Bought daughter a flute....

Jas1975 · 5 Oct 2011 at 18:59

Ok, we've folded and bought our daughter a flute as she has wanted to learn to play one for a while (she's 10).

Now - the other half is looking into lessons but in the meantime I was seeing what DIY teach yourself stuff is available and if anyone can recommend anything (most of the stuff I have found is books with sheet music which we haven't a clue in how to teach her) thats understandable to a 10 year old (so DVD's/videos where she can copy the actions etc would be good).

Long shot I know but any suggestions from the OCUK musicians? Anything worth looking at?

OpenToSuggestions · 5 Oct 2011 at 19:00

From personal experience lessons that they give at school are almost useless.

Go private, but expect to pay £15 for 30 mins, possibly nearer £20.

Hyburnate · 5 Oct 2011 at 19:05

I can scan a few pages out of some old books, I was **** at it so mergh, still got my old flute from when I was 11. I'll email 'um over for ya when I get a chance

Jas1975 · 5 Oct 2011 at 19:07

Hyburnate said:
I can scan a few pages out of some old books, I was **** at it so mergh, still got my old flute from when I was 11. I'll email 'um over for ya when I get a chance

Would be appreciated! Many thanks.

Jas1975 · 5 Oct 2011 at 19:12

mglover070588 said:
From personal experience lessons that they give at school are almost useless.

Go private, but expect to pay £15 for 30 mins, possibly nearer £20.

Yes we've found that the school lessons (£230 a term) are rubbish when she did Violin a couple of years ago. Will have to go through the Yellow Pages then and try and find a couple to try.

Belloni · 5 Oct 2011 at 20:19

I went through school, got to Grade 7! Dropped it at secondary school though to be manly and avoided bullying.

Destination · 5 Oct 2011 at 20:23

Best advice, do not let her go to band camp with that flute.

Brian8bit · 5 Oct 2011 at 20:29

Buy her an orange sash and teach her "Derry's Walls".

memyselfandi · 5 Oct 2011 at 21:33

School lessons are going to depend a lot on the person doing the teaching. I learned french horn at school from 7-16 and had a pretty good teacher there for most of that (the last couple of years I went private as the chap who came into school retired due to ill health). My sister learned to oboe and went private from the start as the peripatetic woodwind teach was pretty poor.

My experience was the opposite of Belloni's though as at my secondary school the easiest way to avoid bullying was to be involved with the music department and the school concert band (not a good idea to pick on the little first year when he is friends with a lot large kids in higher years through the band).

Probably a bit dated now but the usual starting point was probably the Tune a Day books (I see that they have the original and a "new" one on the Rainforest UK site)

Flibster · 5 Oct 2011 at 21:35

My sister did lessons at school and private ones that were held in the music room after school. Got pretty damn good.

Hikari Kisugi said:
Best advice, do not let her go to band camp with that flute.

Strangely enough, my sister did go to a band camp thing around the time that American Pie came out... :eek:

The__Malteser · 5 Oct 2011 at 21:48

Hikari Kisugi said:
Best advice, do not let her go to band camp with that flute.

Also, b a g a b b b a a a b a g b a g a b b b a a b a g

tell her to do that, tell me what you get

P.S. did this some 7 years ago, still remember it

memyselfandi · 5 Oct 2011 at 21:53

The__Malteser said:
Also, b a g a b b b a a a b a g b a g a b b b a a b a g

tell her to do that, tell me what you get

P.S. did this some 7 years ago, still remember it

I'm sure then I did it in the past it was ...

b a g a b b b a a a b d d b a g a b b b a a b a g

btw offtopic but online keyboard of awesomeness I've just come across when wanting to try playing the above (and not bothering to go downstairs to the piano)

The__Malteser · 5 Oct 2011 at 22:02

memyselfandi said:
I'm sure then I did it in the past it was ...

b a g a b b b a a a b d d b a g a b b b a a b a g

btw offtopic but online keyboard of awesomeness I've just come across when wanting to try playing the above (and not bothering to go downstairs to the piano)

Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Even on the keyboard, it's just wrong.

Curunen · 6 Oct 2011 at 00:55

What a coincidence.
I play the flute and although having done a physics degree I'm looking to go into music professionally. Working toward abrsm diploma, but unfortunately past the deadline for december exams, so will be applying for next july.
At the moment I have lessons twice a week in london (though I notice you're in hampshire so that won't be much help).

Do find a teacher to help her learn how to hold and develop good basic technique and to inspire her to love playing. It will go a long way, and especially to help her to read and understand basic theory.

Books I would advise:
- Moyse daily exercises. Has everything scalewise you could possibly want (above and beyond the graded syllabus) and you can take it at your own pace. Buy a metronome and practise along with that.
- Moyse de la sonorite. I don't have this one myself, but very good exercises for developing good tone.
- Galway tone exercises. One sheet of phrases which go across the range to stretch the embouchure. There are several videos if you google, but unfortunately I can't point you to a sheet.

Plenty of other exercises and studies, but it's late and I can't think of any more off the top of my head - need to sleep!

SkeeterUK · 6 Oct 2011 at 01:22

Don't let her go to band camp.

Edit - bah someone said it already.