with strong focus. With practice you can lengthen these segments and build your concentration skills. 

L: Learn
    Learn from your mistakes; learn from your elders; and learn by doing. You have heard it all. Nevertheless, it is worth repeating again and again – learn and keep learning. In your last fifteen minutes of practice, learn something new and play for your heart and soul. It is not worth practicing if you are not enjoying playing. By renewing the playing part at the end of every practice session you will feel fulfilled. In essence, my advice is to play your etudes, play your studies, play your solos, play your excerpts – play so that you will know what to work on tomorrow. It is the playing that tests our performance; it is the playing that gives us our motivation; and it is the playing that we wish to keep alive. 
 
E: Easy 
    Julius Baker often said, “If you never make a mistake, you never make a mistake!” In his own practice, he played slowly and carefully before speeding things up. 
    Try the SIMPLE acronym with your practicing. With just an hour, these simple intentions will help your practice session become more productive and easy.    

    Send your questions to Ask the Pro at editor@flutetalkmagazine.com

The post Ask the Pro: Only One Hour appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

    Claire Gruneis Johnson was born in New Haven, Connecticut on August 7, 1930 in the middle of the Great Depression. Both her parents were immigrants from Germany. Third born of five siblings, she had two older sisters, a pianist and a violinist, and they performed together as the Gruneis Trio. Their early music education took place at the Neighborhood House Music School, and they were mentioned in the book, They Who Speak in Music: A History of the Neighborhood House Music School by Clarence A. Grimes. After completing high school, she entered The Juilliard School of Music where she studied with Arthur Lora, principal flutist of the NBC Symphony (now the New York Philharmonic). 
    After graduating from Juilliard, she met and married a young tenor, Ron Johnson. He joined the Navy, and they moved to Kingsville, Texas. She followed her husband’s career in the service from Texas to California to Des Moines, Iowa (where her husband earned his MM in Performance and Music Education from Drake University) to New Jersey and finally to Richardson, Texas. Along the way, she had five children. Building a life in Richardson, Johnson began teaching at Lake Highlands High School and Junior High where she had a great musical partnership with well-known band director Eddie Green. She continued teaching in the Lake Highlands schools as well as dozens of private students even after becoming a flute professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she taught for thirty-two years. She also taught flute at East Texas State University and, at the age of 65, she added a teaching load at the University of Houston. She would fly to Houston on Mondays and come back home on Tuesdays. 
    When her husband died on his 40th birthday, she single-handedly raised her five children and took care of two nieces. Today, at the age of 87, she remains active in the flute world and teaches 35-40 hours a week out of her home after retiring from university teaching. She enjoys working with young flute students to build their awareness of beauty and solid fundamental skills from the very beginning. 
    Johnson was honored with the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Flute Society and was presented with a collection of letters and stories written by over a hundred flutists and musicians whose lives she has touched. Recently, she was given the 2018 Foundation Award from The Foundation for Music Education and also received a certificate of recognition from the American Protégé Woodwind and Brass Competition after two of her students placed in the competition and were able to perform at Carnegie Hall. 

How did you first become interested in music? 
    The earliest musical experience I remember was with my dad and his brothers, who had just arrived from Germany, sitting around the dining room table singing opera arias. My dad, being from Hamburg, Germany (one of the opera centers of Europe at that time), loved opera and knew many of the arias and art songs of that period. As a young girl, I sang in the choir at a small Lutheran church. There was only one choir, so children and adults sang together. We also sang a lot at home. My two older sisters and I learned solfège at an early age because it was taught at our elementary school. We would sing Christmas carols with solfège, and my mom would ask us to please sing the words.  
    I started flute in the 4th grade band program. After I played for about six weeks, I told my band director I was ready to move from the beginner class up to the band. I forgot to play B flat, however, so I did not make it. I remember it so clearly. It was my first rejection! The band director said I wasn’t ready. I cried as I put my flute away, trying not to look at the director or the other kids. By the end of the semester, I made it into the band and played first chair, so I showed him. 
    My next big memory was playing with the New Haven Youth Symphony and the Neighborhood House Music School Orchestra. I was also invited to play in the West Haven High School Orchestra (even though I attended New Haven High School). Since I also played in the New Haven Symphony, I was playing in four orchestras and loved it. I was also an All-State player all four years of high school, but in a small state like Connecticut that was not too difficult. 

How did you come to attend Juilliard?  
    My life has never been a plan, it has been a happening. I followed my best friend Ramona to Juilliard. I remember listening outside the door as she finished the flute lesson before mine with our shared teacher Arthur Schwaner (a piccoloist in the Sousa Band). When Ramona decided to audition for Juilliard, I decided to try as well. I loved being a student at Juilliard and especially liked my theory teacher. When I first began, I realized I was not as great as I thought I was. I always practiced in the farthest practice room so nobody would hear me. Of course, that changed over time. My favorite memory of being a young college student in New York is of performing with composers and other musician friends on street corners in Greenwich Village. We felt cool and performed music because we felt that was what Juilliard students did. 

What was life like after you graduated? 
    I got married, and after my husband joined the Navy, we moved from New York to Texas. There was a lot of culture shock. At that time, cows were still roaming Padre Island. I had moved to a place with only one movie house and one store that sold food, clothes, and horse feed. Of course, Texas has changed incredibly since we first started out in Kingsville. Now, the cultural scene is thriving all over Texas, but especially in Dallas. My husband and I traveled the country, and I took a huge break from flute playing. I took a break from practicing, but never a break from music. Traveling around in the service, we lived in different places and would always rent a piano as soon as we could. Home to me was a piano. When I was young, my mother’s cousin (who was quite wealthy) bought us a piano. That was so important and I have not been in a home without a piano since. Right now, I own a Kawai grand piano and because I have a piano in my home, I can have many recitals and home concerts. 

What do you tell your students to increase musical awareness?  
    I tell them to learn to listen to themselves. Music is not visual, it is aural. Students should have an educated concept of a beautiful sound and constantly work and experiment toward producing that sound. They need to be aware of the body and not interfere with its natural movements. 
    Look up the word proprioception (the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body) and then improve yours. Relax on the inhalation as you do in a yawn. Let your jaw hang. You need a big space in your mouth. Be aware of what the tongue is doing. Try using carrots, almonds, or corks to put between your teeth (often, you may think you have enough space in your mouth, but you do not). Put your fingers in front of your ears and open and close your mouth so you can feel the spaces at the joint when the jaw hangs. Feel what it is like when the jaw is hanging and in the open position. The jaw has to be relaxed and so does the tongue. Soft tongue, relaxed jaw. The upper lip is 50% of the embouchure, so use it. Even though we only use the upper lip for the letters B, M, and P when we speak, flutists should learn how to use it actively when playing.  
    Vibrato comes from the cough muscle and sometimes the soft palate. Relax the soft palate to get a darker sound. Vibrato is so nebulous, but there is a place on the soft palate that can help you create a gorgeous, shimmer vibrato. It is worth exploring. Different vowels create different sounds. For example, ee is bright, and ah is warmer. Experiment with tongue shapes and vowel sounds. Do tongue stretches like sticking your tongue out and trying to touch your nose and then trying to touch your chin. Put the tip of the tongue behind your bottom teeth and push the middle through your teeth. Then put the tip behind your top teeth and push the bottom of the tongue through the teeth. Hold the tongue between two fingers and say different vowels without moving the lips. Tongue stretches are very helpful. 
    Walk around as you practice. Keep moving. Stillness encourages tension. Practice on a yoga ball. Balance starts with the head. It is heavy and weighs 8 to 10 pounds. Don’t allow it to hang forward. Elbows should be neutral. Do not fight gravity. Keep the weight off the lower back and be aware that the diaphragm is attached to the lower spine. Keep the hips free. No tight knees. Study general anatomy, especially the respiratory system. Don’t work for perfection; strive for beauty and get out of your own way. You cannot play the flute beautifully and expressively if you are not aware of beauty. 

Rithvik Ramesh with Claire Johnson

As a teacher, who are your flute role models? 
    Julius Baker has been my biggest role model. Gary Schocker was a student of Baker’s, and I love him and also Emmanuel Pahud. Ian Clarke is also wonderful. The common denominator is freedom in their sound and freedom in their expressiveness. Freedom and singing are essential elements of beautiful flute playing. Skills must be automatic so that you can have freedom and sing through your flute. 

What have been some of your favorite teaching and musical experiences over the years? 
    I learned a lot being the music director for a Methodist church from 1970-1980. I have enjoyed making audiences feel comfortable in masterclasses by using humor. I have done a lot of teaching clinics at TBA, TMEA, and NFA conventions. It was wonderful hosting the Julius Baker masterclasses at SMU from 1986-1992. For years, I enjoyed hosting musical soirées at my house. My living room seats about thirty or so people. We would have a pianist available for reading accompaniments, and flutists would take turns playing for a friendly and supportive crowd. I love having my home filled with music and people. I also enjoy seeing past students succeed including Pam Adams in the Fort Worth Symphony, Peggy Russell-Roubicek in the Houston Ballet Orchestra, Rachel Lopez in the Austin Symphony, and so many others. 

Why did you retire from university teaching? 
    I hit a wall. I found I was not listening to the students the way I had before. I had been teaching at universities for over thirty years and felt I needed to retire. I started teaching exclusively at home and that gives me a lot more freedom. University teaching is an incredible responsibility. Often, students do not realize how much work a career in music takes, and they also do not see the big picture. It is an incredible responsibility to make them aware of all that they must do to create a career in music. When I teach younger students at home, my first job is to help them love music and the flute. I love teaching young students because each one is a new discovery. They are all completely different, and I discover how best to help them learn. There is a lot of creativity involved. I also have many adult students who are interesting, bright people who are willing to learn new things. I have made new friends teaching adult students. 

What is the most important thing you want for your students? 
    I want them to have moments of enlightenment. For example, I was recently at my seven-year-old great grandson’s birthday party. We were singing Happy Birthday to him, and I saw his whole face smile. It was such a sweet moment and is imprinted on my heart. This kind of moment, this kind of connection, is what I want my students to make when they have a moment with beautiful vibrato or a singing sound. I want them to hear the beauty. Clearing your mind and focusing on just one thing like that is a form of meditation. It is what we must do as musicians. It is cleansing. Have you ever read a great book and felt cleaner? Uplifted? Inspired? That’s what I mean.

What are some of the biggest lessons you have learned as a flute teacher? 
    There is no teaching, only learning. Teaching is a humbling art. I am constantly aware of how much I do not know, and therefore I am constantly searching. My experience at all of the universities where I have taught has been very positive. You have to take each student where they are. The easiest students to teach are those who are open to learning, so I do not have to fight a resistance. I have learned that the first thing to do is to build trust. It is easy for me to build trust with my students because I like people. That is who I am. There has to be no judgment whatsoever, and you have to really believe that. No judgment. Total acceptance. My job as a teacher is to inspire the student, but the student also has the responsibility to inspire me.      It is tempting to put everything on the teacher, but students have to practice, they have to question, they have to participate. 
    I have also learned that if you just give students information, their eyes glaze over. Instead, I ask real questions and require direct and honest answers. I ask questions to cultivate awareness, mindfulness, and connection to beauty. When you teach music to students, you are teaching them openness to life. In music, there is only the search for wholeness and beauty. Music completes a human being in a way that nothing else can. 
    Ultimately, I would like to be described as a true teacher. Teaching is so big and it is so rich. A true teacher is constantly bringing out the truth of music. Music is never going to die because it has so much truth in it. To get the truth out of a piece of music helps you understand the truth in yourself. 

Do you have any advice for young teachers? 
    Know your stuff! Every student is different. Constantly experiment. Know that what you now know may not be true in five years. Knowledge grows and changes. And you will never know it all.  

* * *

Comments from Friends and Former Students 

    One of the many things I love about Claire is her ability to teach the whole student. With Claire it’s not just about the notes on the page or about playing the flute. Making music is art, culture, politics, education, physiology, psychology, life lessons, and self-expression all beautifully bound together. 
– Dr. Kimberly Walter Clark 

    Studying under Claire Johnson as a young flutist was one of the best things that could ever happen to me. She is so wise and is a master teacher in every way. All of us have something to learn from her. Her attentiveness and care for music is unmatched, and she encouraged me to make every note, and every silence, beautiful. 
– Jeemini Lee 

    Claire is a lifelong learner, with an unquenchable joy in music. Early on in my lessons with her, I learned to expect wide ranging philosophical discussions, book recommendations, and the phrase “I just learned something very interesting…” From Claire, I learned that there is no such thing as “knowing it all.” It took me a long time as a young adult to decide exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew from the first that I wanted to spend my life discovering new ideas like she did. I studied with her from ages 11 to 17, and though I moved on to other teachers and now am a teacher myself, I have never stopped learning from her. These days, having the extraordinary privilege of teaching alongside Claire in several capacities, seeing her always reminds me to express love to the people around me, to seek out new horizons constantly, and to relish music joyfully.     – Karen Eichinger 

    After studying with her from age 12 to 18, I was accepted as a flute student to both Curtis and Juilliard. More than that, she helped a young impressionable, creative mind flourish and grow without ever putting restraints on my temperament. She made me ready to study and grow not only for a career in Texas, but an international one. After playing flute through my 20s, I ended up switching my flute for another voice – my own. I had an international career as an opera and concert singer and her open-minded and all-encompassing approach allowed me to grow beyond what I had even planned for myself. 
    – Gigi Mitchell-Velasco 

    Claire continues to be one of my all-time favorite people. Every time we meet I am blown away by some wise tidbit she brought up in conversation. We are extremely lucky to have her in our music community and she challenges us all to become better people. 
– Tamara Drury 

    Claire is more than a teacher. She is a role model, a caretaker, a brilliant thinker, a risk taker, a model of strength. Claire comes up with an idea, says it should happen, includes everyone she can think of to participate, and it happens. It becomes bigger than anyone could have imagined. She is a truly an amazing human being. My life is forever touched and profoundly altered by the knowledge and friendship she has given me. 
– Kara Kirkendoll Welch 

    My journey transitioning from a flutist to an arts administrator reminds me of the hard work and discipline that Claire taught me at a very young age. She told me that music is not about winning. I have to learn the music and then love the music.
– Sandra Wu

* * *

Claire Johnson’s Long Tones Exercise

    Long notes should be played with concentration, awareness, and intention. The way one practices is the way one performs. The list on the right contains points on which to individually focus.
   Remember, the brain can concentrate on only one thing at a time. Practice long notes with eyes closed. hearing will be enhanced and listening skills will develop.
   In exercises 1 and 2, breathe on the bar line. It is important to listen so that the pitches before and after the breath match.

1. Body awareness
2. Breathing
3. Beginning the note clearly
4. Releases
5. Intonation
6. Dynamics
7. Vibrato
8. Color

Originally published in the Floot Fire Books, Intermediate and Advanced.

The post Seeking Connections to Beauty and Truth, An Interview with Claire Johnson appeared first on The Instrumentalist.