The Expression Project

By Morgann Davis

Morgann Davis (7th from left) and her studio 

Recently I shared some thoughts on what guides the projects I prepare for my private students, and specifically on the Extended Technique Ladder they completed early this winter. Initially, my intent was to do just one project for the remainder of the school year.  However, as we prepared for the spring studio recital (and through my own recent practice process), I realized that there never feels like there is enough time to discuss musicianship with my students. We spend so much time on fundamental development, which is absolutely necessary, that we frequently neglect to find the time to discuss phrasing and musicality on a regular basis. I decided to challenge myself to make it fit into our preparation for the next recital.

This is an expansive topic, and I knew if I wanted to introduce it succinctly and clearly that I would need to break it down and begin with the facts. We spent two weeks using worksheets to learn the “basics.” First, what a phrase is and how to find it, and second, what clues composers write that show us what to bring out in a phrase. The possibilities for covering this are almost endless, and I was very careful to cover the same base of information with each student before branching off into their pieces or topics that were brought up by questions the students had.

After introducing the more factual side of the process, we started to have some fun with the idea of musicality. Now that the students understood what they were looking for from the music and composer, we were able to discuss and add in what they personally felt about their pieces. Starting by exploring the way we assign emotions to music even if it doesn’t have words, we explored practical ways to share our feelings through the music we prepare and perform. Did the piece the student was preparing sound happy, sad, mysterious, or maybe a mixture of emotions? How did they think their flute should sound to display those emotions?

Once the conversation was started, I used two of my favorite techniques that I've learned from my teachers and colleagues and adapted for my own teaching. First, we used a technique that is loved by my teacher Katherine Borst Jones and considered what their piece would be about if it were a story. What kind of character would it be about? Is it set in a particular place or time? How does the plot develop as the piece goes on, and how does our flute playing need to change to make sure we hear that?

The second technique we employed has developed as something I do with my students from a project that was introduced to me by Nicole Molumby, who now teaches at Boise State, while she was completing her doctorate at Ohio State during my undergraduate studies. For this part of the exercise, we combine the technique of assigning a color to our sound (something that is familiar to many flutists) with assigning color to the piece we are preparing. My students imagined their piece if it were a piece of art. What color would it be? Would it be opaque or transparent? Would there be shapes or shading?  How would you make your flute sound match those colors?

I wanted to be sure to share all this work with my students’ parents, so we took the final portion of our expression project and displayed it at the spring studio recital. Each student “colored” the piece they were performing using all the information they had gathered and collected over the course of the project. I hung the colored version of the pieces outside the recital space so that parents could see them before and after the recital, allowing them to gather some insight into the performances they heard that day.

For fun, I also provided a very simple piece that even my newest students could play.  Everyone interpreted these through color as well, and I displayed them together showing how differently everyone hears the same music.

As with any project I do with my students, the work is never conclusive. This part of my teaching is meant to provide resources and information, and to start an ongoing discussion of the topic at hand. Making a special focus of the topic engages my students and gets them excited to learn something that is new, and sometimes very unusual!

*Follow Morgann Davis online on her website 

and Facebook pages:

www.morgannelycedavis.com

www.facebook.com/DavisFluteStudio

Thoughts on Split-E: Morgann Davis

Morgann Davis performing with sttuden.

In last week's Flute Builder blog post, we took a closer look at the split-E mechanism option, focusing on mechanical differences in its construction.  But what differences do flute performing and teaching artists note?  Well, we thought it might be an interesting question for our professional players and will have a series of posts on their equipment options.  This week, we begin with Powell player Morgann Davis, who shares her thoughts particularly in reference to her experiences teaching young students:

In regards to student flutes with split-E mechanisms, most of my beginners have flutes without. I don't find it too difficult to learn high E for my young students, but I am careful not to give them the hint that E is a hard note. We treat it just like any other high note, and address any problems in producing it by analyzing what is happening with their air and embouchure. Many young flutists begin on a "hand-me-down" flute, and frequently the flute hasn't been cleaned or repaired for many, many years. Occasionally when a young student is really struggling in a particular register, it may be that their flute needs to be seen by a repairman.  

Through my experiences, my preference has become that students learn on a flute that doesn't have one. I'd like for them to learn to produce their best effort without the assistance of the mechanism. If, when they are ready to purchase a new flute, they find through trials that a split E feels better, I believe that is a good time to use it. Certainly each person is different, and for some, the mechanism will not feel like a good fit. Occasionally students will want the split-E because they feel it will fix their high E problems. It's especially important for these students to try flutes with and without the mechanism, and for them to analyze what is different about the Es on both. If you're not used to having it and are switching, you might notice that you can feel the extra mechanism on your right hand and have to adjust your position a bit. Also, since the high Es are easier with the split-E mechanism, you may need to work harder at keeping them from "popping" out if you are used to having to do some extra work to play a good E. I've never owned a flute with a split-E, so I find the right hand feels "clunky" on flutes that have one. Again, each of us is different, and that's certainly just based on what feels comfortable for my hand position. 

For more on Morgann Davis, visit her website and Facebook pages: 

www.morgannelycedavis.com  www.facebook.com/DavisFluteStudio 

Studio Scale Challenge

By Morgann Davis

As teachers, most of us regularly incorporate technical studies and scales into each student’s lesson. However, I think every student reaches a point in their growth that technical exercises can feel a bit tedious and redundant. I find that students may feel less motivated to practice scales if they can’t immediately see the benefit or the changes in their technical ability.

A large number of my current students are middle school age or younger, and I found it to be a bit of a struggle to get them excited about improving their technique. I have previously used a Practice Challenge to help my students learn about efficient practice and to get them excited about dedicating time to their flute, so it seemed logical to take the same approach to scales. In my studio, a “Challenge” often implies a personal journey, rather than a contest between students. I encourage each student to challenge their expectations of themselves, as well as their perception of what they can achieve. In both challenges addressing practice and scales, most students were shocked at how much they could accomplish while actually enjoying the work.

Since I felt most of my students needed a crash course on basic scale practice and theory, I made the challenge eight weeks long. Each student received a packet outlining the expectations (this was determined by age group, and then tailored in each lesson), the circle of fifths, major scales, minor scales, and “unusual” scales like pentatonic, blues, whole tone, etc.. In the back of the packets, I included charts for major scales and minor scales. For the duration of the challenge, the students began each lesson with their scales, and we kept track on their charts which ones they “passed” and memorized. I also had a grab bag of “prizes” that students could choose from each week if they completeld their challenge assignment. These were small items like stickers, erasers, pencils or candy, but they add an extra fun element to all the hard work.

As the challenge progressed, I was amazed at the numerous benefits for the students beyond the obvious things I expected. Students who have struggled with completing weekly assignments were coming to lessons fully prepared, sometimes even having done more than they were asked. These types of students were extra motivated by having a chart to mark off each week where they could see their achievements. In addition to providing a learning platform for practice, the challenge motivated everyone to learn new notes (or, in the case of most of the older students, to polish their third register technique).

Students became curious about what their friends were achieving and took on a healthy approach to competition, feeling motivated by the knowledge that many of their peers were working ahead. One of the most surprising results of the challenge was a young student who was so shy she would barely speak to me in her first lesson. Although she has been coming out of her shell over the course of the last year, I have struggled with getting her to try new things. With the motivation of marking off her chart and a weekly “prize”, she took on a whole new approach to flute, genuinely making an effort to learn new notes and change physical elements of her playing, and losing some of her fear of trying new things.

Beyond the growth in my students, talking so much about theory in lessons was a wonderful opportunity for me to grow as a teacher. This is a topic we discuss occasionally, but I certainly learned about my teaching as I prepared lessons on theory almost weekly. I look forward to integrating this challenge on a yearly basis, adjusting the requirements as my students technical abilities continue to improve. If you feel it is appropriate, you could implement a variety of metronome and memorization requirements, scales in intervals, and even weekly tests or a final test to pass the challenge. By the time we reached the end of our eight weeks, my studio had learned 141 scales and 54 new notes. Two students memorized everything they did, including one of my youngest, first year students (who learned 9 memorized scales and 14 new notes, having only played the flute since October!).

I recognized each student at the end of the challenge with a certificate and small gift, because I believe in encouraging a strong work ethic by acknowledging their willingness to work hard at something new. This activity became much more than a tool for learning scales, but also a motivational tool, a lesson in goal setting and personal expectations, an opportunity for achievement recognition, and a way to learn about healthy competition amongst peers in a supportive environment. After taking a break from intensive scale study for two weeks following the challenge, I even have students asking me when we’ll start learning new scales again!

For more on Morgann Davis, visit her website at http://www.morgannelycedavis.com/. 

Studio Recitals: Creating Dynamic and Engaging Performers

By Morgann Davis

Morgann Davis and studio.

One of my favorite aspects of operating a private studio is planning recitals for my students. I love the excitement generated by upcoming performances and the positive way they can accelerate regular lesson productivity. My goal is always to have two recitals each year, giving the students an opportunity to share their hard work and growth with each other and with their families. I am encouraged at each performance by how much perspective and inspiration the students and their parents take away from the experience of hearing new pieces and new people perform.

Logistically, it can be difficult to organize a recital, but once you’re past that part of the process you are left with a very rewarding musical journey to take with your students. I begin by finding a location I like and offering two dates for parents to choose from, usually about two months in advance. It can be hard to coordinate so many schedules, so my goal is always to have about two-thirds of my students present at a recital. I find that Sunday afternoons work well, but it may depend on the area you live in and the other activities that your students participate in.

Morgann performing with student.

Once a date is secured, I begin choosing music for the youngest students first. I use the recital as an opportunity to teach them about goal-setting, time management, and productive practice. I will almost always choose a piece for a younger student that I believe will stretch their abilities and inspire them to practice diligently for the performance. This elevated end goal can often help them to have developmental breakthroughs, as they’ll feel extra motivated to practice something that is a positive challenge, just a bit out of their current reach. I will often play duets with many of the younger students as well, so that they can have the experience of being on stage with someone they are used to playing their instrument for. The added stability of having your teacher, or an adept peer, next to you is not to be underestimated. For the older students, I may choose a piece a month ahead of the recital, or I may have them working on something that is very challenging that will culminate with the recital performance. I will again stress the same objectives as with the younger students, but also use this as an excellent opportunity to set higher expectations for musicality in more advanced students.

In regards to accompaniment and learning to collaborate, recitals again provide excellent opportunities for students to learn. Many will have played very little outside of band at school, and are often unfamiliar with chamber music, cueing, communicating through gesture, and other subtle elements of performance. Even the youngest students can give confident cues and cut offs with the right preparation, and all enjoy feeling like they are truly in charge of what’s happening with their piece.

Morgann accompanying student.

As far as whether or not to hire a pianist, you may have options depending on your ability to play piano. If I have a lot of students preparing for auditions or playing very difficult music, I will require that they hire and work with a collaborative pianist (I provide the contact information in this circumstance). Of course, the experience of learning to play with a collaborative professional is invaluable. I have adequate piano skills, so if the pieces are within my reach, I will play for my students. Especially if there are many who don’t have a lot of performance experience, it seems that this can be very comforting. They are familiar with me, and know that I understand the way they play. For younger students, I think they enjoy knowing that their teacher is on stage with them, backing them up both musically and emotionally. The added benefit of this is that I can rehearse with them in lessons as much as we need to leading up to the recital, allowing me an opportunity to coach them on collaboration.

At least two to three weeks before the recital, I begin discussing stage presence and performance practice with all the students. I have each student, from youngest to oldest, practice bowing and how they will carry themselves on stage. We talk early on about the fact that they will not be able to stop and correct mistakes in performance, and work on doing “no-stop” run-throughs of their pieces. It is usually around this time that students begin to express feelings of nervousness to me. Depending on the severity of their performance anxiety, we do a number of activities to help with this. There are, however, a few key points that I stress with each student, even if they’ve heard me say it before. I remind them that although the audience may look intimidating when you’re on stage, everyone listening is hoping to hear amazing performances and that for each new performer who comes on stage they are likely hoping to hear something truly amazing. I also remind them of the hard work they’ve done, and how much progress we’ve made since beginning the piece. I share that while we might be afraid that we’ll mess up, it’s very exciting to share our hard work with our family and
friends. Finally, I always confide that they’re not alone - we all get nervous! The key is figuring out how to take your nervous energy and make it useful.

As a young student, I learned stage presence from taking dance lessons where etiquette was always stressed, and you were on stage at a very young age. For my flute students, my goal is always that they become comfortable on stage in a similar way so that they may play with ease and poise. I want my students to have as many opportunities as I can provide to share the music they’re making with as many people as possible, not just with me each week in lessons. Studio recitals inspire hard work and preparation, but provide a relatively safe environment to grow into excellent stage presence and musicianship. No student is too young or old to discover the excitement of live performance, or to be inspired by a positive performance experience that is preceded by hard work.

For more on Morgann Davis, visit her website at http://www.morgannelycedavis.com/.

Focus! Making the Most out of Lessons

By Morgann Davis

Morgann Davis

Every year I find myself facing this time of year with an added sense of pressure to make lessons challenging, exciting, and fun. This year I tackled part of the issue head on by scheduling a recital at the end of February and assigning everyone new solos and duets to prepare. So, now we have a timestamp in place, a concert goal to focus toward. For many of my students this year, however, this is their first real recital. Expectations and preparation is different for these students as they don’t quite know what to expect.

Another way I try to build momentum and focus following the holidays is by creating structure and routine. I tackle lessons each week in the same order, meaning students know what to expect. Tuning, warm-ups and scales, etudes/technique, solos, duets. This is a serious time-saver in 30 minute lessons. Without having to discuss or decide what happens next there is less wasted time.

Ok, so we have two great steps to follow that will provide a great foundation for focus. Problem solved, right? Not quite. The real “meat” of the solution comes next. Now that there is structure and a performance date to aim for, I do my best to use the room made by lack of other projects to focus on each students’ weaknesses. I am very careful not to point out flaws from the start. Rather, I ask questions before each exercise to help the students open their ears, and provide very specific small goals for each as well. By working on a minuscule scale we are capitalizing on the lack of colossal goals like school concerts.

An example of this would be asking a student to listen to note lengths. What do they notice about the half notes in an exercise? (Perhaps they are too short, or they are inconsistent lengths). Let the student answer, even if it takes them some time - they might not be used to listening to themselves in this way! Acknowledge their answer, especially if it was difficult for them to discern, as noticing what they hear when they play can serve as an excellent diagnostic tool for the teacher. Then, ask them how they might remedy the issue, and have them play the same excerpt again.

I also provide small over-arching goals for each student. If a student struggles with keeping their headjoint rolled out, I will address this as our main goal at the beginning of the lesson, finding fun ways to provide gentle reminders throughout the lesson. I make sure this goal is written somewhere prominent in their lesson notebook or on a post-it before they leave their lesson.

By structuring lessons in this way, with one large goal (the recital), and more smaller, minute points of focus, I find it easier to build momentum for growth in the winter months. The added benefit is that with a disciplined approach to lessons and practice coming out of the beginning of the new year, it often feels like less work to students when they have to prepare for auditions and concerts in the spring!

*For more posts by Morgann Davis, visit her personal blog at http://joyfulflutist.tumblr.com/.

Enhancing Private Lessons with Everyday Technology

By Morgann Davis

Morgann Davis

While it’s easy to view some of today’s amazing technology as a distraction, there are many ways we can easily use the devices and services that have become so commonplace to quickly improve and enhance the private lesson experience. Odds are good that you or your students own at least one of the following: smart phone, iPod, tablet (iPad, Nook, etc.), desktop computer or laptop with a camera and microphone, hand-held video camera, or a digital camera with video capabilities. The odds are also great that there are more ways to use these devices than you realize to help your students improve quickly!

Apps are perhaps the most obvious way we can utilize our smartphones, iPods and tablets. There are amazing music teaching tools available for private and classroom instruction that are very detailed, but there are also great, sometimes simple, freebies that are easy to incorporate. YouTube has a free app that easily allows you to search for videos you’d like to share with your students. Links can be emailed directly from the app, or cut and pasted directly into a text message to the student. There are also lots of excellent, free tuners and metronomes available. I particularly enjoy using insTuner with my students, as it gives them simple guidance on whether they are sharp or flat, and which way to tune their instrument. It is also gives a more stable reading of the pitch than some other free chromatic tuner apps, and will play pitches in different octaves if you want to tune to a drone. There are also great apps for learning or referencing scales, like Scales & Modes (although this one costs $1.99, it provides a wide variety of scale types). Many more apps are available beyond those listed above, including ones that help with ear training and theory (some of these are free as well!), but I find these to be particularly useful. Now, every student has access to things like a metronome or tuner, even if their parents forget to take them to the music store!

As a student, I was told to record myself more times than I can remember (and I hate to admit, more often than I actually found the time to do!). Now, there’s very little excuse for a student not to record audio or video of a portion of their practice time. Even without a smart device, anyone with a computer that has a video camera can record themselves. For example, if you have any type of apple computer, you have a camera and a program called Photo Booth. Although the quality is a bit crude, this free program that is included with the computer more that serves the purpose of providing an outside ear and eye during practice. Students are never far from their phones, so I frequently encourage mine to set their iPhones or iPods to video instead of camera and place it on the stand. If viewing themselves from this vantage point makes them feel nervous, they can face the camera toward the stand. They’ll get a decent quality audio from this to use in analyzing their playing.  My favorite way to use video in lessons, however, is to record a problem spot in a piece or exercise using my phone and then email it to the student and their parent, asking them to watch the video and make notes on what they noticed before their next lesson. I have also done this with recital performances. My students are often shocked by what they observe (both good and bad)! For those of us wishing to make higher quality recordings for ourselves or our students, there are microphones that can be attached to your smartphone from companies like TASCAM that come with apps to operate them and edit the audio you record.

There is also an amazing wealth of resources beyond YouTube that can aid with performance practice and preparation. As a young student, I had no access to music libraries or catalogues of recordings, but today’s students can hear almost any musician from the comfort of their own homes. Beyond tutorials that have been recorded by flutists such as James Galway and Emmanuel Pahud (many of which are available on YouTube), there are free “radio” resources that allow us to access countless recordings. Even iTunes provides free radio where we can listen to classical, jazz or world music. My current favorite program for listening in the context of lessons is Spotify. Unlike Pandora, which generates playlists based on the genre of music or type of artist you searched, you can search for a specific artist or piece in Spotify’s enormous data base, then create and save playlists, even in the free version! For a small monthly fee, you can access your playlists using any device that’s logged into your account. The feature I find most valuable, however, is the ability to share your playlists. Gone are the days of burning CDs for students and hoping they don’t get lost before they make it home. Instead, you can share playlists with a student (even via their parents, if you prefer) with specific recordings you want them to hear through email (once someone has an account they can also opt to follow or subscribe to your playlists). I’ve made an example playlist that I might give to a young student that displays a variety of flutists and styles so you can try it out here: Teach Flute.

Another favorite performance enhancement tool for my studio is Smart Music. For just $40/yr and the one time purchase of a microphone to go with the program, you have access to a wealth of accompaniments. Using the microphone, you can play along to a set tempo (which you can adjust to your liking), or set the program to follow you. While this is obviously no replacement for a real pianist, it has been a tremendous help preparing my students for the first rehearsal with their accompanist when the piece is too difficult for me to play along.

A fun website that my students access often is flutetunes.com. Just like the name implies, there’s lots of free sheet music on this site as well as scales, staff paper, a tuner, and a glossary of musical terms!

From a business perspective, there are a multitude of ways technology can easily and instantly upgrade your teaching experience. Social media used the right way can actually be very effective for networking with other musicians, and for staying connected to your students and their parents. I think most people have become aware that it’s best to keep your personal life and business separate, so if you go this route you may want to create a twitter handle or facebook page specifically for business purposes. I use a Facebook page for my studio (DavisFlute Studio) to post resources, information about recitals and auditions, and the dates of classes for my students. Programs like GoogleDocs or Doodle can be used to help ease scheduling events like classes and recitals. You can even allow tuition payments by credit card for a minimal fee using your smartphone and devices like Square. There are also amazing sites like Weebly where you can easily make a sharp looking website for free. I paid just $40 for a yearly subscription to Weebly Pro so that I can tailor and update my website, MorgannElyce Davis, flutist, however and whenever I like.

These ideas are truly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how technology can enhance lessons for both you and your students. The key is to have fun discovering what’s available and to carry the creativity you use in your teaching into the way you use technology! 

Efficiently Laying the Foundation for Our Music

By Morgann Davis

            Consider how much time you have spent discussing or practicing concepts relating to breath control and support in your time as a musician. We practice long tones, breathing exercises, and excerpts like Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune for the duration of our flute lives. Our teachers tell us about the diaphragm, and use many varying explanations for the way our breathing apparatus works to allow us to make beautiful music.

            As wind instrumentalists, our air gives life to our music and a voice to our instrument. It is the determining factor in how our message is carried from conception to reception. We are often taught from a young age that support comes from somewhere: our abs, our diaphragm, from using the muscles to expel the air. There is validity to many explanations of “support,” but for the time being, I’d like to challenge you to think of support as something: an efficient airstream carried by the natural use of our muscles. Our breathing apparatus has to help us, but it does not create the sound, and will do its job correctly if we breathe in the way our bodies were built to. What truly supports our sound is a fast and consistent air stream, crossing the flute at the optimum angle.

Posture: Creating the pathway for your air 

            When teaching I tackle this concept from the start by making sure that my students are taking a natural and methodical approach to their stance and how they hold their instruments. I pull from a mixed bag of concepts that originate in Alexander Technique, Body Mapping and from experiences with my own teachers. Students are often better at using their bodies naturally at a young age, so I find that even my youngest students can grasp these concepts early on.

            Often, we focus on what our upper bodies do when we play our instruments, but pick up your flute as you would for a performance and notice for a moment what happens to your lower body. Most likely, you will find that one hip or the other is tense or locked, or perhaps you have limited mobility in your knees. My teacher, Katherine Borst Jones, often reminded us “you are a tree.” Your feet are grounded, but your legs (and hips) remain free to allow you to move in the breeze. Moving up from the roots, we must make sure to have freedom for movement in our hips. Try imitating the way you would throw a ball underhand with both your left and right arms. One hip will likely be more stiff than the other, and if you pick your flute up you’re just as likely to find the opposite shoulder is holding unnecessary tension. I found this awareness of whether my hips were locked in place during lessons with Jean Ferrandis, who is very conscious of any excess energy wasted on tension or unnatural movements. This part of our posture is not always associated with air use, but you will find that a freer lower body means more ease and efficiency in air flow and a more natural posture for the rest of the body.
            
            After evaluating our lower bodies, we come to the core, certainly a well-discussed and well-analyzed component of wind playing. In my own students, I encourage a natural use of the core muscles that is engaged, but never pushes on the air. We explore how to do this by using exercise balls and wall sits, amongst other physical activities. Older students have found common threads between an engaged, natural use of the core muscles and yoga. (A strong core goes a long way, but remember support is air, not a sit-up!). The goal is to use the large muscle groups to support your overall posture in a way that does not encourage you to constrict or push, especially with the abdominal muscles.
            
            All of these areas of sound production could be discussed at a much greater length, and the upper body is no different. I aim for my students to understand that the large muscle groups in their back (underneath the shoulder blades) can help to support the action of their arms, allowing freedom from tension in the shoulders and upper arms. A lack of upper body tension allows the lungs to expand as they are meant to, the air to move freely, and the sound to resonate.

            Finally, lift your flute to your chin or watch your students do the same. In a majority of my students I notice that the head moves forward to meet the flute, often with the chin down. I call this the “flutist’s thinker” (picture the famous statue). It seems obvious, but with so much to teach we often overlook this part of our students’ posture. Fixing it will create an instant improvement in breathing and air flow!

Air: The foundation of your music

            Having evaluated how your student’s posture and stance (or your own) may be hindering a natural use of the muscles and breathing mechanism, the air should now be able to move more freely to support your sound. Just as I did previously, I’d like to encourage you to challenge the more traditional definition and think of support as the use of a natural, efficient air stream.

            In order to support the sound with your air, you must first consider the intake. To be sure you are using all the space that’s available to you in your lungs, try taking your normal “big” breath standing as you would to play. Then, do the same while you are bent at the waist with your neck and arms relaxed. Did you expand in a different way? Did you have more air? This is my favorite way to demonstrate that we can breathe in 3D! Now, replicate that breath while standing.

            With a refreshed concept of how much air we can take in, we must put it to good use by being sure that it moves fast, freely, and consistently. I would imagine we all feel we are doing this to some extent. If you’ve ever recorded yourself practicing and then listened back, however, you know that our perception of our playing and the reality are often different. I particularly enjoy finding more concrete ways for myself and my students to see the way our air is working (or not working) as we would like.

            The use of pinwheels to encourage air speed and consistency was introduced to me by Katherine Borst Jones. I use them in a variety of ways in my studio now, from showing students whether their air changes during or at the end of a phrase or long note, whether they are changing the speed or amount for varying dynamics, or if they are stopping their air during articulated passages. There are many breathing devices that show these aspects of “supporting” with the air, but I enjoy using pinwheels because of the affordability. I send them home with students, and encourage them to tape them to their stands at embouchure level!

            The direction our air travels follows a close second in importance to the consistent speed it moves. If you remember the “flutist’s thinker” from before, it makes sense that our air is often directed too far into the flute. An added detriment is that an air stream that is aimed down will produce a more “direct,” laser-like tone up close that may be pleasing to the player but will project poorly in an ensemble or recital. The more distance we put between where the air leaves our embouchure and the edge of the embouchure hole where it splits, the better our sound will resonate and project. When teaching, I often provide analogies for my students encouraging them to picture their air traveling higher across the flute than it actually will. An example of this is relating direction to the pinwheel, asking them to picture a small wheel at the back of a recital hall that they must spin by blowing up across the flute and the top of the music stand.

The journey begins:

            Even without touching on the intricate embouchure related aspects of moving the air freely, there is more than enough to consider when it comes to how we support our sound. Our entire body is engaged in breath control and creating the foundation and voice of our music. The air supports our musicality, tone, dynamics, vibrato, articulation....the list can go on for quite a long time. Air is truly the life of our music as flutists, and the best path to the strongest foundation and support is the natural and efficient use of our bodies.

 
* To read more about Morgann Davis, visit her website at  www.morgannelycedavis.com 
 

Summer Practice Schedule

Morgann Davis

By Morgann Davis

It’s almost summer, and we all know what that means - no homework, no assignments…freedom! But wait, did you practice for your flute lesson?

With a schedule that includes long vacations and the absence of a structured school day with carefully planned evenings, keeping students on task (and moving forward) over the summer months can prove challenging.

I’ve enjoyed finding creative ways to keep my students motivated during the summer, exploring each student’s interests to help provide a map for navigating our vacation season lessons. Logistics can be tough in the summer, so I begin by providing a calendar to each family so they can share the dates of their summer vacations and camps with me. This also helps them put our lessons on their family calendar in advance, leaving less chance for a lesson cancelled due to a last minute pool party or BBQ with friends. Having done this, I ask each student if there is a piece they would like to learn for fun over the summer while we have less “project” pieces to prepare for school, solo and ensemble or auditions. This has turned up all sorts of things from Harry Potter to Taylor Swift and Irish folk music to Chaminade. Allowing the students to choose something they have had their eye on keeps them involved in the learning process, and perhaps extra motivated to perform the piece they picked independently on an end of summer recital.

Having allowed each student to have some fun choosing a piece usually makes them more willing to take on some fundamental practice during the break. Previously, I have hosted “practice challenges” in my studio (usually to kick off the school year) where I encourage students to compete with themselves (more than with each other!) to see how efficient they can be when they practice, and how much time they can purposefully dedicated to their flute each week. Having done this activity earlier in the year means that during the summer I can remind each student of what they did that helped their practice previously, and that they may even be able to find more time for their flute during vacation! For some, this means setting a timer, for others it might mean keeping a practice journal. Whatever it was that motivated their practice during a busier time of year may just lead to even more success in the summer.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention summer music camps as an excellent way to help young flutists stay motivated. There are many wonderful camps available to our students covering a variety of topics and interests from chamber music to large ensembles, jazz or folk music for all instruments, and camps that are focused specifically on the flute. No matter the ability or interests of the student, it's likely there is a camp that suits them. These experiences build social skills as well as musical skills, and my students almost always come home with many new friends and a fresh perspective on playing their instrument. As an added bonus, the process of preparing for camp placement auditions also helps to provide purpose in summer practicing!

Whether camps,“fun” pieces or other projects are the motivators for your students, I think the key to maintaining momentum over the summer months is creativity on the part of both the teacher and the student. Lessons during vacation should somehow feel a bit different from the school year, and often the personalities and suggestions of our students can help guide what activities we do to keep flute fun, even while the pool is calling our name!

* To read more about Morgann Davis, visit her website at
www.morgannelycedavis.com