Relaxation Techniques
Reading
    I think that there are some mental and physical relaxation techniques that can be helpful during performances that include long rests. Many players read magazines during tacets, especially when working in an orchestra pit. I find this a great tool at times; it keeps my mind engaged without too much distraction. However, reliable cues are absolutely necessary so that you never miss an entrance because you were reading.
    I have seen players lose work because of sloppy behavior on the job. You can ask your colleagues to give you a cue and to check in with you during long rests.  If you feel you might not be able to be alert enough, then simply never read in the pit. On the concert stage reading is really not an option. Our new hall includes audience seating behind the orchestra and on the sides as well. With the audience in full view of the musicians at all times and it is unacceptable to read on stage during any performance.

Visualization
    I find that performance visualization is helpful during long rests. In the process of creating a mental image or intention of what I want to hear or feel, I become fully engaged in listening to my colleagues create music around me. This keeps me in the game so I don’t really feel like I’m ‘resting’. I become more ‘into’ the music and experience it as a participant, not a passive listener.  I try to notice textures in the harmonic structure, counter melodies, new sounds in the familiar repertory. I decide how I want the performance to go: beautifully, (of course)!, and I use my preparation to help me achieve these results.
 
Imaging
    Pitch and phrase imaging is also useful. Hear the phrase just as you want it to go just before you enter.  Hear the first pitch and listen to the intervallic relationships of your solos as they relate to the other voices and harmonies. Pay attention and match the imagined aural image to the actual sound you produce. 

Conversation
    Affirming self-talk is very useful before particularly daunting moments, as in “I can do this, I’ve done it in practice many times before,” “I love how this solo sounds,” etc. By giving myself confidence I achieve a higher performance standard. The phrase “fake it till you make it” is a good one to remember here too: you will help yourself perform better with positive self-talk: tearing yourself down is counterproductive. 

Breathing
     Mental and physical relaxation is key to playing at your best. Practice inhaling slowly through the nose for four counts and exhaling slowly through the mouth for five. This kind of focused breathing gives you something to do and keeps your mind from wandering into the stress of the entrance. Your body enjoys the benefits of a lowered heart rate and increased oxygen at the same time. Feel your feet on the floor, notice how stable and calmly your body is held by the chair: focus on your relaxed and efficient posture.
    Part of the experience of playing piccolo is learning how to handle the special job requirements of the chair. Tacets come with the territory: learn to enjoy them and make them work!

The post The Waiting Game – Stratagies for Tacets appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Vibrato
    Flutists tend to use a great deal of vibrato while clarinetists use none or very little. The solution is to decide which passages require a blended organ-like sound with little vibrato and which ones are more soloistic. Flutists can use vibrato on the soloistic parts, which will provide the icing on the cake. However, the vibrato should not overwhelm the duo’s sound. Flutists can learn from clarinetists, who play so expressively with little or no vibrato.

Intonation
    The flute can be flat when soft, and  sharp when loud. The clarinet is the opposite: flat when loud, and sharp when soft. This opposite intonation-to-dynamic relationship is part of what makes this duo difficult. Both players should understand their instrument’s tendencies and work with a tuner to stay in tune while changing dynamics.
    Practicing scales and melodies together is time well spent. When unisons sound in tune, work in octaves. You will be surprised at how much more difficult it is to play octaves in tune with a clarinet than it is to play them in tune with another flute. Another exercise is to choose a simple, familiar tune and have one person play it with in-tune melodic intervals. Then play it together; try transposing it to different keys.
    Remember that registers also affect intonation differently, so listen carefully. Temperatures have an affect on intonation for both instruments, but in this case, the tendencies are the same. Both instruments go flat when they are cold, and sharp when they are warm.

Just Intonation
    Intervals sound better when the notes are tuned in just-intonation instead of equal temperament. The Just Intonation Chart will help you learn to adjust intervals by ear.
    A perfect fifth, for example, sounds jangly or dissonant when both notes are in tune with a tuner because of the slightly audible difference tone clashes. A difference tone is the result of the mathematical difference between the frequencies of the two pitches. When the upper voice widens the interval slightly by raising the pitch, (just two cents, which equals two hundredths of a half step), the chord will sound consonant and beautiful.
    Together, try making a perfect fifth sound pure in every key. Then play major thirds and bring the top note down fourteen cents to ring in tune. After working on perfect fifths and major thirds, try minor thirds. Later you can move on to those intervals that are less pure, such as seconds and sevenths.
    (For standard repertoire and more on just intonation see “,” Flute Talk, April 1996 by Leone Buyse, and “” by Joanna Cowan Flute Talk, April 2002.)

Repertoire
    For classical music to remain a living art, it is imperative that we expand the literature. Eager for new flute and clarinet works, many players commission new compositions. The selected works below were added to the repertoire in the last 15 years. Most are published, while others are available from the composers.

Flute and Clarinet Chamber Music (1994-2008), part 1

Rated for: A – Young student through high school; B – Advanced high school and college; C – College and professional

Armstrong, Joe & Leehay, Liz: Trans. of classical tunes; A (JB Linear Music-online)
Bach, J.S./Dorff, Daniel: A Treasury of Bach Duets; B, 2008.
Buss, H. J.: Time Capsule; B, 1996  (Brixton Publications)
Dorff, Daniel: Three Romances; B, 2007  (Tenuto Publications) The F-minot slow movement is the most difficult.
Dorff, Daniel: Two Cats; B, 2008 (Tenuto Pub.)
Froom, David: Circling; C, 2002 (composer); Recorded by the 21st Century Consort. effective and exciting. 
Gottschalk, Arthur: Sonatina Casada; C 2000 (composer) Dedicated to Leone Buyse and Michael Webster. Latin dances; flashy and effective.
Grantham, Donald: New Mexico Twilight; C 2004 (Piquant Press). Changing meters and syncopation.
Gross, Murray: Folie à deux; C, 2005 (composer) intertwining lines; tongue stops for flute.
Harding, Scott R.: Four Short Dances, B, 2002 (C. Alan Publisher) commissioned by the Crescent Duo and premiered at the 2007 N.F.A. convention. The Air is unusual with the clarinet in the altissimo and the flute below in the reedy low register.
Harvey, Paul: The Summer Belles, A , 1994 (Fentone Music) A great choice for young groups.
Holcombe, Bill: Intermediate Jazz Etudes; B, 1995 (Musicians Publications) 12 pieces. Chord symbols used.
Kenney, Terry: Street-Wise; Duets for Flute and Clarinet; A, 2001 (Spartan Press) 9  short jazz duets in a written swing style.
Kelley, Daniel: Music for Two; A, 2000-02 (Last Resort Music) vols. 1 & 2 – Wedding Music and Classical Favorites; vol. 3 – Gilbert and Sullivan, Irish Music and Rags; vol. 4 – Waltzes, Fiddle Tunes, and Traditional Pop Favorites. Large selection of arrangements, clarinet parts are easier than the flute parts.
Kelley, Daniel: Intermediate Music for Two, Classical Favorites; A, 2004 (Last Resort Music) v. 1, 2, easier than volumes above.
Maúrtua, José-Luis: Les Trois “Tiques”; C 2002 (Watchdog Pres) Commissioned by Crescent Duo and premiered at the 2005 Intl. Clarinet Assoc. Conference; Cuban inspired  and dazzling.
Mireles, Andres Aloy Rodriguez Mireles: Pajarillo a Duo, B, 2002 (composer) Pajarillo or “Little Bird,” is a Venezuelan joropo from the western plains of the country. Commissioned by the Crescent Duo.
Real, Nicolas: Danza Maracaibeada, B, 2002, (composer) Commissioned by Crescent Duo, written for flute with Bb clarinet, but works well with bass clarinet.
Resanovic, Nikola: Four Sketches; B, 2006, (composer) destined to become a repertoire standard, uses difference tones, Commissioned by Crescent Duo.
Parker, Philip: Games; B, 1995 (composer) winner of 1996 N.F.A. Newly Published Music Contest. Challenging and fun.
Pineda, Raimundo: Five Beats Up; B, 2002 (composer) A light, Venezuelan meren­gue in 5/8, commissioned by the Crescent Duo.
Schekman, Joel: Duos aus Schoenberg’s Zeit; C, 2002-08, written for Schekman to play with Judith Kemph, lengthy, intricate, and effective.
Schocker, Gary: Airheads; B, 2000 (Theodore Presser) Already a popular classic, commissioned by Michele Gingras and Sandra Seefeldt.
Tanguay, Eric: Duet; C, 1994 (Salabert) In NFA Library. Dissonance and complex rhythms.
Uyeda, Leslie: Like Near Misses, C, 2008 (The Avondale Press) Rhythmically difficult and lyrical.
Vogel, Alan: Mythic Quest and Twin Moons; B, 1997 (Brixton Publications) Two one-movement works.
Welcher, Dan: Reversible Jackets, Exercises in Conjugal Counterpoint; B, 1997 (Elkan-Vogel) A wedding gift for Leone Buyse and Michael Webster.

Flute and Clarinet with Electronic Sounds (may include piano)
Bimstein, Phillip: Half Moon at Checkerboard Messa; C, 1997 (Franklin Stark Music) Colorful sounds.
Bimstein, Phillip: The Golden Duel; B, 1997 (Franklin Stark Music) With optional crystal bowl.
Mazurek, Ron: A Time To…for trio and tape; C, 2004 (Calabrese Brothers Music) With piano anf recorded sounds, Commissioned by Esther Lamneck. Effective, calm alternating with motion.

Flute, Clarinet, Voice or Narrator, and Piano
Barab, Seymour: Willie Was Different; B, 1995 (Seesaw Music) Text by Norman Rockwell; based on children’s book.
Barab, Seymour: The Sea Princess; B, 2005  (composer) Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, written for the Palisades Virtuosi.
Blank, Allan, Four Poems by Emily Dickinson, C, 1998 (International Opus)
McMichael, Catherine: Dog Chronicles; B, 2007 (Alry Publications) Texts by Mark Twain, Lord Byron and others, enjoyable, commissioned by Windsong and premiered in Washington D.C. in 2007.

Recent Duo Recordings
(listed by title, performers,
composers,&  label)
Woodwind Echoes, Crescent Duo: works by Resanovic, Harding, Maurtua, Real, Pineda, Mireles, (White Pine Music)
Flights of Fancy, Crescent Duo: works by Rutter, David, Liptak, Dietz, Sloan, Szalowski (Centaur Records)
Rivier Revisited, Buyse/Webster Duo, Rivier, (Crystal Records)
Fleeting Visions, Collaboration II, Buyse/Webster Duo, work by Gottschalk, A. (Beauport Classical)
Chamber Music With Flute, performed by Pahud, Lesage, Meyer, works by Jolivet and Villa-Lobos (EMI)
Flute Loops, Chamber Music by Cynthia Folio, performers Kelly and Demers (Centaur Records)
Kupferman, O North Star, Maurer/Harlow [Kupferman] Soundspell.
Contra-Punctus, Folio/Thompson, works by Folio (Society of Composers)
Giacinto Scelsi: Complete Works for Flute and Clarinet, Ebony Duo (Col Legno)
Giacinto Scelsi: Complete Works for Clarinet, Mohr/Smeyers (Radio Bremen)
Giacinto Scelsi, Music for High Winds, Robinson/Novakova (Mode)
Froom: Song and Dance, performed by Stern/Cigan (Bridge Records)
Music for a Sunday Afternoon, performers Maurer/Harlow, works by Kraft and Muczynski (4Tay)
Elliot Carter, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (Atma Classique)
Clarinet Now, Stallman and Brezniak, work by Gould (Centaur Records)
Villa-Lobos Woodwind Music, Bondi and Ellis (EtCetera Records)
Jack’s Fat Cat: Carl Vollrath, Finegold and Stolzman (MMC Recordings)

The post Flute and Clarinet Together appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

1. Per lesson: Collect payment at the beginning of each lesson. This method makes it more difficult to collect for missed or cancelled lessons. 

2. Per month: Collect payment in advance for the upcoming calendar month. Most months have four lessons but some will have five. 

3. Per month: Multiply the number of lessons in the upcoming semester or year by the lesson rate, and divide by the number of months in the term to determine the monthly rate. This makes the monthly payment consistent, regardless of student vacation schedules or school holidays. 

4. Per semester: Multiply the number of lessons in the upcoming semester by the lesson rate. Some teachers offer a discount for paying by the semester, while others offer an option to pay monthly with an additional surcharge.

5. Per year: Multiply the number of lessons scheduled for the calendar or school year by the lesson rate.  Some teachers offer a discount to those who pay by the year, while others offer a monthly or quarterly payment plan with a surcharge.

6.“Baker’s Dozen” plan: Advance payment for 12 lessons earns one free lesson.

7. Occasional lessons: Many teachers levy a surcharge to the lesson rate for students who take less than weekly lessons. 

    I have set rates for 30-, 45-, and 60-minute lessons. Students pay for lessons monthly, depending on the number of scheduled lessons in the month. This makes it simple to detemine payments for students starting mid-month, when I cancel a lesson, or schedule a vacation day. For students taking less than four lessons per month, I levy a $5.00 per lesson surcharge.
Included in this section of your policies there should be a clear statement of due dates for tuition payments and whether fees are assessed for late payments. Some teachers bill their students as a reminder of tuition payment. Invoices can either be mailed or handed to students at their lessons.  Tuition due dates will vary depending on the lesson rate chosen.

My Studio Policies state:
    Tuition is due by the first lesson of each month. A late charge of $5.00 will be assessed for late tuition.
Collecting tuition payments can be stressful. Your studio policies make your expectations clear in advance. Just remember that you are running a business and shouldn’t be afraid to ask students for their tuition checks. Be direct: “Did your mom send a check with you today?” or “I need to get a check today for June tuition. The total is $120.” 
I have not found it necessary to publish what the consequences are for non-payment. The $5 late fee seems to be deterrent enough.

Attendance
    Studio policies should include information about missed lessons due to illness, schedule conflicts, school vacations, and any other attendance issues.  Some options for addressing attendance might include:

1.    There is no refund for missed lessons. [Clarify that the student’s tuition pays for the time slot in the teaching schedule, as well as for the lesson itself. Teachers still have monthly bills to pay regardless of whether a student attends their lesson.]

2.    If a lesson is missed:

    a.    Credit will be given with 24 (or 48) hours notice in advance of the absence.

    b.    Credit will be given in case of illness.

    c.    Credit will be given in case of extended illness.  

    d.    Make-up lesson will be offered at a mutually agreeable time. [It is best to put a time limit on scheduling the make-up lesson]

        i.    Within one week of the absence.

        ii.    Within one month of the absence.

    e.    A make-up lesson will be offered on a space-available basis. [If there is a cancellation during the teacher’s regular teaching schedule or during a time regularly set aside for make-up lessons]   

        i.    Make-up lessons are limited to one make-up lesson per semester. [To avoid frequent cancellations, many teachers limit the number of make-up lessons allowed.]

3.    When the instructor cancels a lesson:

    a.    A make-up lesson will be offered.

    b.    Credit will be given.

My Studio Policies state:
During the regular school year, there will be no refund for missed lessons, except in the case of severe winter weather or icy road conditions. During the regular school year, your monthly tuition is a retainer that reserves your time slot in the teaching schedule. Credit will always be given should the instructor have to cancel a lesson.

Make-up Lessons: In case of illness or with 24-hour notice, a cancelled lesson may be made up within one week of the cancellation on a space-available basis. Only one make-up lesson may be scheduled during the fall semester and one lesson during the spring semester. If a make-up lesson has been scheduled and agreed upon and you do not show up, that lesson will be forfeited.

    For schedule conflicts, many teachers provide a swap list of other students’ scheduled times, so that students can arrange to exchange lesson times with each other.  Upon request I distribute a swap list that shows my teaching schedule, and I encourage students to plan ahead as much as possible and to also inform me if they do not want to be listed on the swap list.
There are many options for scheduling conflicts that arise from school vacations. Many teachers’ schedules follow the school calendar, and they refrain from scheduling lessons during school vacations. Others may maintain a regular lesson schedule or operate a modified or compressed schedule that offers optional lessons during school vacations. 
    During the school year I cancel lessons on Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Memorial Day, but not for the many teacher work days and other school holidays in our local school districts. During winter and spring breaks, I offer an optional lesson schedule that compresses my teaching into one or two days per week. 
    I also operate with a compressed schedule during the summer months, so that I have some time off. To give students more flexibility for last-minute vacations, I relax my cancellation policies.
    Summer Lessons: During the summer months, a minimum of 48 hours notice must be given in order to receive credit for a missed lesson.

Promptness
    Many teachers include promptness in their policies. In my studio, students are scheduled back-to-back to use my time most efficiently. 

    Lessons will be conducted during the regularly scheduled time.  If a student is late, the remaining time scheduled will constitute the complete lesson. 

Recitals
    Information about recitals, such as specific dates, locations, and fees, can be included in studio policies. I include general information in my policies and send home more detailed information well in advance of the recital.
    Students have the opportunity to perform in one or two recitals per year, usually scheduled in February and April. They receive specific information several weeks prior to the recital, and I provide a studio accompanist for a nominal fee.

Materials 
    Some policies include information about the syllabus or course of study.  Because my students vary greatly in age (from 9 to 70) and ability (young beginners to advanced adults), information in my policy statement about materials is general. Some teachers give their students a list of music to purchase, while other teachers purchase music in advance and are reimbursed by the students. I have found it convenient to keep a small inventory of method books, etudes, and solos that I most commonly use with students. This makes materials available for immediate use, rather than having to wait a week or more for parents to obtain the materials from the local music store.

Music is normally selected by the instructor. Cost will be added to the following month’s tuition.

Policies spell out specific materials to bring to all flute lessons. 

Please Bring to All Lessons:
•Flute: should be well-maintained. It is difficult and frustrating to play and progress on a flute with leaks. I can recommend competent repair people.
•All Current Music, preferably in a folder.
•Assignment Notebook (any spiral notebook, preferably 4”x 6” or larger)

Practice
Many policy statements spell out specific practice expectations. 

Students are expected to practice regularly; the recommended amount of time depends on age and skill level. The key to success when learning to play an instrument lies in regular repetition of a specific detail. This is practice. Please use the following guideline to consider minimum requirements for this activity.
• Beginning Students: 20 to 30  minutes daily
• Intermediate Students: 30 to 45 minutes daily
• Advanced Students: 60, 120 to 180 minutes or more daily

    Studio policies can also include information about practice space and recommended tools for students, such as a music stand, quiet area with proper lighting, and a metronome. A chromatic tuner is also helpful.

Enrichment
    Studio policies are also a forum for recommending enrichment activities that will help your students become successful musicians. You can include information about the local flute club and recommend that students attend music performances, a valuable part of music education. Every month or two, I provide my students with a list of upcoming performances of the orchestra, band, and flute choir that I perform with, as well as information on events sponsored by our local flute club. 

    I encourage my students to become members of the Greater Portland Flute Society. It is a wonderful organization that promotes flute playing and sponsors many flute activities. I also encourage my students to attend music performances. I will keep you informed of upcoming musical events (especially flute-related). Attending performances is a valuable part of music education.

Signature
    I require that each student, or parent of a student under age 18, sign my Studio Policies sheet (as shown below). This helps prevent misunderstandings about missed lessons and tuition payments. I provide a tear off sheet that reiterates that the signer has read the policies. I keep the signed portion, and the student keeps the detailed list of policies.
    When developing your studio policies, it is helpful to look at the studio policies of other teachers. Contact colleagues in your area and ask them about their studio policies. Should you wish to see my full policies, they are posted on my website at http://phyllislouke.com.

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Two Years Out
    The planning for the 2009 festival began two years ago, immediately after completing the previous one. The members of the committee are responsible for such areas as publicity, programming, volunteers, banquet, corporate sponsorship, judges, and exhib-itors. The first thing they did was establish a budget based upon past experience.
    Then we contacted other flute clubs around the country to find out about their festivals. We were particularly interested in the programs that they offered and whether entrance to their festivals was included in members’ annual dues. We discovered that most flute clubs have one-day festivals. Some add an additional fee for members to attend their festival, and some do not. We decided to offer members a reduced rate. Members will pay $55 and non-members $75. However, there are further reductions for early registration and for parents accompanying students, etc.
 
The Guest Artist
    Before choosing a guest artist I made a list of flute clubs around the country and the guest artists and teachers they had used in the past. I wanted to know who was the most popular. Also included on my list were teachers with whom I was impressed. After sorting the list down to a manageable size, I started contacting the artists.
    I believe that the first contact with an artist has to be a personal call. Email is just too impersonal. I asked three questions of each: Are you interested? Are you available? and What would you charge? Some sent me to their agent, some quoted a price and asked me not to contact their agent, and others didn’t have an agent and quoted a price on their own.
    As luck would have it, we wound up with four artists for 2009, something we generally could not afford. In this case, Matthias Ziegler, Marco Granados, and Dennis Bouriakov offered to come when they learned that William Bennett (Wibb ) would be the Guest Artist and receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. They all studied with Wibb and wanted to be involved as a way of honoring him. The CFC is paying their travel expenses and they have waived their normal artist fees.

The Venue
     With Wibb secured, we visited hotels looking for a place that would be convenient for members and visiting flutists and that would be suitable for exhibitors. We considered the amount of space available for exhibitors’ tables, the size and number of meeting rooms, options for audio-visual equipment, the cost of hotel rooms, and portage fees (if any) for the exhibitors’ equipment.
     We looked at the ballroom as a possible site for the main performances. There had been a problem in the past that led to a non-budgeted expense for buses to transport festival attendees to another site for concerts, and we wanted to avoid a similar situation in 2009. After much discussion we chose the Hotel Orrington, in Evanston – the first suburb north of Chicago. The hotel is less than two blocks from the Music Institute of Chicago which has a beautiful concert hall. We came to an agreement with them to include our concerts on their season subscription list. We received the use of the hall gratis and potentially may have many more paying guests at the recitals. 

Picking a Theme
     With the cornerstones of the festival in place and contracts signed, we moved on to the message we wanted to use as the focal point. In 2007 our festival was titled “Our Heritage and Our Promise.” We focused on the great teachers of the flute community and explored how phrasing, articulation, and pedagogy styles have evolved over the years. This year the theme is “Twenty Years and Beyond.” Styles of music have changed radically in the past 20 years, and the schedule of events addresses the interests of various types of musicians.

The Program
     One of the most challenging parts of putting a festival together is avoiding overlapped events. We also wanted to have a variety of events for the various types of flutists. By observing the attendance at sessions in 2007, we learned that young students visit the industry exhibits to learn about improving or upgrading their instruments. They also want to learn how to play the big flutes and find out about the technical challenges they will face as they develop. Conservatory-trained musicians and teachers want demonstrations, performances, and information about contemporary techniques in today’s new music. Non-professional flutists wanted to participate in flute choirs, listen to others perform in recitals and competition finals, and observe masterclasses.

Volunteers
     While all this planning was going on, we notified our members, nearby flute clubs, and potential exhibitors about the upcoming event. We asked for volunteers with a question on the registration form and on the club’s website. The volunteers do such unsung duties as envelope stuffing, guarding doors, and meeting airplanes.

Exhibitors
     The flute industry is an integral part of the success of any festival, and most of the planning was done with them in mind. We also offered them advertising space in the program book, which provides an additional source of income for the festival.
     We sent out a save-the-date notice 18 months ago and then followed up with an email. In past years we asked them to choose from various sponsorship levels, but this year we decided not to do that. Exhibitors can pay for an advertisement in the program book if they wish, and donations will be gladly appreciated. Another mailing listed festival activities, estimated attendance figures, and offered a discount for reserving tables by a specific date. The final mailing to exhibitors will  be a brochure sent right after the August N.F.A. convention. After that, we have three people assigned to making phone calls.
     We hope the 2009 Flute Festival will be exciting, with topics of interest for everyone. It is possible for any flute club to accomplish such an event, provided that you maintain a timetable, have trusty volunteers who follow through on their tasks, remain vigilant about the budget, and foster a continuous connection with your membership to assure attendance.            Œ.

The post Planning a Flute Festival appeared first on The Instrumentalist.

Contracts
    Many teachers find that having a studio contract between the student and teacher is helpful. Personally I never felt the need to develop one. I have two rules that I mention when students sign up for lessons: 

    1. Call me 24 hours ahead if you are going to miss your lesson or you will be charged for the lesson.

    2. Lesson fees for the entire month are due at the beginning of the month or you can pay by the lesson.

I do not teach lessons on credit. Time is money.
    In the many years that I have taught, only two students have failed to pay. If you take a new student who does not abide by the two rules above (24 hour notification for a cancelled lesson and failure to pay), then drop them sooner than later. You will find that students who do not have the discipline to follow these simple rules will not be students who can learn to play with control and discipline.

Accounting
    At tax time you will need an accurate record of each student you taught and the dates and lengths of their lessons. I generally teach about 14 lessons per student per semester. This averages out to be four in September, October, and November and two in December. These numbers do not include college-credit lessons, which are regulated by the department guidelines.
I use two forms in order to keep accurate teaching records. The first is a general information sheet that I ask students to fill out each fall. It includes their current contact information and tells a little about the student. The second is one that I mark at each lesson.
    Use one or more of the boxes page for each day that you teach. If you teach on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, staple the sheets for each day together and place them in a vinyl sleeve. This small packet easily fits into a flute bag so you can have the information that you need at any time.  In the longer box, fill in the name of the student on the first line and his quick contact information on the second line. Above the small boxes, place the date of each lesson for the fall or winter term. When a student receives a lesson, mark an X in the box. I use one X for a half hour lesson and XX for an hour lesson.
    In the second box directly under the first one, note if the lesson was paid in advance or paid on a specific day. If a student pays for four lessons at the beginning of the month, then I place PD in four boxes under the appropriate date. At the end of the term I tally the number of lessons given by the amount of the lesson fee. This gives me my earned income information for the Schedule C form of the U.S. tax forms.
 
New Goals
    When planning the year, don’t forget to schedule some time for you. This time could take the form of private instruction from a teacher that you admire, or it could be attending a concert, masterclass, or lecture. This will keep your skills current and provide stimulation to develop your creativity.  Set goals for you and for your students. 
    There are two kinds of goals: long and short term. Students need both. A long term goal might be to enter a concerto competition in the spring. A short term goal might be to learn all the melodic minor scales by memory this month.

First Lesson of the Fall
    When students return in the fall, check the cork placement in their headjoints. It is quite possible that the cork moved over the summer. Also check whether the pads are seating properly. Miniscule air leaks around the pads can cause an airy tone, temp­ting the player to squeeze the keys too tightly in order to make the flute speak. It is better to get the flute repaired at the beginning of the term than just before an important concert or audition.

Assessing New Students
    When students begin lessons in the fall, I evaluate their skills to set goals for them. These are a few of the most common weaknesses I encounter.

Body Position
    The most common problem is how students sit or stand relative to their music stands. Band rooms are set up with the music stand directly in front of the chair, so students think they should sit with their shoulders parallel to the music stand in a position very similar to their clarinet buddies. Because the flute is an asymmetrical instrument, this presents a problem of balancing the flute and still being able to see the music. Students often lower the end of the flute towards the floor, tilting their head to the right. Not only does this cause pain in the neck and right shoulders, but it inhibits the wind pipe. This may contribute to a small, out-of-tune, pinched tone.
    The solution is to have students stand as if they were serving a volleyball, with the left foot in front and the right foot in back. When sitting, the chair is rotated to the right 45 degrees, and the student sits with the feet in the volleyball serving position. The abdomen should face to the right, and the upper body should spiral to the left. While many students can successfully achieve this position, the end of the flute is often positioned back too far. The end of the flute should be even with or in front of the player’s nose. This position encourages players to rotate their head slightly to the left. Be sure that they bring the flute to their lips rather than bringing the chin down to the flute.

Thumb Position
    An incorrect left-hand thumb position can lead to tension and pain. The left-hand thumb should be straight and point to the ceiling. The crease in the first knuckle should touch very close to the bottom of the thumb key. If the student touches the thumb key with the tip of their thumb, the left wrist may protrude and be rounded, which can cause carpal tunnel syndrome over time. To check a student’s thumb position, stand behind them on their left side to watch them play.

Articulation
    Many students have been taught to double and triple tongue by a non-flute playing teacher. Most enlightened flute players think of tonguing as being a horizontal movement rather than a vertical one. The teeth are separated and the tongue moves through the teeth touching the top lip for the attack. Remember – the tongue releases the air. If the air comes first, the attack sounds hooty. There are several good syllables to say, but my favorite is Thi-Key. The goal is to position the tip of the tongue forward and high. If the student has not experienced this concept, he will quickly be able to achieve success in a few weeks with some drill at each lesson.

Vibrato
    Vibrato control is another issue that affects performance and audition success. It should start at the beginning of the note, but too many students start the note and then add the vibrato. Unless designated by the composer, the strongest part of a note is at the beginning. Record students so that they can hear what they are doing. Often the sheer action of playing takes precedence over active listening.

Rhythm
    Many students struggle with counting and rhythmic performance. This stems from a lack of understanding of the difference between simple time and compound time. Simple time is when the beat is divisible by 2, as in  2/4,  3/4, and 4/4. Compound time is when the beat is divisible by 3 as in  3/8,  6/8,  9/8, and 12/8.
    Plan to include some rhythmic reading in each lesson to develop this skill and rhythmic understanding. To check a student’s level of understanding, ask them to rhythmically read from a sight reading manual. There are several good ones on the market such as Rhythm Spectrum by Ed Sueta and Rhythmic Training by Robert Starer. A student recently told me that her college theory department had simplified the theory course so that the music theater majors could pass the course. In the aural skills portion of music theory, the curriculum no longer includs any sight singing or rhythmic drill. It makes me wonder who wins in this situation. The answer is simple: No one.
    For some unknown reason, students today are very literal in their musical performance. All notes are glued together and are played without inflection or nuance. There is little knowledge of style periods and how this relates to performance practice. The solution to this problem is huge and will be addressed in future columns.

The Joy of Teaching
    When the fall teaching schedule begins, you will renew your relationship with students you may not have seen for several weeks or months.  Many of them will have attended summer music festivals, camps, and masterclasses during the time away from you. I always look forward to hearing about their summer activities and experiences.
    One of my informal studio rules is, if you attend a masterclass and there are handouts, be sure to bring one back for me. Students enjoy explaining these handouts and sharing their newly-gained information. This discussion is very important because it helps the student put the summer experience into prospective. While they may have discussed their summer with their parents, only another musician will truly understand what they have experienced.
    Of course I am extremely pleased when they have had a successful time and felt well-prepared as they ventured into the greater music world. For me, one of the greatest joys of teaching is knowing that I have taught a student to teach themselves, so that one day, they can leave my studio and know what they are doing.

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     I met Hungarian flutist and composer Gergely Ittzés at the 25th International Music Festival in Brasília, Brazil in January 2003. Along with Brazilian flutist, Sergio Barrenechea, we team-taught and played various concerts during the three-week festival. What impressed me most about Ittzés, besides his amazing dexterity with extended techniques, was his creativity as a composer. In one class he played his flute solo piece,

     Gergely Ittzés was born in Győr, a Hungarian city approximately 120 km from Budapest. The family moved to Kecskemét, the birthplace of Zoltán Kodály, so his father could work at the then newly-established Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music. Ittzés’ father still teaches music theory there and is also a musicologist. His mother has the same music education background as his father and holds an additional degree in English. She has taught music courses in English at a music high school for 15 years.

Childhood
    Coming from a musical family and a culture that encourages music education, it was natural for Ittzés and his brothers to be interested in music:
“As small children we were surrounded by music, so it was obvious that we would start an instrument. My parents wanted us each to start playing when we were six. My older brother, Tamás, is a violinist who just finished his doctorate in violin and started teaching at a university in Debrecen. My other brother, Ádám, is confined to a wheelchair and can’t play music, but he probably listens to it more than I do. He’s married, has two daughters and three diplomas, one each in history, theology, and library sciences.
    “Because Tamás played violin my parents thought I should play a wind instrument. Children usually start on recorder in Hungary and switch to a bigger instrument later, so that is what I did. I was quite upset, however, because I didn’t think the recorder was as serious as the violin. This might be one of the reasons that I’m still very influenced by string playing. I have a CD called Violin Works on Flute in which I demonstrate how flutists can reach the level and expressive skills of string players. Accompanying the CD is an article I wrote titled, ‘Envious Flutists.’
    “My recorder teacher was an oboist and wanted me to switch to oboe after four years. We soon figured out that the oboe was not for me. I broke the first reed immediately, and my lips weren’t right for it either. My teacher thought flute would be better, but I got frustrated with it because it was so much harder than recorder. I ended up stopping after six months but then found that I missed it. I went back to my teacher – an extremely nice man – but because he was an oboist, he taught me to play the flute improperly. It is quite common for wind players to teach more than one instrument in Hungary.
    “I was 12 when I realized I would be a flutist. I had different plans before, but I had this sudden revelation like a thunderbolt. The idea to be a musician became a conviction, a devotion. Along with flute lessons I had been taking percussion lessons for three years by this time, and while I’m not a very talented percussionist, the percussion work improved my sense of rhythm and gave me the feeling of creating a musical sound in another way. Later I studied piano and use it now for its harmonic capabilities to improvise and to get an overview of a piece.
    “I started to listen to the radio all the time. Our classical music station posted a detailed program; I always noted when to listen, so that during the afternoon when I was practicing, I could know that there would be a flutist playing in five minutes. I started collecting information that way for many years, but I must say that I was not very impressed by the flute sounds I heard. Most were either too fuzzy and wooden or too thin.”

Important Teachers
    When he attended a summer music camp and heard Hungarian flutist István Matuz perform, he found the answer. “I loved his sound and his approach to old music. I later discovered that my parents had one of his records, which I listened to daily. It included the Prokofiev Sonata, the Martin Ballade, and the Boulez Sonatina. Matuz fostered my imagination for a very long time. Later I met many other interesting musicians, and our paths diverged, but Matuz was the first strong influence on my flute playing. He is a soloist and does a lot of work in multiphonics and extended techniques. When I met him, our relationship became quite close. Although he was never my official teacher, I took courses with him, and we met often. Since that time we have played and done many summer classes together.”
    Besides Matuz, Ittzés also traces his interest in extended techniques to Robert Dick: “I heard a concert that he recorded about 20 years ago that influenced me a lot. His approach is very different from that of Matuz, whose focus is to get as many sounds out of the flute as possible. Matuz’s sound is very rich when he plays multiphonics but not as classical as Robert’s double-stop playing, in which he plays so clearly that you can hear both pitches. This clarity influenced my approach, and I was inspired to make my double-stop chart. I learned the theory from Matuz, however, as he also knows a lot about flute acoustics and how to do the fingerings based on acoustic principles.” During high school Ittzés studied with Ákos Dratsay, a newly-graduated flutist from the Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. “He was also influenced by Matuz, and he established my technique and approach.”
    At 18 Ittzés moved to Budapest, where he attended the Budapest Liszt Academy of Music for the required five years. He studied with Henrik Pröhle, who was less of an influence on his playing than Matuz, and later, Auréle Nicolet, who Ittzés met in a course when he was 19. “Auréle Nicolet was the other flutist who had a huge effect on my flute playing. He was very musically intelligent. I also had wonderful chamber music teachers in Budapest who weren’t flutists, such as composer György Kurtág and the legendary pianist Ferenc Rados, teacher of András Schiff, among others.”

Competitions
    In 1987, shortly after his entrance into the Budapest Liszt Academy, Ittzés won third prize in the Valentino Bucchi International Flute Competition in Rome. The following year he was in the finals of a competition in Duino, Italy, which is how he initially met Nicolet, a member of the judging panel. “I was third, but they didn’t award a third prize. Emmanuel Pahud won the first prize that year. Later I tried some other competitions, and felt that the better I played, the less successful I was, so I stopped going to competitions.
    “There was always a conflict between whether to adjust to a competition’s requirements or whether to go my own way. I was influenced from outside the mainstream and lost perspective on what I was doing – whether I was playing honestly or reacting to something I was told to do. Competitions don’t really accept people who do not conform. It is much easier to compare players when their styles and qualities are similar. Those who play in an obviously different manner are usually eliminated. I had this revolutionary approach that was not attractive to judges. Now mainstream flutists appreciate me more when they hear me play. They don’t find my playing strange.
    “Another problem I had during competitions was my technique. I realized that there was a certain dichotomy between my musical imagination and my technical skills that I only resolved after my official studies terminated. When I was 25, I discovered a way to be flexible enough to produce the sound I wanted to hear.
    “The idea of conforming to one ideal sound is a bit too stiff for me. Even worse is playing standard repertoire such as a Bach sonata, or the Mozart or Reinecke Concerto, with the same approach that you would play an orchestral part. An orchestral approach is limited to playing with a nice sound, vibrato, and intonation, but with little attention to personality, communication, and musical structure. I find this a very narrow path. When you play a whole sonata you are responsible for the form and, in a way, for the instrumentation of the piece. You have to use more extreme colors, timing, and vibrato. Most often competition winners play solo repertoire as if they were playing in an orchestra, not allowing themselves much individuality.
    “In 1998 I went to a special competition – the Aleksander Tansman Second International Competition for Music Personalities in Poland, and I won the Grand Prix. Patrick Gallois, who is a great musician, was on the jury. I had heard his recordings and watched him teach once and thought his approach was similar to mine. He also felt the similarity.”

Finding His Own Style
    After graduating from the Liszt Academy, Ittzés went to the Prague Mozart Academy for a year, where he studied with a variety of instrumentalists, not just flutists, and developed friendships, including the one he has with keyboardist and composer Anthony Newman. Later he received a scholarship to Banff Center where he participated in the Fall program and created a piece based on a Sioux Indian tradition for four flutes called Vision Pit. Ittzés structured the piece but didn’t dictate exact notes and describes the work as “organized improvisation.” 
    While at Banff, he also collaborated with jazz musicians, which is something he had done before. “I never studied jazz formally but had worked on it on my own. Jazz is more about opening your ears. I didn’t get very far in it and realized that I have to limit the number styles that I play. I just didn’t have the time to spend with jazz, but I may come back to it in the future. I still learned a lot, and it has changed my approach to playing composed music.”
    Recently, Ittzés returned to the Liszt Academy to get his doctorate in music. In the past few years Hungary has changed its higher education system and now requires teachers to have a doctorate in order to teach arts at the college level. “Music education is very well-organized in Hungary. Unfortunately, new politics and financial considerations are affecting the music education system. Hungary has had a strong system of music schools, such as State music schools for children. To become a musician, students decide at the age of 14 to go to the conservatory, which is at the high school level. Many Eastern European countries also have this system. After the conservatory you can go to a college or university.”
    “Now Hungary is using the Bologna System, which copies the American system with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Musicians with only a bachelor’s degree can’t teach in a music school because of the new rules. Even performing artists with master’s degrees are not allowed to teach because they have not taken pedagogical classes. A performance degree has to be combined with an extra year of pedagogy study in order to teach. So far Hungary has just the bachelor’s degree. In 2010, the first bachelors’ degree students will graduate, and schools will add the master’s level.
    “In 2001 I received the Liszt Prize, one of the important prizes of Hungary’s Ministry of Culture; it is the equivalent of a doctorate, although you don’t have to do the coursework. I did the habilitation, a required exam to become a professor that includes playing a public concert and teaching in your mother tongue and in a foreign language. Because of the Liszt Prize I didn’t have to take the doctoral courses, but I decided to do them anyway. Writing my thesis is all that remains to be done. It will be about thinking in an harmonic way when we play, especially solo flute works. It’s more about implied or hidden polyphony, as in the Bach Partita. Even an Anderson etude is based on very fine harmonic knowledge. As part of my thesis, I transcribed some flute etudes and composed little piano pieces to demonstrate the harmonic background. The thesis includes a lot of theoretical information with some rather radical ideas.”

On Sound
    “Some people think my sound is strange because it is so open and full, and others love it. The first item of importance in tone development is to consciously use the resonant space within the mouth and between the teeth and upper lip as much as possible. The other important factor is that most flutists play with air that is too fast. After a certain point, the faster you blow, the less sound you produce. It feels powerful because you are working for it, but acoustically, instead of sounding louder, it sounds softer. The acoustic reason can be explained this way. When playing in the middle register, you hear the fundamental in the low register as a very soft whispering sound. Depending on the airspeed, the pitch of the fundamental remains pretty constant, but the overtone – the note you are playing – is obviously affected by the airspeed. When the interval (octave) between the barely-audible fundamental and the fingered sound is perfect, the sound is strengthened. When the octave is too wide (the fingered note is sharp), the vibrating air is not correct enough to strengthen the sound. The tone’s timbre will sound overblown. Therefore, it is essential to find the ideal air speed and resonance space in the oral cavity.
    “It’s important to combine the face and the mouth. The lips should not resist the air too much, but rather direct the air and create the ideal shape for the resonance. Sound waves return into the mouth as well. It’s like making a church within your mouth. I used to call it the ‘technique of slow air.’ Very often I say that you should think of blowing with warm air, not cold air. It’s also what you do with your tongue in the mouth, and so forth.
    “Most flutists think that they should focus the air column to produce a focused sound, but I think about this differently. With the proper open, round shape, the correct angle, air speed, and resonating space in your mouth, the sound is strong without trying to focus it. There are five aspects of a good sound:
1. The vertical placement of the flute on the lower lip – not too low, not too high.
2. The horizontal placement of the flute on the lower lip exactly below the aperture.
3. The flute must be parallel with the lip line.
4. An exact 90-degree angle between the embouchure plate and the air as it exits the mouth.
5. How much to roll the flute in or out.

    The edge of the embouchure hole should be opposite the air column and divide the air stream in half. The surface of the embouchure hole should be 90 degrees to the player’s face (at a right angle) because the embouchure plate is usually shaped to accommodate this position. This is a separate issue from the jaw’s role and the subtle way the lip muscles move.
    “There are three different aspects of the sound  production that are useful to be aware of and use consciously: first, the sound you imagine; second, the sound you feel; and third, what really happens. These three don’t always match each other however. For example, it is good to realize that even though it feels as if we blow the air through the tube, that’s not what really happens. The air is generating the resonance like electricity generates light, but the air molecules move back and forth and not away from the player. If players understand this, they might not continue blowing with the same force.”

The Performer
    Currently Ittzés plays a silver flute with a lip plate that is turned approximately 10 degrees to the right to follow his asymmetrical embouchure and to help him hold the flute more comfortably.
    As an active performer and recording artist, he plays in groups that range from the TeTraVERSI flute quartet, comprised of Ittzés and three of his former students, to the UMZE ensemble. (“UMZE” stands for the New Hungarian Music Society, which was started by Bartók and Kodály in 1911 to perform their music and that of their contemporaries).
    His 14 recordings range from chamber and traditional music to new works, violin transcriptions and works of Karg-Elert, Doppler, and his long-time collaborator, Anthony Newman.  Presently, he is working on a series of recordings for a Chinese label with Newman and some other well-known Hungarian pianists. The CD collection will be called The Great Book of Flute Sonatas.
 According to Ittzés, “The project will include all the major flute sonatas composed in the last 300 years. It will be a subjective selection, but I will play all those that are great, famous, or both. There are some sonatas that I don’t find great but are often played, and others that are great but little known, like those of Dubois, Jongen, and my Hungarian favorite, Lajtha.”

Teaching
    Ittzés has been teaching flute at the Széchenyi University in Győr since 1997, when he was 27 years old. “In my teaching, I try to make a very direct connection between technique and musicality. I believe that there are objective points that can be relied upon and stated exactly. I would like to create a certain complexity in my method, and maybe this is what students like when they choose to study with me. I never put extra emphasis on performing art, sound, or technique but try to focus on all of them at the same time.
    “Contemporary techniques are also organic parts of my teaching method and not just specialties. Multiphonics, for example, can be very helpful in teaching classical or conventional repertoire. I don’t push students to do experimental pieces, but if they want me to help, I will. I usually use these techniques as exercises for tone development. For example, if slurring between two notes is problematic, I show them a fingering where it is possible to play the two notes together. After practicing the double stop for a minute, it is easier to play with the normal sound. Double stop exercises also help students learn to support the sound and control the lip muscles. When playing double stops, it is easy to know when you make a mistake because you lose one of the notes. It is not just a little waver in the sound. Practicing double-stops also improves your ear, which takes us back to violin playing. One advantage about violin is that you can have several sounds at the same time. On the flute it is a great feeling, too, as it adds another dimension.
    “I have a chart of about 400 double-stop fingerings that can be downloaded from my website. () I am in the process of creating a software form of this chart. The chart not only has the fingerings but other information including dynamic limitations. I used a special clever and short fingering notation that comes from István Matuz. The principal is easy and logical to understand, but it takes a few days or weeks to put it into practice. Writing the double stop fingerings is faster because you don’t have to make a symbol for every hole, only for those that are open.
    “Another important part of my approach to music is the way I think about performance. The inspiration comes from a book,  by the famous Russian actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski (1863-1938). I draw parallels between what he says about theater performance and what I think about music performance, trying to experience the music deeply and become one with the role that I am playing.” 
                                                                                                                                                

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