The Aperture
    The piccolo aperture (opening in lips) is much smaller than it is on the flute. To achieve the best results, players should develop very fine muscle control over months of smart, thoughtful practice. At the start, it is critical to plan each practice session with breaks where the piccolo is off your face. This time could be spent on listening projects or reading about the composer, style period, or playing the piccolo in general.  
    Endurance levels differ for each performer. Just as an athlete needs to build up to running a marathon, it takes time to develop the ability to play a demanding concert, audition or long recording session without getting too fatigued. With practice you will learn how many weeks or months it takes to prepare well so you are neither overly tired nor underprepared for auditions or performances. Finding this balance can be tricky on piccolo.

At the Beginning
    Beginning piccolo players should practice for short periods of 10-15 minutes while muscles become conditioned to the smaller embouchure. Even experienced flutists should not assume they will be able to pick up a piccolo and play for the same length of time as on flute.
    After 10–15 minutes of piccolo practice, switch back to practicing on the flute. Playing with the larger flute aperture keeps the embouchure flexible and relaxed as well as providing some recovery time. Even piccolo players in good shape should not practice more than 45 minutes to an hour without taking a break.

Performance Preparation
    When preparing for a recital, the goal is to be able to get through a warmup routine, several etudes, and the entire program without feeling too tired. On the day before a recital go a bit easier with a light warm-up, especially if there is a rehearsal scheduled. On the day of the recital do a light warm-up, drink plenty of fluids, and avoid foods that might cause dryness or swelling of the lips such as hot peppers, fried foods, or those with high sodium.
    When preparing for a lengthy event such as a recording session that could run four to six hours long, build endurance by reading through several etudes in a row in practice sessions. If engaged to do several long sessions in a row, consider taking a day off altogether after the sessions are done if your schedule allows. Rest can be just as important as practice.
    If you notice your lip start to quiver, hear unwanted buzzing in the upper register, or find that soft controlled playing is starting to suffer, this means you are tired so take a break. Do not try to push through the fatigue. Chronically fatigued muscles can result in overuse injuries.

Orchestral Demands
    Playing piccolo in an orchestra offers different challenges from a recital or recording session. Orchestral composers use the piccolo as an added color to the texture. Often the piccolo is asked to enter pp after counting many measures of rests. To prepare for this type of situation, practice picking up the piccolo with no preparation and play through these entrances until they feel comfortable.
    When working on long, technically difficult passages, practice them first on flute. This will save the embouchure as well as your hearing. Practicing this way will also facilitate technical execution on the piccolo. Since the keys are farther apart on the flute, learning the passage on the flute stretches the distance between the fingers. Then when playing the passage on the piccolo, the fingers are closer together, making it easier to play.

Vacation
    If you have taken a vacation from playing (say a week or more) or have had a period where practice time has been limited, ease back into the practice routine rather than trying to pick up where you left off. You would not attempt a marathon after taking a month off from running.

*   *   *  

Daily Exercises for Flexibility and Endurance
1. quarter = 40: listen for even tone and perfect intonation. Repeat on each half-step ascending chromatically.

2. The Piccolo Study Book by Patricia Morris (Novello), page 4.

3. Random attacks. Select a note randomly throughout the range and play with a perfect attack. Vary the tempo and the dynamic.

4. Half-step Hairpins. Repeat on each half-step ascending chromatically. Use sensitive fingerings if necessary. Use a tuner.

5. Exercises for the Piccolo by Jean-Louis Beaumadier (Billaudot), p. 10.

6. The Piccolo Study Book by Patricia Morris (Novello), p. 22, 23

7. Scales (Major, Minor, Modes), Arpeggios, Seventh Chords

8. Intervals (See www.flutetalkmagazine.com,

9. Supplemental warmups: Daily Exercises for Flute, Andre Maquarre (Schirmer), Flute Workout by Robert Stallman (International) and Daily Exercises, Op. 5 by M.A. Reichert (Cundy-Bettoney)

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    I started playing the flute at the age of five, and had so many great teachers that it is hard to single out one best lesson. I had six primary teachers, and many seminars with some of the greatest flutists of the twentieth century, so I also run the risk of insulting a master who helped me immeasurably. Yaada Weber helped me grow up musically and socially in my teenage years, and Lois Schaefer of the Boston Symphony took me from a want-to-be to a well-trained professional. My two best lessons, however, both included listening to and watching a master teach and play.
    When I was thirteen, I won a competition to study with Julius Baker at a summer music camp at Lake Tahoe. I grew up in Klamath Falls, Oregon where there were no flute teachers within 200 miles or even any professional musicians who knew anything about the inner workings of performance. I had to travel on two-lane highways to get to Portland, Oregon or the University of Oregon at Eugene to get that type of instruction. I knew nothing about flute and had never even heard about an open hole instrument or that flutes were made of sterling silver or gold. I had been given a flute from my family in Norway, a flute made in Germany, with a wooden, conical body and a metal headjoint. The footjoint was attached to the body of the flute.
    Baker was not happy with my instrument and said so quite bluntly in front of the entire class. He let me play and gave me a good musical critique, but it was his demonstration that opened my imagination. I stood next to him and watched his fingers and hand position as he played difficult passages. His fingers did not seem to move, and he barely touched the keys. When he played all those notes in fast passages, his fingers just pushed down a little; yet every note was heard, and the passage was in tempo, neither rushed nor slowed. To this day, I imagine a pearl necklace shaped in the contours of scale runs with the low C# in exact time and dynamic with the top D. If he played this passage underwater, there would be no ripples of water, no movement at all. His sound was above and beyond anything I had ever heard before, a lush, silver sound that sparkled as a cloud sparkles in a bright blue sky. From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to achieve, and I knew no one could help me until I studied with a master.
    During my college years Lois Schaefer taught me how and what to focus on to get to the level needed to become a professional. I won an audition for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra as their piccolo specialist, and I must admit I felt overwhelmed. I certainly knew how to play the notes and blend, but intonation was much more critical now than before. After one year with the orchestra, I wanted to talk to someone about orchestral piccolo playing and get practical insights about preparation, rehearsal and performance.
    The Saint Louis Symphony went on tour, and the last concert was in Chicago. After the performance Walfrid Kujala greeted me at the musician’s entrance and gave me a wonderful compliment about my performance. Here, I thought, was my opportunity, so I asked if I could take a lesson. Mr. Kujala was very gracious and said it would be fun to get together and talk piccolo because we were colleagues. What a compliment. I scheduled a time.

    When I arrived at his home, we talked a little, and then I asked him to listen to me play so he could hear my problems. As happens in performance, there is always an adrenaline surge especially when a master is standing next to you. I played better than I ever had and had to assure him that I really did have some problems. (It was as if I had taken my car to be fixed, and it did not act up as usual.) Kujala suggested that we play some Kuhlau duets. Kujala didn’t say anything. We just played and played until I was exhausted and he seemed willing to stop. I took him to dinner, and we talked as colleagues.
    To this day I remember what I learned: subtle intonation adjustments while still having a full rich sound, keeping the tempo steady, hearing each note but phrasing within the tempo, blending through vibrato, using different fingerings, the use of dynamics to blend by voicing, and taking the expressive lead when the melody was mine. I also began to understand how to play as an important member of the orchestra and contribute to the symphonic texture, instead of just acting as a secondary voice like a sixth clarinet in a band. We talked about listening critically and consulting the score to see what the piccolo sound was doing for the orchestration.
    These words and sounds of wisdom helped me mature as a musician and learn to listen as a musician and love the art and artistry of great players. Walfrid Kujala is to piccolo artistry as Taffanel, Gaubert, Rampal and Galway are to the artistry of flute and music.

The post The Best Lessons Ever: With Baker and Kujala appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

To Sit or Stand
    In paintings we see flutists standing or sitting while playing chamber music. One of the most famous paintings, Flötenkonzert Friedrichs des Grossen in Sanssouci by Adolph Menzel (1815-1905), shows the king playing the flute while standing. His position is excellent with his left foot in front, his arms hung, and his nose aligned with the crease in his left elbow. The king’s teacher, J.J. Quantz, was seated someplace in the room, and C.P.E. Bach accompanied at the harpsichord. This music was intended to be played in a smaller chamber or room in the palace.

    Over time instruments were developed to produce larger sounds, which meant that chamber music performances were no longer just for the wealthy but could take place in concert halls for increasingly more and more people. In an effort to be interesting and better communicate with the audience, performers began standing when performing so they could bring excitement to their performances.
    Most flutists agree that standing offers a better breathing setup and permits expression from the whole body. You probably have stood at most lessons. It also offers a position of power, and players look more active as they present the music. Cues are generally easier to communicate when standing. 

How to Stand
    Oboe and clarinet players find that standing with the feet side by side works well because the instrument is held directly in front. However, as with other instruments that are played to the side (bassoon, horn, trombone, tuba, violin, and viola), flutists should place the left foot in front and the right foot back. This offers the best solution to the asymmetrical setup. In sports such as volleyball and tennis, this left foot in front stance is useful and powerful. 

Standing Mat
    Suzuki-trained violinists often use a standing mat as beginners. This mat helps them know where to place their feet for effective performance. I adopted this idea for flutists. To make one, you can use one yard of muslin, a yard stick, and a black sharpie. At the top, write the words music stand. This is where the music stand will be placed. Then draw a line 30 inches back, showing where the feet are to be placed. Either trace the flutist’s feet or write the words left and right where you want the feet to be placed. The purpose is to provide a general idea of where the feet are placed comfortably.
    Align the center of the body with the line that intersects the right angle. When playing, the lower part of the body is facing 45 degrees to the right. Then turn the head to the left and align the flute with the line that is identified as flute. If a flutist’s aperture is in the center or on the player’s left, the end of the flute should be in front of the flutist’s nose. Hang the arms. The goal is to align the aperture, embouchure hole of the flute, and the crease in the left elbow with the center of the music stand. This mat does not indicate that a student should never move when in this position, but it should be used when the student is staying in the same position.

Where to Stand
    Each type of ensemble will have its own set of rules to consider when setting up a standing or seating chart. The two most important things to consider are balance and whether the musicians can see each other well for good ensemble playing. When flutists play with string players, the goal is to have the f hole facing out if possible.
    Since orchestral audiences are used to having the higher notes on the left and the lower on the right, this works well for chamber ensembles also.

Duos
    From the audience’s view, part 1 is on the left and part 2 is on the right. While it is tempting to play from one stand, both performers will be more comfortable and have better projection if two stands are used. Angle the stands slightly so the players will be able to see each other well to communicate cues such as starting, stopping, accelerandos, and ritards. If the players are a violin and a flute, the violin should stand on the left, as viewed from the audience, and the flute should be on the right because of the placement of the violin f holes.

Trios
    Generally trios are set up in a letter C. On the left is part 1, in the middle is part 2, and on the right is part 3. However, if the third part is not equal in importance to parts 1 and 2 and is more of an accompaniment, a better placement is to place part 3 in the middle and part 2 on the right.

Quartets
    Quartets are set up in an elongated letter C. From left to right, parts 1, 2, 3, 4. Sometimes you see this in reverse, probably because in orchestra the setting for a four flute section would be that way. However, I think most audience members will feel that the top voices are on the wrong side of the stage with the first part on the right.

Quintets
    A quintet can be set up in the same left to right manner. However, sometimes an alternate setup may work better. Look at the music to determine the importance of the parts. In the Boirsmortier Five Flute Concertos, the fifth part acts as a continuo part, so the setup would be better as 1, 2, 5, 4, 3 (from left to right). This works well because parts 1 and 2 play antiphonally with parts 3 and 4, and this setup offers the audience a clear perspective of the dialogue.

    Woodwind quintets may be set up several ways. My preference is to go from left to right, with flute, oboe, horn, bassoon and clarinet. I like this because it mimics how the musicians sit in an orchestra – flute with oboe and clarinet by bassoon. Sometimes the horn player and the bassoon may want to switch places, depending on the music.

Flute Choir
    When flute choirs first became popular, the low flutes, because of their design, were quite soft, so directors placed them in the front row so they could be heard. With the advent of new, more powerful designs, the lower flutes can be placed in the back row and still be heard. I prefer having the low flutes in the back row because when tuning we listen from the bottom up. If the low flutes are in the front, the other players are tuning from reflected sound. C flutes should be seated similarly to an orchestra with flute 1 in the place of violin 1, flute 2 in the place of violin 2, flute 3 in the place of the viola section, and flute 4 in the place of the cellos. In the back row from left to right will be the piccolo(s), alto flutes, and bass/contra flutes.

    Knowing where to stand and why adds a level of professionalism to performances. In addition, when lower parts are placed where they can be distinctly heard, intonation improves. Be sure stands are close together so musicians have good eye contact and can hear each other well. Often stage hands set the stands incorrectly; never be embarrassed about rearranging them for optimum performance position.

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    Of course, no matter the outcome, a student is rewarded by simply doing it. I repeatedly let them know that I am very proud of them. I remind them that they have learned new literature well enough to make an audition recording and enter the audition or competition. Goals were set and achieved. Preparation concerts were given. Recording techniques were learned. Experience was gained. These are all win-win accomplishments.
    I explain that the process of learning and preparing is the reward, not the outcome of the competition or audition. I think opportunities that encourage and inspire students to do their best work are worthwhile activities. I encourage students to present their best work possible without the expectation of winning. Entering a competition is an opportunity, not a mandate to win.
    Accepting the challenge and persistently working towards a goal is the beginning of the journey. Learning to prepare every aspect of a performance or audition is invigorating, challenging, and fun. What could be better than accepting a challenge and then rising to meet it? Setting high expectations increases confidence and enables students to achieve more than they thought they could – and each time, the level of making music will become more satisfying.
    In the early stages of preparation students try to learn everything about the piece including historical context and style. Listen to recordings of other flutists playing the repertoire. Contrary to some thinking, I believe that listening encourages greater creativity. We all know that there isn’t just one way to play a piece. We discuss phrasing, intonation, articulation, vibrato, and on and on, discovering what fun it is to strive to bring a composer’s voice to life. I help them discover that the act of music-making is very powerful and meaningful and in an audition or competition to judge yourself not by whether you win or lose but by the quality of your music-making and the joy with which you undertook the process.

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    Most university freshmen music majors do not have a YouTube account. That changes in the first week of school. YouTube has changed the way I teach the flute and other music classes more than any other technology.

Listening Assignments
    I use YouTube in my flute studio in several ways. First, students listen to and evaluate videos of performances of the music they are studying. While listening, they fill out a worksheet to encourage critical thinking about the music. The worksheet includes sections on tone, articulation, dynamics, vibrato, and rubato. There are also sections on evaluating posture, hand position, and stage presence. Although not all videos on YouTube are the highest quality, I have found that students learn almost as much from a less-than-perfect video as they do from a professional one. For example, if a student is struggling with using dramatic dynamics, I can assign a video where appropriate dynamics are used and a video where they are not. Students will often correct themselves when they realize what their performance actually sounds like. 

Teacher-Generated Videos
    Occasionally, I create short videos for my students to reference while practicing. These videos are either the only available recordings of material students are working on, or video demonstrations of subjects that are difficult to teach and assimilate in one lesson such as vibrato, ornamentation, and rubato. 

Student-Generated Videos
    The most frequent way I incorporate YouTube in my flute studio is through homework. Most teachers agree that there never seems to be enough time to get to everything done in a lesson. I remedy this by requiring students to upload their weekly etudes on YouTube by the night before their lessons. The following morning I listen to the videos and write down comments. When the lesson starts, I am able to address problem areas in each etude.  
     In addition to the time-saving advantages, the biggest benefits occur due to the recording process. When students press record, they immediately set higher performance standards for themselves and no longer fumble through unprepared etudes. In addition, there is a great opportunity for self-assessment. After recording a take, students can go back and listen to their videos, take note of what needs work, change it, and record again. The final recording is usually the result of several takes and is what the students perceive as their best work.
    I also record all of my students’ performances so that they may have yet another opportunity to evaluate their playing. This also provides them with an opportunity to share their performance with family and friends who are unable to attend the concerts.

Videos in Music Education Flute Methods Classes
    One of my favorite classes is Flute Techniques for music education majors. The curriculum includes learning how to play the flute, the history of the instrument, and most importantly, how to teach it. During the term students upload four videos of themselves teaching various aspects of flute playing. They may choose from topics such as the parts of the flute, how to assemble the instrument, proper maintenance, breathing, posture, hand position, creating a tone, articulation, vibrato, intonation, and dynamics. These videos help me assess the level of understanding of each student. Several studies, including one by Hamann, Baker, McAllister, and Bauer in 2000, show that students perceive the method of delivery to be just as or even more important in deciding the effectiveness of a teacher than good content. These videos allow my students to assess their teaching skills including both content and their method of delivery.

Additional Benefits
    Regardless of how videos are incorporated into the music curriculum, they provide extra opportunities for creativity and assessment that are not possible in a traditional curriculum. In my flute techniques class, video content is presented in many formats. Some students have visual aids; others write a lesson plan and outline; while others recruit friends to be students in their videos. Most students are very creative in how they produce the videos, which I believe encourages creativity in future real-world teaching experiences.
    Videos also eliminate some of the anxiety associated with presenting or performing live. They allow students to practice performing, and if it does not go well, they can try again. 
    YouTube continues to be a popular format for professionals and students alike. Each minute, 100 hours of video are uploaded to their website. Why not embrace it and make this amazing tool work for you?

* * *

Tips for Assigning a Video Project
1. When planning an assignment, start with an end goal. What is it you want students to be able to demonstrate or explain?
2. Visualize how that goal could be captured on video.
3. Set very clear parameters for the video. If students are recording an etude for a grade, for example, be sure to explain what you are specifically listening for in the performance. If they are demonstrating teaching, remind them to have good eye-contact, use proper vocabulary, and demonstrate the concept on the flute rather than just explaining the concept.
4. Students should set their assignment videos on YouTube to Unlisted, so they are unsearchable, and only people who have the correct web address will be able to view them. Videos that are performance quality may be made Public. These videos are searchable and can be viewed by anyone in the world.

Reference
Hamann, D.L., Baker, D.S., McAllister, P.A., & Bauer, W.I. (2000). Factors affecting university music students’ perceptions of lesson quality and teaching effectiveness. Journal of Research in Music Education, 48, 102-113.

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    Writing my doctoral document about Hugo Kauder was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my musical education. Although now the document is optional in many Doctor of Musical Arts programs, when I was at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, I did not have a choice in the matter. All DMA candidates at CCM had to write a doctoral document if they wanted that diploma, and many students struggled to find a suitable topic. To paraphrase my musicology cognate advisor, Bruce McClung, a DMA document is your calling card for opening doors and getting jobs. He was right, because not only did the experience of writing it hold academic value, my journey led me to rediscovering unique repertoire for the flute that is still opening doors for me today.

Selecting a Topic
    By far, the most difficult part is finding a topic. I had many interests, but formulating a thesis that was new research and interesting to others was very challenging. Important things to consider are whether a subject interests you enough to continue with it and whether there is enough source material to support your work.
    My husband is also a musical scholar and suggested some study on the composer Hugo Kauder. He became interested in Kauder’s work when he was hired to be the archivist for the Hugo Kauder Society in 2005. Kauder (1888-1972) was an Austrian-American Jew who fled Europe in 1938 with nothing but a briefcase of his music. After short stints in Holland and London, he immigrated to New York and did not return to visit Austria until the summer of 1955. Elements of his fascinating story are evident in his music. Kauder spoke multiple languages, was self-taught studying Obrecht and Ockeghem manuscripts, and even wrote a textbook about counterpoint. I decided that if a style analysis and biographical investigation of Kauder intrigued me, then I could hopefully turn out a product that would be exciting for others as well.

Finding Sources
    The issue of finding source material is always at the forefront of any significant research undertaking. In my case, Kauder is not a popular hit in the RILM () database, so my sources came from interviews of his composition students, a few reviews found in JSTOR () of performances of his pieces, Kauder’s own publications, and publications of Kauder’s contemporaries. For example, Kauder and Hindemith were colleagues, so Hindemith’s Craft of Musical Composition was very helpful in deciphering some of Kauder’s musical gestures and harmonies. Ernst Krenek, another Kauder acquaintance, wrote a style analysis of Ockeghem that explained some of Kauder’s writing style. Although these materials are considered secondary or tertiary sources, no other reference literature existed on Kauder that directly described his style, and they were instrumental in constructing my own analysis.
    Interviews are a great resource if subjects are available. I was able to interview Norman Dee, President of the Hugo Kauder Society and former Kauder composition student, which was a huge help in my analysis. When conducting interviews, I felt that it was always best to email the interview request and questions rather than calling. This gives the subject of the interview some time to formulate responses, and it gives you a written catalogue of their answers to your questions. I found that Dee was an enormous help in deciphering Kauder’s style.

Answering the Question, So What?
    Once you have a topic and sources, you need a thesis. The best way to construct one is by answering the question so what? Will this research contribute to my field of study? Could others use this as a source in a formal paper? In my case, I felt that Hugo Kauder’s pieces were largely unknown, but presented a unique and enjoyable style, and therefore were worthy of performance and study. My answer to So What? became “in order to promote the music of Hugo Kauder and add his distinctive repertoire to our active flute literature, thereby expanding our chamber music repertoire.”
    In order to effectively address this in my document, I had to narrow down the research to include specific pieces that helped prove the thesis: unique works that made good additions to the repertoire and ones for which I could identify their musical value. Because Hugo Kauder’s Sonata for Flute and Piano and Sonata for Flute Alone are readily available, I decided to focus instead on reviving three trios from Kauder’s manuscripts: the Trio for Flute, Cello, Piano, the Trio No. 2 for Flute, Oboe, Horn, and the Trio for Flute, Horn, and Piano. These trios exhibit some interesting features including neo-medieval characteristics, Kauder’s compositional invention of the double scale, Eastern European folk influences, imitative counterpoint, and frequent changes of meter. Moreover, they offer different instrumentation and form compared to some of the other standard chamber music, and are enjoyable for both performers and audiences, making them ideal pieces to add to the flute repertoire.

The Committee
    Selecting a committee (one advisor and two readers) can sometimes be challenging. Since my document focused on expanding flute literature, it seemed natural to pick my CCM flute professors Brad Garner and Randy Bowman as my advisor and reader respectively. Choosing my second reader took a little more consideration. Because of Kauder’s tendencies to use early music as inspiration, I chose Vivian Montgomery, then Professor of Harpsichord and Early Music at CCM. I was also her teaching assistant so it was very easy for me to stay in touch with her on a regular basis, as it was with my other committee members.
    The most important thing to remember about selecting a committee is the finished product. It is essential to select individuals who have an expertise in your area of research as well as those who are accomplished writers and editors. In fact, one of the biggest arguments made to me for completing the DMA document (rather than other projects or seminars) was that after having gone through the processes of writing, revising, and publishing, I would then be ready (or at least better prepared) to guide a student through that same process in the future. In addition, it is important to choose committee members who are easy to contact and with whom you can work well. These people will be working with you for months (or longer) and will be pointing out flaws in your writing, loop-holes in your research, and errors in your presentation. It is a different experience than being critiqued in a lesson and can easily be taken personally. Choosing committee members who you respect as professionals and who you know will give honest feedback is essential.

Dealing with Writer’s Block
    After having gone through the process of presenting a proposal to the graduate thesis committee, I thought that once I was approved, writing my document would be smooth sailing. Wrong! Even though this was a subject that I enjoyed and in which I had taken an interest, I still found it very difficult to get in the groove of writing. The best remedy for this was to set a schedule where the first thing I would do every morning was get a cup of coffee, go to my home office (where I usually did my studying), shut the door, and get out my document draft. If I checked my email, my morning was lost. If I practiced first, I was too exhausted to write later. If I answered a text or phone call, it would break my concentration. I reserved every morning from 8:00 am to noon for my document and that alone. I found that once I prioritized my time this way, I could accomplish much more than writing an hour here or there. This is a technique that I have taken with me into the professional world whether I am building a course online, preparing for an audition or performance, or developing a lecture presentation.
    Once I had a suitable body of work organized, I felt like I had run a marathon, but the grueling editing process was just beginning. In addition to incorporating suggestions from the committee on focusing my research, I needed to be sure that my grammar and writing were correct. I found that at times my writing mirrored my speech, which is not something desired in a formal document. I had to comb through my writing as objectively as possible. Do all of my statements support my thesis (or better yet, my topic sentence)? Am I writing in active voice or passive voice? Should this analysis go in the next chapter? Is this a misplaced modifier? Do I have evidence for all of my claims? Are all of my footnotes formatted properly? I must have gone through the document a hundred times. I kept thinking that once it is published, there is no changing it. Through it all, though, I had to remember my audience: the graduate research committee, other scholars, flutists, and performers. If I put myself in their shoes, could they follow and understand the analysis and writing? If so, I was on the right track.

Publishing Your Document
    What many DMA students do not know is that although writing the document is the most difficult part of this process, the publishing can take an extra six to eight weeks, just for the review and paperwork. Additionally, the fees are often a surprise. Formatting is another obstacle that slowed down my publishing process. Of course I followed Turabian meticulously in my Microsoft Word document, but transferring everything to a PDF correctly formatted for the University of Cincinnati was another ballgame. Every school is slightly different, but at CCM, we had to submit a single electronic PDF copy complete with title page, table of contents, abstract, appendixes, and references, which was not easy when these were all created in separate documents. Then there was the copyright. I understood that the University of Cincinnati would officially own the document, but could I expand and publish it outside of the school at a later date, and what exactly were my rights as an author? Only your advisor can really help through those questions. The bottom line is to save time for the publishing step because it may take some working through.
    When writing a document that is searchable in online libraries such as Proquest () and DDM, arguably the most important part of your work is the abstract. The abstract is published in RILM, and it is sometimes the only thing that a researcher will read before selecting your entire document for review. The goal in the abstract is to put as much information into as few words as possible (500 max), and typically this is the last thing you write after all of your supporting research. It has to be something that piques the reader’s interest and launches your argument in a miniature format. Keywords from the abstract are used for triangulation in searching in online databases.
     For the same reasons, the title can be a tricky item. You may start with one title and decide to tweak it into something that is more encompassing of your research. I found that titles that took on the format “General: Specific” were the most informative and interesting in my research, so that is what I followed: “Performing Hugo Kauder: An Expansion of Flute Literature.”

Promoting Your Product
    As Dr. McClung predicted, my DMA document has definitely become my calling card. Since writing it, I have had the opportunity to present my Kauder research and perform his pieces at mini-lectures, regional flute fair sessions, and concerts. I recently received an Artist Grant from the Orange County Arts Commission through which I am publishing a new CD of chamber works for the flute by Hugo Kauder (available in summer 2015). I have even spoken to the Hugo Kauder Society about writing the first full biography on Kauder. Although the process was rigorous, I found it to be very worthwhile and rewarding. I hope to continue my research and I encourage DMA students to not shy away from relatively unexplored territory. In the end, it is worth it.

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Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles about learning and playing the traverso.

    Every serious flutist has the pleasure of performing the great Baroque and Classical masterpieces of the repertoire – J.S. Bach Sonatas, Telemann Fantasies, C.P.E. Bach Sonatas, Quantz, and Mozart Concertos. Have you ever wondered how the composers might have imagined these pieces, or how flutists like Frederick the Great or Hotteterre might have played them while the ink was still fresh?
    Flutists and other musicians today are expected to have a breadth of knowledge that spans more than 400 years and includes vastly different historical and national styles and techniques. To become a more knowledgeable and multifaceted artist, flutists can learn about Baroque performance practices, including how to play the traverso.

Historically Informed Performances
    The Baroque Period (c.1600-1750) was a time of exquisite sensitivity to aesthetics, royal affluence, strict courtly hierarchies and social structures, lavish display of ornaments, love of allegory, and nostalgia for antiquity. In the latter part of the 19th century into the mid-20th century, Western culture largely drifted away from Baroque aesthetics and social ideals and embraced the Romantic and post-Romantic cultural norms of emotion and sentimentality, large scale imagination, and sublime over-arching phrases. They forged ahead with new innovations and knowledge, social and economic change, and the triumph of individual identity. By the mid-20th century, musicians took a new modern approach to playing Baroque music, which often had few ties to the composers’ original intentions.
    After World War II there was a renewed interest in earlier time periods. A few curious individuals began to question the way Baroque masterworks were played. Frans Brüggen, Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Alfred Deller, and Paul Hindemith were among the pioneers leading the early music movement in their respective countries. In the United States, Robert Willoughby led the resurgence of interest in playing the traverso. Today there are a plethora of recordings and videos of historically accurate performances on period instruments, many of which may be found online.
    Studying Baroque music and performance practice requires patience and time. The first step is to learn more about the period, including information about the composer, style, genre, social and historical implications, temperaments and tuning systems, beat hierarchy, micro-dynamics, ornamentation, inflection of sound, varied articulation, and use of gesture and rhetoric.

Traverso or Modern Flute
    Although it is possible to play a Baroque piece in a historical style perfectly well on a modern flute, I find that playing Baroque music on a traverso allows me to think and express music in a completely different way, just by the nature of the instrument’s capabilities. Although the traverso is the forefather of the modern flute, the two instruments differ in many ways and involve different playing techniques. For example, by playing a modern flute with less vibrato, messe di voce (swells) on long notes, and attention to crisp articulation and dance rhythms, the effect would be closer to a historically informed traverso performance. However, learning to play Baroque music on a traverso uncovers the capabilities and limits of this Baroque instrument. It illustrates how a traverso’s sound breaks if pushed too hard, that rapid double tonguing does not suit the subtlety of the timbre, and that a full rich sound does not need the embellishment of vibrato to make it sing. As Barthold Kuijken says, we can let the traverso teach us.
    Learning to play the traverso helps flutists translate Baroque technique and ornamentation more easily to modern flute, although it will take time to feel comfortable with these techniques and enunciations on a modern instrument. This new outlook brings deeper insight and practical application of historical principles to your performances no matter which instrument you are playing.

Selecting an Instrument 
    There is great diversity among 17th and 18th century traversos. Embou-chure hole shape and size, bore shape, spacing of holes, and joint length all vary quite a lot. Today, there are many excellent traverso makers producing copies of Baroque instruments both in the U.S. and Europe. When choosing a traverso, try out a variety to see which one is a good fit. (Several traverso makers exhibit their various instruments each year at the NFA convention.) There are several models that are well suited to beginning traverso players. Among them, good choices include copies of G.A. Rottenburgh, I.H. Rottenburgh, J. Denner, Naust, and Beukers flutes. I recommend purchasing a flute pitched at A=415, which is the standard pitch in Baroque period instrument ensembles.
    When selecting an instrument, pay close attention to the scale of the flute. Check if the D octaves are in tune, and then move to a D major scale. The F sharp is naturally lower on the traverso, which works well in D major as major thirds are played lower in Baroque temperaments. If all is well, try a D minor scale using the fork fingering for F natural to see how sharp it is. On most instruments, F natural is quite sharp and requires adjusting, but there are some that are naturally more stable. Move on to check tone flexibility by testing dynamic range. Pay particular attention to the quality of the sound at the end of a diminuendo. Articulation should be crisp and even more facile than on modern flute. Most importantly, choose a traverso with an inviting tone that inspires you to spend time learning the instrument.

Care of a Traverso
    Traversos require extra care and protection from heat and cold. Wooden instruments are much more sensitive to changes in climate than metal flutes. They need to be played in gradually over a period of a few months so that the wood becomes used to expanding and contracting with the moisture from playing. Start out playing just 5-10 minutes a day and slowly increase it from there. This should help avoid cracking. As with a modern flute, always dry a traverso with a soft cloth after playing. Traverso flutes should be oiled about once a month. Each maker has slightly different instructions for oiling, so make sure to follow the directions carefully. You will need to remove the cork and the key when oiling. Caring for a wooden flute as Baroque musicians did ensures that the instrument will play at its best for many years and provides a tangible connection to the period.

Fingering Charts
    There are a number of good charts for traverso fingerings. Historical treatises are an excellent starting point. On Playing the Flute by Johann Joachim Quantz (1752) and Principles of the Flute, Recorder, and Oboe by Jacques Hotteterre (1707) both have a fingering chart in the first chapters. Modern editions offering compilations of Baroque fingering charts are also very useful. The Baroque Flute Fingering Book by Margaret Neuhaus, edited by Ardal Powell, is a good option. A truncated version can be found online at .
    Unlike modern flute, many notes do not automatically speak well and in tune even when the correct fingering is employed. Due to the conical nature of the traverso bore and the lack of keys, chromatic notes are much more unstable and challenging to play in tune. In Principles of the Flute, Hotteterre goes through the notes and explains the adjustments needed for each one. For example, to play F natural, the fingering is 123 | 46 no key. This fingering is called a cross or fork fingering because a hole is skipped. He goes on to explain that this note should be tuned by the embouchure. To lower it, roll the flute inward (Hotteterre, p. 16-17). These less stable notes are adjusted just as modern flutists lower middle C sharp. In time, learning to navigate these adjustments becomes second nature and an integral part of playing the traverso’s unique timbre expressively.

Research
    Although we can learn a lot from playing copies of period instruments, modern ways of thinking and playing music are very different. It is important to imagine what music could have sounded like in the 18th century. To better understand performance practices of the time, research original notation, historical treatises, Baroque aesthetics, and what was considered playing with good taste.
    Studying the original notation without editorial marks gives a better sense of a composer’s intentions and offers insights into performance practice. Many manuscripts and facsimiles can be found online at www.imslp.org.
In addition to reading the original notation, it is essential to learn the musical conventions of the time. Musicians were well versed in these conventions, so it was not necessary for composers to write everything down. For example, Baroque composers often wrote articulation marks only at the beginning of a passage. A performer was expected to play these articulations in similar passages throughout the movement.
    In the French style there were even more subtle conventions that performers were expected to know. For example, in a movement in 4/4, written sixteenth notes were played slightly unequally according to the unwritten practice of notes inégales. The effect is akin to how notes are swung in jazz. Barthold Kuijken’s book, The Notation Is Not the Music (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2013), provides many wonderful insights on this topic.
    Historical treatises are a valuable resource for studying Baroque style and aesthetics. These manuals show how 18th century flute masters taught people to play the flute, what was important to them, and in some cases, what was not. Hotteterre’s and Quantz’s famous technique books not only teach how to play the traverso, but also how to play with good 18th century style and taste. The idea of what constituted le bon goût (good taste) or lack of it was much discussed at the time and is still of vital interest to period instrument performers today. The possibilities might sound quite strange to modern ears. For example, there is little mention of vibrato (other than an ornament called flattement or finger vibrato) or modern double tonguing. These two staples of modern flute playing either did not exist or were not considered in good taste.

Louis XIV of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud.

    It is also essential to have a mental image of the culture and time period when preparing a Baroque piece. Through the Internet, musicians today have access to great works of art from around the world. To appreciate and understand Baroque aesthetics. study Baroque paintings, sculpture, and architecture including Sanssouci and Versailles palaces, and paintings by Tiepolo and Watteau. To get a sense of the atmosphere of courtly performances, look in particular at the portrait of the Sun King, Louis XIV of France painted by Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1701 (above) and the painting of Frederick the Great playing a flute concerto in Sanssouci by Adolph Menzel (at the beginning of this article). All of these ornate details form an impression and are pieces of a puzzle that help create an understanding of the Baroque.

Traverso, Johann Joachim Quantz, mid 18th century, Berlin Musical Instrument Museum

    The act of putting all of the components of music into a Baroque point of reference gives musicians the ability to create a musical effect that is likely to be closer to the composer’s intentions. Try to bring the listener not only another brilliant piece written by Bach, Telemann, or Mozart, but transport them to another time and culture. By doing so I think that we can affect the listener in a more profound way.

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Resources
Recordings 
    There are many YouTube videos and CDs available to give a taste of how the leading Baroque flutists sound and the style choices they have made. I recommend listening to the following pieces from excellent recordings.
Barthold Kuijken: Bach Partita in A minor from the CD Solo pour la flûte traversière – JS Bach, Hotteterre, Weiss, Rousseau, CPE Bach & Fischer
Wilbert Hazelzet: Telemann Paris Quartet No. 1 in D Major from the CD Telemann 6 Paris Quartets with Trio Sonnerie
Jed Wentz: CPE Bach Hamburger Sonata from CPE Bach: Complete Solo Flute Sonatas

Books
On Playing the Flute by Johann Joachim Quantz (1752)
Principles of the Flute, Recorder, and Oboe by Jacques Hotteterre (1707)
The Notation is Not the Music by Barthold Kuijken (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2013)
The End of Early Music: A Period Performer’s History of Music for the Twenty-First Century by Bruce Haynes (Oxford University Press, 2007)

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    Sophie Cherrier, a native of Nancy, France, studied with Jacques Mule at the Conservatoire National de Région, and later with Alain Marion (flute) and Christian Lardé (chamber music), both at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where she graduated with highest honors. In 1979 she joined the Ensemble Intercontemporain, founded by Pierre Boulez. This unique ensemble is made up of thirty-one soloists dedicated to the performance and promotion of contemporary music. After being awarded the Certificat d’Aptitude, she was appointed Professor at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1998.

What was it like studying at the Paris Conservatory?
    It was intimidating at first; I had been the best in my class at Nancy. In Paris I listened to my friends and realized there are so many flutists playing well. However it was very friendly. I made many friends, and we all practiced together. It is emulation that inspires you to practice and do your best. I tell my students that we are all growing together, and don’t think you will be the best. If you are in a competition, of course you try to be the best one, but it is more about doing your personal best. My students support each other. For example, one of them won the audition for the National Orchestra at age twenty-one. The others were so happy for her, even the ones who took part in the same audition.

I remember Anne La Berge telling me once that there is enough art for everybody.
    This is perfect, absolutely. I say there are places for everyone, if not in an orchestra then in other groups or in teaching.

What has changed at the Conservatory since you studied there?
    Everything has changed; I was only a flute student there for a year and a half because at that time, after you won your première prix, you were finished. I should have done less and stayed longer. Now they have the troisième cycle and apprenticeships, so students stay for five years. As a professor it is very different when you know you will have a student for five years. We now have the Erasmus program that allows students to study abroad for one year, and a piccolo and Baroque flute class which were not options when I was a student.

You were the first woman professor appointed at the Conservatory?
    So they tell me, but I was not aware of it at the time. To this day I am still the only woman in the wind department. France is an open society, but in my time, if the choice was between a man and a woman, they took the man. Perhaps it has changed. The gender ratio in my studio has changed; first I had three boys and nine girls, now the ratio is six-six, which is incredible.

How do you choose your students?
    I have decided I do not want to compete for students. Nobody should think they must have a private lesson with me first. It is my golden rule: no private lessons. I don’t know who will be on the entrance audition panel, and sometimes I don’t even know the day, and on the day I am the one who says the least. Some of my friends tell me I would be better off choosing my students so I can get a feel for if they are the right ones. Perhaps they are right, but I like to have no prejudice. I do get a student sometimes and think, “whatever am I going to do with him or her?” But this gives me a challenge. I also had a student with whom I was honest, and I told him, “It took me two years to like you.” We were good friends in the end. He really made me think, “What is he really like inside?” If teaching is only Taffanel, I get bored very quickly.

What was it like working with Boulez?
    Great! He has been such a big influence on my musicianship since I entered the ensemble at age twenty. At the beginning it was very hard; he has a strong personality and wanted us to do our very best. He taught me many things, ways of seeing the music, its direction and nothing else. He tried to be so honest to the score and to have real integrity. During a workshop he would say, “I want to play this passage,” and I thought, he is conducting, not playing. However, he was playing. You hear things in his conducting that you don’t hear with other conductors. His lines of Anton Webern are so interesting and clear. His own music is the same.

I have the feeling that in Boulez’ music, every note counts for something, no matter how fast.
    In Le Marteu sans Maitre, he writes “à laise” over the fast passages, which means “be comfortable.” That is how he prefers it – that no matter how fast, we are comfortable and everything comes out. His Sonatine is very difficult, with all those jumps. It was so new at the time, but it is absolutely possible to do. It is incredible that he was only twenty when he composed it. I have played the Sonatine so many times but can still play it and discover something new. I can’t imagine doing that with the Poulenc Sonata.

Besides teaching, what do you do outside of the Ensemble Intercontemporain?
    I don’t do so many things outside the ensemble, the conservatory, and my family. When I was young, there was Rampal, and I honestly thought, even if I had his talent, I would not like to have his life. I went to play a concerto in another city, the orchestra said “bravo” before I even played one note, and then “bravo” afterward, then I went to the hotel and then home. I would not like to do this day in and day out. I enjoy doing things now and then; I was at the NFA convention, two thousand flutists in one hotel, and it was fantastic!

Did you ever wish for an orchestral job?
    I went for an audition at the National Orchestra, where I made the finals. One of my friends told me, “you are twenty-three years old; you are better off in the ensemble where you will discover and experience so much more.” He was right. Just after that, we did a very big U.S. tour performing Répons, and I learned so much, so I was happy I did not get that job. A long time later, I decided to try again, just because, when you play contemporary music there can be a stigma. People think you can’t play classically. I took another audition, where they chose nobody, and another where the musicians unanimously voted for me, but the conductor used his droit de veto, although it was his last season.
    I reached a point when I thought that I had had enough contemporary music and told myself, when I am forty-three, my apartment will be paid for, so I will leave the ensemble. Then I reached forty-three, and I didn’t want to stop. I want to keep staying young! Two things made me change my mind. Teaching at the conservatoire, I feel I have to play, to show my students that I am still in the life. Of course it is possible to teach even if you can’t play anymore, but for me, like running every day, playing is good for your health. The second thing is the adventure and the different conductors and programs. The ambiance of a small group is special, and I am such good friends with our other flutist, Emmanuelle Ophèle. There is no first or second. We listen to each other in the hall, and we can tell each other anything and know it is meant well.

What is it like working with so many different composers?
    There are two approaches. I can take what I already know and show what I can do so a composer will write my ideas. Some composers will work with your specialties, but then you may come up with a piece that no one else can play. Alternatively, you can just receive whatever a composer writes and then figure out how you can do that. Once you have the score, it is interesting to work with the composer, to see what is possible, to explain how the instrument works, and to ask questions. For example, I am working on a new piece by Matthias Pintscher that Emmanuel Pahud commissioned. Everything works, but I find the multiphonics go by so quickly and don’t speak easily. So I think about the music. I know he wants an A, so can I may make my own multiphonic with an A and offer this.
    I worked with Luciano Berio on the Sequenza and was surprised when I came to the recording that he insisted I play from the new version. We did the recording very fast, in only an hour and a half. I can understand why he made the new version, but I prefer the old one. I tell my students to work from both; there are some things Berio made more specific, like the fermatas that have to be observed.

Which composers do you think write well for the flute?
    Bruno Mantovani writes well for flute, Ivan Fedele is also interesting, his Donax works very well. Heinz Holliger can be interesting but very difficult. His music pushes you to extremes. I don’t like whistle tones very much, but when I played t’aire for the first time, some incredible things happened. The piece is so long, but suddenly you return to this small whistle tone which seems to come from nowhere. The audience becomes very silent; it is so magical.

Do you require your students to learn these pieces?
    No, the choice of repertoire is open, and I often let them discover pieces on their own. Of course, I do guide students and tell them what to play next according to what they need. Maybe this student should work on detaché, and this one plays too closed, so I give them Freischutz, or this one has a thin sound, so I suggest Poulenc. I think the interesting repertoire is not so big. Something we should play more of is Baroque music.
    I do think that contemporary music is part of the repertoire and shouldn’t be set aside. Contemporary music takes time to learn, though, and it is difficult to find the time because of the many competitions, orchestral studies, and academies. Therefore we spend a lot of time on Mozart. I can’t understand why everyone keeps it on auditions even for 2nd flute players. They will never play it with the orchestra, and perhaps not the first player either. There are so many different ideas of the styles. It is so difficult to play. I have performed the Mozart G Major Concerto maybe ten times. If you miss the beginning, you have the rest of the concerto to show what you can do. At an audition, they listen to young students for only two minutes, and don’t hear the rest. I think it is better to have something simpler, even if it is not great music, to hear the musicianship, pitch, sound, and then have Mozart in the second round.

How do you help prepare your students for auditions and competitions?
    As a teacher in a conservatoire, my job is not only one hour a week of saying the pitch is not good, play louder or softer. Rather, it is to open their minds and encourage them to be curious and organize themselves. I had one student whose pitch was not good. Do your own business, I said. Work with pianists; go to the class of sight singing. I must help them hear and understand themselves, which is more interesting than saying, “you should play…” They are not kids; they have their own personalities and stories. The most difficult thing for a teacher is to get the student to become his own teacher. As soon as he decides, my sound is too much, he will change it because he hears it.
    It is difficult to hear yourself. A long time ago I recorded the Sonatine by Darius Milhaud. When I listened I thought, what did they do with the microphone? I recognize my high and middle register, but what is going on with the low? And then I realized I was digging way into the sound. Michel Debost says the best teacher is your ear, and it is the least expensive. It’s true. My wish is to play in a hall, run faster than the sound in order to hear myself, and to know the truth. Otherwise you can live with the dream that you play very well.
 
Do you teach extended techniques to your students?
    Absolutely. To make the air column more active I use air (aeolian) sounds. Most of the time we don’t blow enough in our instruments, or we blow but we are tight everywhere. Nearly every day I speak about this. Sometimes I will ask a student to play the Ibert Concerto, second movement, only with air. They look at me funny, but I say it is only a color, don’t be afraid. You will not lose your sound, but it will change the way you listen to your sound. When you have a color, if you don’t bring it with the air into the hall, it will stay at your feet. You can also, for example, do ten minutes of  scales with aeolian sounds, then play normally, and you will have a very big sound. I do this only with those students who have a very good embouchure. If someone’s tone is unstable and already has too much air, I am not going to put more air in the sound. 
    Sometimes I use slap tongue for Berio Sequenza, to explain the valve motion of the tongue and to avoid the “duh, duh, duh” kind of articulation. Sometimes to understand the speed of air I use fast tongue ram. You can’t play them fast without using the air column. I use a lot of these sorts of things, not the trumpet sound like Aurèle Nicolet, nor whistle tones. To be supple it is good to work on multiphonics, especially harmonic multiphonics, and especially octaves, to understand how close they are to each other when playing intervals. Singing and playing is good for students who have not enough energy, not enough speed of air.  

What do you enjoy doing when not teaching or playing?
    I used to run, and enjoyed cross country skiing, hiking, and Salsa dancing. I really liked rock climbing, but twice injured my finger. Now I go to the cinema or to museums when on tour. It’s funny how I never do that at home in Paris.

Which aspect of your career do consider most important?
    I have been teaching since I was eighteen and have never stopped. I took a break from the ensemble for seven months, but continued teaching. If I had to choose, I would choose to teach. It is my passion.

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