Piano Lessons in University Park, TX

Instruments: Flute

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
A normal practice session for me typically consists of a one-hour warm-up, where I begin with long tones and vibrato/tone exercises and then proceed to scale and arpeggio exercises of varying difficulty. I like to switch up the exercises that I do in my warm-ups each day so that I am constantly challenging myself and I never get too comfortable with any one exercise. I then move onto etude practice, and I am pushing myself to learn 3 etudes per week so I learn 3-4 lines of each per day. After I am completely warmed up, I will move onto solo repertoire, where I only focus on the sections that are giving me difficulty. I will practice these sections in a variety of different ways until I have fixed the problems, and then I typically end my practice sessions by either running through a large section of a piece or playing something I really enjoy.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I use the Rubank Method books to teach fundamentals, partially because it was the book that my first private teacher used with me and I found that it worked very well, but also because they start from the very beginning and have great exercises for absolute beginners as well as intermediate and advanced students. There are three volumes of this book, and I find that it is rewarding for students to move onto the next book as an incentive of their growth and hard work. I also use the Forty Little Pieces book for beginners to introduce repertoire, and for more intermediate and advanced students I use the 24 Short Concert Pieces for Flute and Piano collection in addition to integrating standard repertoire.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
In the beginning, the hardest aspect of flute playing to master is learning how to develop a proper embouchure and how to manage your breathing and air speed to create sound. It can be very difficult and even frustrating for many people to try and produce a sound the first time they pick up a flute, but the more that they experiment with embouchure placement and work on developing their lung capacity and strength, the easier it becomes to produce a beautiful tone. I always tell my beginning students that the flute is one of the hardest instruments to learn (it takes almost as much air to play as a tuba - believe it or not!), but once you learn it you will have learned it for life.

Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
All of my former students have received the highest ratings on their solo performances in both the District and State levels of the Michigan State Band and Orchestra Association Solo and Ensemble competitions. They have also been accepted into the Michigan All-State Honors Band, have all held a principal position in their school bands, and have excelled in every aspect of their flute playing. Although none of my former students decided to pursue a career in music, they are all still playing the flute and it remains to be a very important part of their lives.

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