Flute

The flute makes its sound from nothing but a stream of air across an open hole. There is no reed and no string, which means the player is producing the tone directly, and why two flautists can pick up the same instrument and sound completely different on it.

What makes it different

The first weeks are about getting a sound at all, and then about getting a sound worth listening to. Embouchure (the shape and control of the lips and the air stream) is the whole game early on, supported by breathing that comes from the diaphragm rather than the top of the chest. Students who put the work in here find the rest of the instrument opens up quickly. Students who rush past it hit a ceiling around the middle grades and cannot work out why.

What you will learn

• Breathing: diaphragmatic support, phrasing, and managing air across a long line
• Embouchure and tone: a clear, even sound across all three registers
• Finger technique: scales, arpeggios, and clean coordination at speed
• Articulation: single, double and triple tonguing as the repertoire asks for it
• Reading: notation, sight-reading, and following a part in ensemble
• Repertoire: Baroque and Classical through to jazz and contemporary writing

A note on starting age

We start flautists at seven. The instrument needs a certain reach to hold comfortably and a lung capacity that younger children simply have not developed yet, and starting too early tends to build strain rather than technique. A curved head joint can help a smaller student, and we will advise on it where it makes sense.

Examinations

Graded examinations run from initial grades through to diploma level with Trinity College London, ABRSM, London College of Music and MTB. Trinity offers both classical and jazz flute syllabuses, and candidates may draw pieces from both, so a student can build a programme that suits how they actually like to play. The repertoire runs from eighteenth-century writing through to specially commissioned pieces by living composers.