Frustration freedom

Unlike the clarinets and saxophones which have some similarities because they both use reeds or brass instruments which share similar lip formations and note fingerings, the flute is the only instrument in the band where the player must blow across a hole to create a tone. After they accomplish their first sounds, they must create consistent and flexible lip formations that allow them to play at various volumes and with a variety of colors.

Unlike other instruments that you can see while you play them (piano, percussion, even some brass and woodwind instruments), flutists can’t see any movement they use to play their instrument - this movement occurs inside their mouths as well as in their fingers which as we’ve already discussed happens out to the right side of their bodies, out of their line of sight.

The flute sticks out to the right of the player which means they are having to learn entirely new body and hand positions to allow them to successfully play their instruments. How many of us regularly hold our arms out to the side of our bodies for extended periods of time? The answer is not very many!

For my non-flutist readers, you should know that fast and high notes are pretty much the hardest skills on the flute. And yet, many composers write music for flute that has both fast and high notes. This music often gets selected within a flutist’s first year of learning the instrument because it works well for an entire band ensemble, but is still incredibly difficult for the flute. Flutists are expected and encouraged to be proficient fast and high note players and this is a really advanced skill that sometimes gets neglected in larger band classes as our wonderful band directors do their best to manage an entire room of musicians with different instruments, needs, and questions. 

Unlike any other wind instrument in the band, flutists make sound by blowing across a hole instead of straight through the instrument itself. This means that making our first sounds can be time-consuming and frustrating! The flute isn't a harder instrument than the others, it just takes a different timeline for many students to consistently make sound. This can become frustrating quickly when surrounded by other instruments that are making sounds from day one.