Student Information
1. The cost of lessons is $15.00 per half-hour lesson. Monthly payments are preferred and are due at the first lesson of each month. A $1.00 late fee will be charged for each lesson not paid by the end of the month. Weekly payments are also accepted but must be paid one week in advance.
2. If you need to cancel your lesson you must do so at least 24 hours before your lesson time or you will forfeit your money for that lesson.
If an emergency or sudden illness should arise, please call as soon as possible. If you miss your lessons, call and let me know that you are
still alive and will be attending your next lesson! Frequent cancellations will result in termination of lessons.
3. Each student is expected to arrive on time and prepared with your notebook, all current music, workbook and optional 30-minute cassette tape all in a pocket folder or portfolio. Failure to have these items at your lesson will result in forfeit of your lesson for that day and your payment for that lesson. I expect each student to practice to the best of their ability and to show improvement. A student should practice a minimum of 30 minutes a day 5-7 days a week.
After the student grows and their playing ability increases, I generally will graduate to Trevor Wye - Practice Books #5 & 6, Cavally - Melodious and Progressive Studies, Bk.1, Moyse - Flute Music of the Baroque, and they continue with the Music Theory books. If the student has the idea of wanting to play the flute as a career, I will have them go through all six books of the Master Theory books. As for scales, I usually don't like students to look at scale books because I find the student gets too dependant on them. I would rather have the student play them by rote using finger memory. I do this because when they see a scale in a piece of music, they're fingers take over and just play the scale and don't have to look at every note. I also have students go through their music before they play it and do a bit of analysis of the music, i.e. recognize scale patterns, arpeggios, and repeated patterens, etc.
At this stage, the student is doing some competition. In Michigan we have Solo and Ensemble. In junior high, there's only one level but at the high school level, it goes much further. It starts at the District level. If they get a I (one out of five, highest grade), they have the opportunity to go one to the State level. At this level they have to not only play their solo but also sight read and play five scales. Ninth graders go for ratings only. Tenth through Twelfth grades graduate from Profiency 1 to 3. The ratings turn from roman numbers to a number grade. The solo is worth 50 points, sight reading is 25 points, and scales are 25 points also. If a student gets a 95 or higher, have a high profiency, and are chosen by their judge, they have the opportunity to go on to Youth Arts Festival. At this level, the student is competiting against all other instruments from around the state to play with an orchestra. I've had several students make it to this round and one of them won the honor to play with the orchestra.
If a student has reached a high level at the high school or college level, I generally graduate them to other study methods (see my lists of studies), Moyse - French Music by French Composers, further study of scales and arpeggios, along with other solos that are not in collections. Some of my favorites are included in my list of solos.
One of my favorites to teach is Mozart - Andante in C. I like this one because it teaches many things like counting in 4/8, playing a cadenza, and trills. I use this piece to show musicality using word emphasis by putting words to the music. Just like in language, words have accents. So does music. You can make up any words you want but this seems to help the student really listen to how they play the notes and not just "play" the notes.
I love to teach the flute. I get a real joy and satisfaction out of seeing a student get the music right and really enjoy a piece.