Flute & Piccolo Instruction


Many of you have undoubtedly experienced the frustration of working hard on a piece, perhaps even getting to a point where you can play through it accurately, and still being dissatisfied with the way it sounds.

Perhaps you visited a teacher and received some pointers on rhythm, tempo, articulation, or dynamics. No doubt you returned to your studio to work on these points and were still frustrated with the sound of the music.

If so, I suggest the source for your frustration is the sound itself. The sound has probably gotten relatively little attention in this process.

This is all too common. There are millions of well meaning teachers out there. Many of them play beautifully. The problem is simply that the issue of sound and relating it sensibly and personally to a given piece is very difficult to verbalize. This is especially true where students with less than professional aspirations or more timid dispositions are concerned.

I have developed an approach to this critical musical problem, which has proven to be very effective. I work on sound for its own sake. Illustrations from scientific sources are used to establish the fact that sound is a chaotic phenomenon. I debunk the commonly accepted notion that a note is a symbol for a single event. Even the crudest performance contains far more aural information than the printed page.

All of this other information comes directly from your brain. It cannot be otherwise. When these concepts are understood, you are ready to accept sound variation as the basis of musical interest and, most importantly, of performing in a highly personal way.

Very quickly you experience:

  • yourself as the point of origin for any changes you "will" to the sound
  • that you can improve substantially RIGHT NOW, rather than in some months or years of striving to be correct enough
  • that you can have genuine self-confidence

The bests results are experienced with students who are somewhat skilled and self-motivated. This approach is particularly well suited to the Master-Class situation, even if a diverse level of ability is involved.

If this is of interest, please contact me to discuss a special coaching session for you, your students, or your flute club.