Flute Jumpstart Lessons (Summer Flex Session or during the year)
These lessons have always been meant for students who are starting beginning band in the upcoming year, or adults (of any age) who are returning to playing the flute. There will be no more than three students in a Jumpstart! lesson so they get lots of individual attention as well as experiencing the excitement of having someone else to play with. (Teens and adults will have their own lesson unless they want to be partnered with another player.)
What makes Jumpstart Lessons different?
1) Beginner flutists have three 30-minute lessons each week in order to maximize their progress. Seeing the teacher and getting feedback more often than once a week keeps the student’s motivation high as he/she sees regular progress with frequent instruction and personalization of their lessons!
2) After taking Jumpstart! lessons, beginners will have already learned the basics of playing the flute before starting beginning band, which makes that transition so much easier and enjoyable! It is difficult for the director of a beginning band to give personal attention to individual students (which is not at all their fault–there are many kids in beginning band and at least six different instruments being learned) and often bad habits are established because individual students can ‘fly under the radar’.
If the student has already started beginning band, Jumpstart! lessons will assist him/her in gaining confidence and establishing very good technique.
3) Students who start renting a flute in the summer will have my personal assistance in choosing a flute rather than just taking the one that is handed to them when they start band. Rental instruments can be in poor condition and hard to play, but choosing one before the school year starts means that it can be in top shape before the student is playing in band.
Flutists will need the following equipment items that are not normally supplied to beginners
–Thumbport and Fingerport (about $25 each online): these are necessary aids in holding the flute properly, especially for beginners–I use them myself as I have tiny hands! These are the equivalent of a neck strap for saxophones but are rarely (as in, almost never) included with a flute rental or purchase.
— PneumoPro® embouchure training device (available at Amazon): this device (I call it ‘The Whirlgig’) greatly speeds the ability to produce a good sound on the flute and keep it going–the hardest part about fluting! (If your child starts on a Nuvo jFlute, he/she will not need the PneumoPro right away so you can wait before purchasing one.)
— Swabbing cloth for the inside of the flute: I use this bamboo/charcoal one available at Amazon as it is small enough to not get stuck inside the flute but does an excellent job of cleaning out the moisture. (Do NOT get one of those ‘pad saver’ caterpillar-looking fuzzy sticks to put inside your flute; it actually keeps moisture in, encourages mold, and smells horrible, ick!)
— A cloth with which to wipe down the outside of the flute. An old cotton handkerchief is good; so is a microfibre cloth that one uses to clean television and computer screens. (I use these.)
About getting a flute
If the student does not have a flute, rental flutes are available on a first-come, first-served basis ($25/month with regular head joint, $30/month with curved head joint [ergonomic for young/small beginners]). If your child is too small for a regular flute (even with the curved headjoint) or you are looking for a cost-effective way to begin, I recommend that you purchase a Nuvo jFlute, which is a polymer flute designed especially for young beginners and anyone who needs to take their flute into adverse conditions (e.g., playing outside as in marching band). The Nuvo jFlute is an excellent first instrument for all ages and is available at Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07KR88YC1/?coliid=IGM5H8BV353JA&colid=BHGJQCQYE5T1&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it). It can be easily and cost-effectively upgraded to the Nuvo Student Flute with a straight head joint and C foot (https://www.nuvoinstrumental.com/products/flute/).
If all of my studio flutes are taken I will go with you to choose a rental flute (usually at one of the Music And Arts stores) so that you know you are getting a flute in good shape that makes a solid sound; or I will help you purchase a used one (there are often great deals on FB Marketplace or Reverb or even on Ebay). Flutes need an annual COA (cleaning, oiling, and adjustment) as well as intermittent minor fixes; rental flutes have the COA done in the summer but the parent is responsible for getting minor things fixed.
If you already have a flute, I will happily try it out to make sure it is in playing condition–no one should struggle with trying to make a sound on an instrument that cannot cooperate!
I recommend highly the flute technician at Flying Squirrel Music in Raleigh (Miss Rosalind); she does excellent work at a most reasonable price on all levels of flutes (I take my professional flutes to them instead of sending them to well-known technicians in major cities–that is how highly I think of their craftmanship!)