Beginning Flute Class (Redmond Session with Elizabeth Samse)

This class is designed to compliment enrollment in a beginning school band program. While band is a terrific large ensemble experience, it often does not provide sufficient individual instruction on a particular instrument to ensure the student starts well, and continues playing without frustration. The flute requires particular attention to ergonomic issues. Although "small," it is played asymmetrically, and away from the player's center of gravity. Additionally, the flute plays in a different key from a majority of band instruments, and so in order to accommodate the other instruments, the flute, in a band setting, is given a more difficult key to begin with than the rest of the band. This class will focus on learning the basics of posture and position, including proper balance of the flute, and will also start with the keys and fingerings which are easiest to begin with, and then will dovetail into the more difficult "band keys" later on.