LONDONDERRY

BANDSFORUM

FLUTE TUITION PROGRAMMEB FLAT FLUTE FOR BEGINNERS

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Reward Stickers Stickers will be awarded to pupils when they reach a certain level and marks

their progress. To also encourage them to aim towards the next level.

Contact Details

Londonderry Bands Forum

New Gate Arts and Culture Centre

20 – 22 Hawkin Street

The Fountain

02871 265869

1. 2. 3.

Getting Note out of instrument

Playing Scale

Reading Music

Music Understanding

Playing Tune

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Introduction

This programme will introduce students to the basics of playing the B flat flute, reading and

understanding music. During the programme students will have the chance to play

percussion instruments and learn to play together as a group. Pupils will also learn about

the background and history of the flute and flute bands. At the end of the programme it is

hoped that all students should be able to get a clear sound and play simple pieces of music

on the flute and be able to recognise the basics in reading sheet music.

Lesson Plan Outline

Lesson 1 – Introduction, History and background, holding, posture, blowing,

Lesson 2 – Reading Music and learn first 3 notes, correct pitch.

Lesson 3 – Introduction to musical notes, first tune.

Lesson 4 – Continue with first tune, flute band culture, learn 4 more notes.

Lesson 5 – Flute scales, Introduction to percussion and conducting.

Lesson 6 – Reading music recap and final performance piece.

Lesson 7 – Final performance piece and full rehearsal.

Lesson 8 – Perform final piece at event.

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Lesson Lesson Content Monitoring Progress

1 Introductions – Safety – Aims & Objectives of the course. History and background – Briefly explain the back ground and history of the flute. Describe the flute and indicate each part, Head (Embouchure), Body Joint (6x Finger holes & keys). How to hold a flute position of left hand / position of right hand. How to blow into the mouth aperture without the other sections. How to produce a sound with all sections of flute connected.

Through questions and answers. Identify parts of the flute. Produce the correct sound from the flute.

2 Recap lesson 1 Brief outline of music symbol (Staff & Clef) How to read Music. Musical Alphabet teach rhymes and explain how this represents each note. How to play notes. Explain and demonstrate how to play B.A.G. Pitch of notes – Explain and demonstrate how to pitch notes.

Through questions and answers Identify the notes using musical quiz cards. Play Notes learned (individually in one to one format and as a group) Demonstrate playing a lower note and a middle note.

3 Recap lesson 2 Musical notes – Explain and show the different musical symbols and their values. Concentrate on the minim, crotchet and quaver. First tune – Have pupils put into practice what they have learned so far teach them their first tune (Mary had a Little Lamb).

Through questions and answers. Identify the musical notes and their values using quiz cards and also work sheets. Go round and listen to each student play the tune.

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4 Recap lesson 3 First Tune – Build or recap first tune Flute Band Culture – Show and Explain the types of marching flute bands and the difference between the style of music and different flutes that they play. Playing the note Cont. – Explain and demonstrate how to play F.E.D.

Play Notes learned (individually in one to one format and as a group) Ask a few question relating to the Flute Band Presentation.

5 Recap lesson 4 Final Note – C (Natural) Scales – Explain and demonstrate how to play music scales by reading the music. Fine tune – Work with students to fine tune their techniques with blowing and reading the music. Percussion – Introduce students to the basics of playing a percussion instrument (Keeping beat, loud and soft, crescendos) Conducting – Explain and demonstrate the roles and responsibilities of a musical conductor.

Through question and answers. Playing tune Demonstrating the different techniques shown throughout the lesson.

6 Recap Lesson 5 Reading Music – Short quiz to recap how to read music and the musical notes and values. Showcase Tune – Work along with students on a piece of music (to be decided) to play at their showcase performance. Help percussion group work on a rhythm to accompany the flutes during showcase performance.

Through question and answers Identify music notes using quiz cards Play tune using techniques shown

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7 Recap Lesson 6 Showcase tune – Work with flute and percussion groups to fine tune. Full rehearsal – Bring the two groups together and practice showcase tune together. Dress rehearsal - Work out where people be standing, how to start and finish the tune with conductor

By playing Showcase tune using techniques shown throughout the programme. Filling in a short evaluation form or writing short paragraph on your experiences throughout the programme

8 Recap Lesson 8 Showcase Performance – Have pupils play at an event which has been discussed with the school / teacher.

Discuss how students felt before, during and after their performance.

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Before we start

Cases have numbers on them. This will be the flute you use every week.

You are responsible for that flute. Report any problems with the flute to

your tutor.

Only take the flute apart when told to do so and as shown by your tutor.

It is important to listen when the tutor is talking, there will be plenty of

time for you to practice during each lesson.

If you start to feel light headed take a break for a little while, let tutor

know.

Remember the flute (or any instrument) contains fragile parts i.e. keys.

It is not a toy or a weapon and is expensive so treat with care.

Remove and replace the flutes carefully into the case and check the

string is not caught on keys.

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Know your Flute

Head Joint

Embouchure

Body Joint (Barrel)

C Natural Key

D# Key

F Natural Key

G# Key

Bb Key

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Lesson 1

Correct Position (Posture)

Before beginning to blow the flute, it is important to be comfortable and relaxed. When playing the

flute always stand or sit erect with your head up. Arms, hands and fingers should be completely

relaxed and held in a natural position. Arms should be held with the elbows away from the body and

should not allow upper arms to rest on the ribs. Any Stiffness of the body will be reflected in the

quality of your playing.

Holding the Flute

1. The left hand should be turned so

the palm faces back towards the

player.

2. The first three fingers (Index, middle

and ring fingers) of the left hand cover

the three upper holes with your left

thumb postioned in front of the Bb flat

key (number 5 on knowing your flute

diagram)

Left Hand Right Hand

Left Hand Right Hand

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4. The first three fingers (index, middle

and ring fingers) of the right hand cover

the lower three finger holes, and the little

finger of the right hand operates the key

at the bottom of the flute (number 1 on

knowing your flute diagram).

5. Your right thumb should be positioned

underneath the fourth finger hole.

3. The right hand has the palm facing

away from the player.

Left Hand Right Hand

Right Hand Left Hand

Left Hand Right Hand

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Blowing into flute

1. Draw lips back against your teeth, keep lips together.

2. Position head of the flute against your lip.

3. Position the edge of the embrouchure to the edge of your lip.

Image A

4. Blowing and getting a tone out of the flute is trial and error, and practice will make perfect.

5. If your not getting any sound try rolling the flute in and out on your lip and moving it left and right

on your lip.

Image B

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Check your Blowing

To check if you are blowing correctly take the head joint off the flute and try the same techniques as

before.

If you are getting a noise out of the head joint but not when the flute is together it could mean that

you are not blowing hard enough.

If you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded when you play, it’s because you’re breathing too much and

getting too much air, so it’s important to take a break for a minute until you recover.

Tips for Blowing

Say the Phrase “Treacle Toffee” or “Tip of Tongue”

Try blowing onto the palm of your hand. Then try blowing again making the “Tee” or “Too”

A good way to practise your blowing technique is to blow in a plastic lemonade bottle. Take the cap

off and blow into the hole the way shown and this should produce a noise from the bottle. Adding

water should change the tone of the sound when you blow into it.

If you don’t get a sound immediately look in a mirror and ask yourself the following:

Are my lips in a good position

Am I blowing firmly

Is the flute in a good position try rolling the flute in or out on your lip?

Don’t give up at the start if it’s not perfect, you will soon improve.

How to Practise

The most important part of your practising is in being able to think out the problems. Play slowly at

first and get it right and then build up the speed. Learn to criticise you’re playing and identify what

can you can improve on. You should try to practise regularly every day!

“Practice what you’re weak at,

Not what you are good at”.

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Tips for Practising

1. Practise regularly: You should try to practise every day. Every second practising makes you a

better player.

2. Have a practise area: Try and practise somewhere quiet, clam and free from any

distractions.

3. Take Care of instrument: Make sure your instrument is clean, all keys are working properly

and is stored in the correct way.

4. Set goals: Have a goal for what you want to achieve out of the practise i.e. could be get

better note or improve on a section of music.

5. Practise in sections: Instead of trying to work on a whole tune break it down to smaller

sections at a time.

6. Keep it steady: Always start out by practising slowly and then build on the speed when you

become more comfortable and confident.

7. Practise what you are weak at, not what you are good at: it is easy to skip over something

you find difficult and play the part you are good at but this won’t make you a better player.

8. Enjoy It: the most important part of playing music and practising your instrument is that it

should be fun and something you look forward to.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Quotes

“Practise isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”

Malcolm Gladwell (Author)

“What you do in the studio is what is going to appear on stage”

“You have to practise in a way that you get better, there is no sense in practising the same thing

every day hoping you’re going to get better”

James Galway (Musician)

“What to do with a mistake: recognise it, admit it, learn from it and forget it.”

Dean Smith (Basketball Coach)

“You only need to practise on days that you eat”

Shinichi Suzuki (Japanese Musician)

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Lesson 2

Before attempting to play an instrument it is useful to have a basic knowledge of reading music.

The staff (or Stave)

The five lines and four spaces upon which music is written is called the staff or stave.

The Treble Clef

Clef is Latin for Key. You will see it at the beginning of each line of music. The tail in the centre of the

coiled portion of the clef starts by crossing the second line from the bottom of the stage; this is the G

line and all the lines and spaces are named in alphabetic order from this line.

Bar Lines

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The Musical Alphabet

The musical alphabet uses only the first seven letters of the alphabet and then returns to A, e.g. A B

C D E F G A B C D E F G etc.

Notes are either found on the line or in the space between the lines. A note lower down on the stave

has a lower pitch and a note higher up the stave has a higher pitch.

A good way to remember this is the word F A C E

A good way to remember this is: EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FOOTBALL

The notes on the lines are:

The notes in the spaces are:

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Ledger Lines

A ledger line or leger line is used to notate pitches above or below the lines and spaces of the regular musical staff. A line slightly longer than the note head is drawn parallel to the staff, above or below, spaced at the same distance as the lines within the staff.

Pitch and tone

Playing the flute is all about achieving the correct pitch and tone for each note. Novice flute players

should tackle the scale one note at a time until the full range can be played accurately without over

or under pitching. A common fault is for the novice to pitch correctly from, for example C to G but

from A to C to under pitch and sound the last notes down the octave. This is invariably due to the

incorrect forming of and control of the embouchure; it is at this point that novice will blow harder in

attempting to achieve the correct pitch.

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First Three Notes

B

A

G

Place First finger (index) of left hand on the first

finger hole and little finger of right hand on last key

(as described in holding flute section).

Place First two fingers (index, middle) of left hand on

the first two finger holes and little finger of right hand

on last key (as described in holding flute section).

Place First three fingers (index, middle, ring) of left

hand on the first three finger holes and little finger of

right hand on last key (as described in holding flute

section).

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Identify Notes

Identify and fill in the notes. Now have a go at playing these on your flute. Take your time when

blowing and concentrate on the quality of the note and getting the correct sound/tone.

Activity A

Crochets (1 Count Notes) & Rest Identify the Notes - ______ & ______

Activity B

Minims (2 Count Notes) Identify the Notes - ______ & ______

Activity C

Minims, Crotchets and Rests Identify the Notes - _____, _____, & _____

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LESSON 11 – Note Values & Rhythm Different note shapes indicate different time values telling the you how long to hold the sound of a note, in other words how many beats does each kind of note have.

Semi-Breve (Whole Note)

Minim (1/2 Note)

Crochet (1/4 Note)

Quaver (1/8 Note)

Rhythm Pyramid

Brief history of the Flute

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Brief History of the Flute

The fife and drum are among the earliest musical instruments, simple in design.

In the 1400s the Swiss military used fife and drum as a means of communication on the

battle field, and to relieve the boredom of soldiers on long extended marches.

The German army adopted this in the 1500’s and 1600’s.

The Hanoverian (George I) who succeeded Queen Anne 1714 reorganized the English Army,

requiring the troops to march in step to proper military music. Thus fife and drum music was

adopted by the British military (except in Scotland where the tradition was the use of the

Bagpipe).

In the military, a company of about 100 men would have one or two fifers, and one or two

drummers. When 8 or 10 companies were gathered together to form a regiment, their fifers

and drummers were “banded” to form a regimental band.

The B Flat Flute is an improved form of fife. They began to appear in the late 19th to early

20th century.

Flutes & drums have long been a part of the culture and traditions in the music played in

Ireland.

In Northern Ireland we have a lot of flute bands of various standards and types. They are the

most common type of band out of the roughly 660 marching bands.

The Miller Wicks Flute is now regarded today as probably the best low cost wooden flute on

the market. This London company has relocated under new management to Northern

Ireland where this fine tradition of flute making is continuing.

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Firs

t Tu

ne

- M

ary

had

a li

ttle

Lam

b

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More Practise Tunes

Hot Cross Buns

Silver Moonlight

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Lesson 4

Flute Notes cont.

Place First three fingers (index, middle, ring) of left

hand on the first three finger holes and little finger of

right hand on last key (as described in holding flute

section).

Place first finger (index) of right hand on the fourth

finger hole from the top

F

E Place First three fingers (index, middle, ring) of left hand on the first

three finger holes and little finger of right hand on last key (as

described in holding flute section).

Place first two fingers (index, middle) of right hand on the fourth and

fifth finger holes from the top.

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Lesson 5

The Final Note

D

Place First three fingers (index, middle, ring) of left hand on the first

three finger holes.

Place first three fingers (index, middle, and ring) of right hand on the

fourth, fifth and sixth finger holes from the top.

Take first finger (Index) of left hand off and keep rest on

Note: little finger of right hand comes off only for this note.

C

Place First finger (index) of left hand on the first finger hole.

Place first finger (index) of right hand on the long key (as shown in

diagram below.

Your little finger of your right hand should be on the last key of the

flute.

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Blowing Activities

The following activities will help you to get used to the fingering of the F, E, D, C which we

have leant on the pervious pages. Complete each line also concentrating on the note value

as well.

Activity A

Activity B

Activity C

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Flute Scales

Scales are a good way to build on your blowing and finger placement as well as a good way

to tune up with the rest of group. We are going to concentrate on two scales, scale of D and

G.

Scale of D

D E F G E B C

Scale of G

G A B C D E F

Concentrate on getting the pitch (blowing) right on each every note as you play each scale.

Conductor

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as a concert, by way of visible

gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute

clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the

ensemble. Communication is non-verbal during a performance, however in rehearsal frequent

interruptions allow the conductor to give verbal directions as to how the music should be played

or sung.

Conductors act as guides to the orchestras and/or choirs they conduct. They choose the works to

be performed and study their scores to which they may make certain adjustments, work out their

interpretation, and relay their vision to the performers. They may also attend to organizational

matters, such as scheduling rehearsals. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other

sizable musical ensembles such as big bands are usually led by conductors.

D

G

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Lesson 6

Time Signature

The time signature is a notational convention used to specify how many beats are to be contained in

each bar. In a musical score, the signature appears at the beginning of the piece, as a time symbol or

stacked numerals.

Dotted Notes

A dot after a note increases its duration (length) by half its original value

Examples of how dotted notes work

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Dynamics and Dynamic Changes

Dynamics

Dynamics refers to the volume of a sound or note. The term is also applied to the written or

printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics. Dynamics are relative and do not refer

to specific volume levels.

Traditionally, dynamic markings are based on Italian words, although there is nothing wrong

with simply writing things like “quietly” or “louder” in the music. Forte means loud and

piano means soft. The instrument commonly called the “piano, ”by the way, was originally

called a “pianoforte” because it could play dynamics, unlike earlier popular keyboard

instruments such as the harpsichord and spinet.

Dynamic Markings

The main dynamic levels are:

p or piano, which means “soft” f or forte, which means “loud”

More subtle degrees of loudness or softness are indicated by:

mp, standing for mezzo-piano, which means “moderately soft”

mf, standing for mezzo-forte, which means “moderately loud”

Beyond f and p, there are also:

pp, which stands for pianissimo and means “very soft”

ff, which stands for fortissimo and means “very loud”

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Dynamic Changes To gradually change the dynamics, composer use crescendo and diminuendo (also decrescendo).

Crescendo (cresc.): gradually play louder

Diminuendo / decrescendo (dim. Or decres.): gradually play softer

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Ode to Joy

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Worksheet

Section

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Lesson 1

Before beginning to blow the flute it is important to be

_____________________ and ____________________

You should begin with practising on what part of the flute

_____________________ _______________________

Name a phrase which can help you with learning how to blow into the

flute

_____________________________________________

What object is good to practise blowing if you haven’t got a flute?

______________________________________________

Complete this sentence below

Practise what _______________ _______________ ______________ at,

not what ____________ _________________ __________________ at.

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Lesson 2

How many lines are in a stave?

Draw a Stave in the box below:

Where would you find the treble Clef on the stave?

Draw a Stave and add two bar lines in box below:

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Complete the following activity

On line one fill in the letter the note represents.

On line two fill in the word to complete the rhyme.

On line one fill in the letter the note represents.

1.

2.

1.

1.

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Below identify the notes in the stave and fill in box below

Colour in the circles you would cover to get note:

B A G

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Lesson 3

Fill in letters represented by the notes

For Breakfast I had boiled

I took my

Then I put him back in his

My dad took me to the

Where I had And

He is so

And always put a smile on my

o

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Work out sums using the note values and fill answer in boxes.

+ +

+ + -

=

+

=

+ - - + x =

+

+ + =

+ + + - =

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Using the notes below make a sum to add up to the number in the box

-

-

-

Lesson 4

Name three materials can flutes be made from:

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Name the 3 different types of marching bands

____________________ ____________________ ____________________

Name 2 types of music played by flute bands

______________________________ ______________________________

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Lesson 5

F D C E

Write a short sentence to explain a conductor’s role:

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

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Lesson 6

Identify the time signatures below and fill in the box provided.

Lesson 7

Answer the following questions

Dynamics refer to :

___________________________________________________

In the box draw symbol that means play forte / loud:

In the box draw symbol that means play very soft:

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Time out Exercises. Find the words below in the word search

Stave

Treble Clef

Bar Line

Note

Music

Ledger

Pitch Beats

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LONDONDERRY

BANDSFORUM

Our goal is clear

“Challenge Preconceptionsand Misconceptions

through Education and Dialogue”Londonderry Bands Forum

www.cityprintderry.com / 02871368838

Londonderry Bands ForumNew Gate Arts and Culture Centre,

20 - 22 Hawkin Street, Londonderry,BT48 6RE

Tel: 028 71 265869