Flute

Finding a flute teacher in Singapore can be a bit daunting, but by creating your own profile and having an idea of what qualities you desire in a flute teacher in Singapore, it can be an adventure to research and choose a new flute teacher!

Seek flute teacher candidate names from your colleagues in your ensembles, your musical neighbors and relatives, your local colleges and universities, music stores and even the internet and yellow pages.

Before beginning your search or making that first phone call (Refer to the Flute Student Defining Quiz below for assistance with these issues):

1. Define your flute goals (get a higher chair; win competitions; audition prep; sheer enjoyment; to do your part toward world peace; etc.)

2. Determine your commitment level for practicing the flute.

3. Be realistic about “time” allotment for daily/weekly practice

4. Ascertain your current playing level (advanced, intermediate, upper beginner, etc.)

5. Gather your music (for the past year or so) and have it on hand

6. Make the call yourself if you are age 15 and up. Your parents may handle the business end, but you need to navigate and field the music related inquires

Here are some sources for finding a local flute teacher in Singapore • Contact your local music school or music academy.
• Inquire at local musical equipment stores.
• Contact your local symphony for referrals.
• Contact local religious organizations.
• Advertisements (any of the above locations may have ads posted).

Now that you know where to find an flute teacher in Singapore, how can you make sure he/she is the best for your needs?

• Ask for references from student currently receiving instruction.
• Does the flute teacher put their students in competitions e.g. all-County, All district, All-State etc. If so, how well do their students perform in competitions?
• Does the flute teacher in Singapore know about musical opportunities for students in the community e.g. community bands or orchestras?
• Will they ensure there are opportunities for their students to perform in recitals or in public?
I would consider it important to receive positive answers to each of the questions above. I would consider the answers to the following questions when comparing different flute instructor’s in Singapore rates:
• What type of professional experience does the Singaporean flute teacher have?
• How long have they been teaching flute?
• Where did this instructor go to school for flute?
• Is the flute the teacher’s primary instrument?

A student that thrives in a very structured learning environment may do better with an instructor that provides the same lesson plans and practice assignments to all their students.

Yet some flute teachers in Singapore look to spark a passion for the flute by catering their instruction around the musical interests of their students. Try to match the student’s learning style with an instructor’s teaching style.

Also, some flute teachers in Singapore tend to teach their students by the Suzuki method. In general, the Suzuki method is described as learning music by ear instead of learning to read and play by musical notation.

Beginners may quickly learn to play musical compositions by hearing it using this method. However, one criticism of this style is that many students of the Suzuki style may develop a weakness in their ability to read music.

Therefore, if your student learns by this style, I recommend they also learn to read sheet music at some point if they wish to pursue flute performance as a profession.

Playing the flute is quite easy and at the same time enjoyable to learn. The lessons associated with learning how to play flute is quite easy to follow step by step guide. I have summarized a program that includes everything you should know in starting to know how to play flute.

Step 1 – Learn the proper way of producing sound.

Before going deeper in learning how to play flute, you should start first from the very beginning of it. Knowing how to blow properly to be able to produce the appropriate sound of the flute is the first lesson to do.

Normally, it takes time for a beginner to produce a clean sound. To begin, put your lips to the embouchure hole and blow into it as if saying “tuuuuuuuuuuu”. Keep blowing continuously as long as you can, and see how long you can produce the tone until your breath fades away. Do this again and again and it will help you lengthen your capacity of producing the proper tone.

Step 2 – Proper Finger Placement.

In playing the flute each finger in both hands will be in use. The proper way of holding the flute is by creating a “C” shape by your hand for the thumb to support the weight of the flute. It won’t be easy to do this at first, but later on you will get use to it. Once done, you will notice that you need to learn how to come up with a good posture to maintain the balance in holding the flute while playing it.
You need to focus on these three places where you need your balancing to come up with a good posture: the embouchure where you place your mouth, your left pinkey, and your right thumb.

Step 3 – Learn to Read the Fingering Chart.

The fingering chart is a guide for the flutist to know which fingers are needed and where to place to in creating different pitches. Every fingering chart looks similar to produce universality in the fluting world. Keys needed to be pressed down are represented by solid circles while hollow circles represent keys not needed to be pressed.

One example is playing the Middle Octave C. To properly play this note, you will need to press your first finger in the right hand, simultaneously with your left pinkey in the proper places.

Step 4 – Familiarize Yourself with the Different Types of Notes.

Learning the different types and values of notes should be prioritized in learning different musical instruments. Good thing is in playing the flute, there are only few types of musical notes to be memorized: the whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, and the sixteenth note.

Step 5 – Reading the Music.

The final flute lesson in the introduction to playing the flute would be the lessons on reading the music. This lesson is basically the combination of the following sub-lessons: Learning the clefs, time signatures, types of rests, and the basic counting in playing the flute.